The effects of inlet fluid flow nonuniformity on thermal performance and pressure drops in crossflow plate-fin compact heat exchangers

Abstract

An analysis of a crossflow plate-fin compact heat exchanger, accounting for the effects of two-dimensional nonuniform inlet fluid flow distribution on both hot and cold fluid sides, is carried out using a finite element model. A mathematical equation is developed to generate different types of fluid flow maldistribution models considering the possible deviations in fluid flow. Using these fluid flow maldistribution models, the exchanger effectiveness and its deterioration due to flow nonuniformity are calculated for an entire range of design and operating conditions. In addition to thermal analysis, the pressure drops and their variations are also calculated for these models. It was found that the performance deteriorations and variation in pressure drops are quite significant in some typical applications due to fluid flow nonuniformity