Theoretical investigation of the influence of pipe diameter and exit channel width in welded plate heat exchanger on heat exchanger performance

摘要

In this study, to examine the effects of the changes in the inlet and outlet pipe diameters and exit channel width on the performance of a welded plate heat exchanger, a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis of the welded plate heat exchanger was carried out while changing the Rp-ch (ratio between the cross-section area of pipe and channel) and Rf-e (ratio between the end width of exit and front width of channel). The realizable k-epsilon model with the non-equilibrium wall function was used. As a result, the heat exchange performance decreased slightly, but the pressure drop decreased significantly by a decrease in Rp - ch and an increase in Rf - e. In addition, the results of this study confirmed that a change in Rp - ch affects the pressure drop of inlet and outlet manifolds significantly, and a change in Rf - e affects the pressure drop of the channel and outlet manifold significantly.