Heat and mass transfer characteristics of a horizontal tube falling film absorber with small diameter tubes

This paper presents experimental results of the heat and mass transfer characteristics of a water–LiBr horizontal tube absorber made of small diameter tubes. The experimental set up includes a tube absorber, a generator, solution distribution system and cooling water system. Three different tube diameters of 15.88, 12.70 and 9.52 mm have been installed inside the absorber to investigate the effect of the tube diameter on the absorber performance. The experimental results show that the heat and mass transfer performance of the absorber increases as the tube diameter decreases. A comparison of the heat and mass transfer coefficients of the present study agree reasonable well with that of the previous studies.     

Theoretical investigation on thermal performance of heat pipe flat plate solar collector with cross flow heat exchanger

Based on the heat transfer characteristics of absorber plate and the heat transfer effectiveness-number of heat transfer unit method of heat exchanger, a new theoretical method of analyzing the thermal performance of heat pipe flat plate solar collector with cross flow heat exchanger has been put forward and validated by comparisons with the experimental and numerical results in pre-existing literature. The proposed theoretical method can be used to analyze and discuss the influence of relevant parameters on the thermal performance of heat pipe flat plate solar collector.     

Experimental studies on heat and mass transfer performance of a coiled tube absorber for R134a-DMAC based absorption cooling system

Absorber is an important component in vapor absorption refrigeration system and its performance has greater influence in overall efficiency of absorption machines. Falling film heat and mass transfer in an absorber is greatly influenced by fluid properties, geometry of heat exchanger and its operating parameters. This paper presents on the results of experimental studies on the heat and mass transfer characteristics of a coiled tube falling film absorber, using 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluroethane(R-134a) and N-N Dimethyl Acetamide (DMAC) as working fluids. The effects of film Reynolds number, inlet solution temperature and cooling water temperature on absorber heat load, over all heat transfer coefficient and mass of refrigerant absorbed are presented and discussed. Normalized solution and coolant temperature profiles and refrigerant mass absorbed along the height of absorber are also observed from the experimental results. The optimum over all heat transfer coefficient for R-134a–DMAC solution found to be 726 W/m²K for a film Reynolds number of 350. The R-134a vapour absorption rate is maximum in the normalized coil height of 0.6 to 1.     

Performance analysis of wick-assisted heat pipe solar collector and comparison with experimental results

The performance of heat pipe solar collector is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The system employs wick-assisted heat pipe for the heat transfer from the absorber (evaporator) to a heat exchanger (condenser). The heat pipe is made with a copper tube and the evaporator section is finned with aluminium plate. Theoretical model predicts the outlet water from heat exchanger, heat pipe temperature and also the thermal efficiency of solar collector. The results are compared with experimental data.     

Exergy analysis of absorber using water/lithium bromide solution

It is necessary to understand the heat and mass transfer processes and determine the variation of the exergy destruction in the absorber for improving the performance. In this study, the exergy analysis of a coil absorber using water/lithium bromide solution pair is carried out. By using the developed simulation, the effects of variation of parameters affecting the performance of the absorber on the exergy destruction are investigated. The results show that the exergy destruction increases with increasing coolant flow rate, inlet concentration of solution, absorber vapor pressure, total coil turn and dead state temperature but decreases with increasing inlet temperatures of coolant and vapor. The dead state and vapor temperatures do not affect more when compared to other parameters. The variation of the solution flow rate produce an optimum point of absorber performance.     

A numerical study on the absorption of water vapor into a film of aqueous LiBr falling along a vertical plate

Absorber is an important component in absorption machines and its characteristics have significant effects on the overall efficiency of absorption machines. This article reports a model of simultaneous heat and mass transfer process in absorption of refrigerant vapor into a lithium bromide solution of water––cooled vertical plate absorber in the Reynolds number range of 5 < Re < 150. The boundary layer assumptions were used for the transport of mass, momentum and energy equations and the fully implicit finite difference method was employed to solve the governing equations in the film flow. Dependence of lithium bromide aqueous properties to the temperature and concentration and film thickness to vapor absorption was employed. This model can predict temperature, concentration and properties of aqueous profiles as well as the absorption heat and mass fluxes, heat and mass transfer coefficients, Nusslet and Sherwood number of absorber. An analysis for linear distribution of wall temperature condition carries out to investigation the reliability of the present numerical method through comparing with previous investigation.     

Theoretical analysis to investigate thermal performance of co-axial heat pipe solar collector

The thermal performance of co-axial heat pipe solar collector which consist of a collector 15 co-axial heat pipes surrounded by a transparent envelope and which heat a fluid flowing through the condenser tubes have been predicted using heat transfer analytical methods. The analysis considers conductive and convective losses and energy transferred to a fluid flowing through the collector condenser tubes. The thermal performances of co-axial heat pipe solar collector is developed and are used to determine the collector efficiency, which is defined as the ratio of heat taken from the water flowing in the condenser tube and the solar radiation striking the collector absorber. The theoretical water outlet temperature and efficiency are compared with experimental results and it shows good agreement between them. The main advantage of this collector is that inclination of collector does not have influence on performance of co-axial heat pipe solar collector therefore it can be positioned at any angle from horizontal to vertical. In high building where the roof area is not enough the co-axial heat pipe solar collectors can be installed on the roof as well as wall of the building. The other advantage is each heat pipe can be topologically disconnected from the manifold.     

A simple physical model for steam absorption into a falling film of aqueous lithium bromide solution on a horizontal tube

For one horizontal tube in an absorber the Nusselt solution for film thickness and velocity distribution was applied, assuming steady state in heat transfer and a semi-infinite body’s concentration profile with unsteady state mass transfer. The model was applied to the absorption of steam into aqueous lithium bromide in absorption chillers. The results are compared to published experimental values and show fair agreement.     

Heat and mass transfer characteristics of a new combined absorber-evaporator exchanger operating near the triple point of water

The present experimental study investigates the controlling mechanism involved in a new combined vertical film-type absorber-evaporator exchanger operating near the condition of the triple point of water. This peculiar exchanger plays the most important role in the VFVPE process that can be utilized in many industrial applications, water pollution prevention, desalination, and purification of chemicals, for example. The method of analogy of the heat and mass transfer near the film surface is used to calculate the interfacial concentration and temperature, and thus determining the heat and mass transfer coefficients. It is shown that the working temperature level has the negligible effect on the characteristics of the mass transfer. The mass transfer coefficients are higher than those obtained in the case of isothermal absorption due to the convective effect arisen from vapor absorption in the falling solution film. The water flow rate in the evaporator side has a minor effect on the performance of this combined exchanger. The overall mean heat transfer coefficient remains nearly constant in the lower range of the solution flow rate of the absorber; however, it would increase with increasing solution flow rate in the higher range. The correlating equations for both the heat and mass transfer coefficients are suggested.     

Effectiveness of a multi-channel volumetric air receiver for a solar power tower

In this study, the heat transfer performance of a multi-channel volumetric air receiver for a solar power tower was numerically analyzed. The governing equations, including the solar radiation heat flux, conduction, convection and radiation heat transfer for a single channel, were solved on the basis of valid related references and a methodology that can predict the temperature distribution of the receiver wall and the heat transfer fluid for specific dimensions and input conditions. Furthermore, a mathematical model of the effectiveness of the receiver was derived from an analysis of the temperature profiles of the wall and the heat transfer fluid. The receiver effectiveness as an appropriate criterion to assess economic feasibility regarding geometric size was investigated, as it would be applied to the design process of the receiver. The main parameters for the thermal performance simulations described in this paper are the air mass flow rate, receiver length and the influence of these parameters on the heat transfer performance from the viewpoint of receiver efficiency and effectiveness.     

Heat and mass transfer characteristics of absorption of R134a into DMAC in a horizontal tube absorber

In this paper the heat and mass transfer characteristics of a horizontal tube absorber for the mixture R134a/DMAC in terms of experimentally gained heat and mass transfer coefficients are presented. The heat transfer coefficient is mainly dependent on the solution’s mass flow rate. The mass transfer coefficient is strongly related to the subcooling of the solution. The data are compared to experimental absorption characteristics of water into aqueous lithium bromide in an absorption chiller. The mass transfer coefficients are of similar size whereas the heat transfer coefficients are about one order of magnitude smaller for R134a-DMAC.     

太阳能热电站容积换热器的数值研究

太阳能热电站容积换热器由以适当方式布置在封闭腔体内的圆柱阵列组成。其内部流动的复杂性增加了实验测量和数值场模拟的难度。本文采用连续模型对换热器内部的换热及压降进行了数值模拟。结果与实验数据相符良好     

Application of transfer matrix method in heat transfer performance analysis of multi-re-entrant honeycomb structures

The thermal properties for the multi-re-entrant honeycomb are investigated, where the hexagon and re-entrant topologies are applied for comparison. A compact model was adopted for the local heat transfer rate and pressure drop estimations while the total heat transfer rate was analyzed using the transfer matrix method. A thermal performance index was specified to characterize a good heat exchange medium that can transfer more heat at the expense of lower pressure loss. Numerical results reveal better thermal performances of multi-re-entrant honeycombs over hexagon and re-entrant topologies, attributed to the presence of added base walls. Auxetic effect introduced in multi-re-entrant honeycomb generally provides enhanced out-of-plane thermal conductivity and increased total heat transfer efficiency due to higher surface area density.     

Modeling of simultaneous heat and mass transfer processes in ammonia–water absorption systems from general correlations

This paper presents a general differential mathematical model to analyze the simultaneous heat and mass transfer processes that occur in different components of an ammonia–water absorption system: absorber, desorber, rectifier, distillation column, condenser and evaporator. Heat and mass transfer equations are considered, taking into account the heat and mass transfer resistances in the liquid and vapour phases. The model considers the different regions: vapour phase, liquid phase and an external heating or cooling medium. A finite difference numerical method has been considered to solve the resulting set of nonlinear differential equations and an iterative algorithm is proposed for its solution. A map of possible solutions of the mass transferred composition z is presented when varying the interface temperature, which enables to establish a robust implementation code. The analysis is focused on the processes presented in ammonia–water absorption systems. The model is applied to analyze the ammonia purification process in an adiabatic packed rectification column and the numerical results show good agreement with experimental data.     

Numerical modeling of incline plate LiBr absorber

Among major components of LiBr–H₂O absorption chillers is the absorber, which has a direct effect on the chillier size and whose characteristics have significant effects on the overall efficiency of absorption machines. In this article, heat and mass transfer process in absorption of refrigerant vapor into a lithium bromide solution of water-cooled incline plate absorber in the Reynolds number range of 5 < Re < 150 is performed numerically. The boundary layer assumptions are used for the mass, momentum and energy transport equations and the fully implicit finite difference method is employed to solve the governing equations. Dependence of lithium bromide aqueous properties to the temperature and concentration is employed as well as dependence of film thickness to vapor absorption. An analysis for linear distribution of wall temperature condition carries out to investigate the reliability of the present numerical method through comparing with previous investigation. The effect of plate angle on heat and mass transfer parameters is investigated and the results show that absorption mass flux and heat and mass transfer coefficient increase as the angle of the plate increase. The main parameters of absorber design, namely Nusselt and Sherwood numbers, are correlated as a function of Reynolds Number and the plate angle.     

Influence of the air gap between protective clothing and skin on clothing performance during flash fire exposure

A finite volume model was developed to simulate transient heat transfer in protective clothing during flash fire exposure. The model accounts for the combined conduction-radiation heat transfer in the air gap between the fabric and skin. The variation in the fabric and air gap properties with temperature and the thermochemical reactions in the fabric are also considered. This study investigates the influence of the air gap in protective clothing on the energy transfer through the clothing and hence on its performance. Different parameters that affect the conduction-radiation heat transfer through the air gap such as the air gap absorption coefficient and the air gap width were studied. Finally, the paper demonstrates that an innovative and potentially significant way to improve protective clothing performance is to reduce the emissivity on the backside of the fabric.     

A simplified model of heat transfer in heat exchangers and stack plates of thermoacoustic refrigerators

A simplified model of heat transfer was developed to investigate the thermal behavior of heat exchangers and stack plates of thermoacoustic devices. The model took advantage of previous results describing the thermal behavior of the thermoacoustic core and heat transfer in oscillating flow to study the performance of heat exchangers attached to the core. The configuration considered is a flat tube (with a working fluid flowing in the tube) of the thickness of the stack plate attached to both ends of the stack plate. Geometrical and operational parameters as well as thermophysical properties of the heat exchangers, transport fluids in the heat exchangers, stack plate and the thermoacoustic working fluid were organized into dimensionless groups that allowed accounting for their impact on the performance of the heat exchangers. Two types of thermal boundary conditions were considered: constant temperature and constant heat flux along the heat exchanger tubes. Numerical simulations were carried out with the model introduced in the paper. The temperature distributions and heat fluxes near the edge of the stack plate were found to be nonlinear. The influence of system parameters on the thermal performance of the heat exchangers was analyzed.This article is dedicated to Prof. D. Mewes, whose knowledge, creativity, enthusiasm and dedication to engineering science was an inspiration to me and to many students, scientists, engineers and colleagues all over the world (C. Herman).     

Experimental and theoretical investigations of falling film evaporation

In this study, a mathematical model was developed for falling film evaporation in vacuum using heat transfer relations. An experimental device was designed. experimental set-up which was used was equipped with a triangular weir distribution device and it had the ability to record data up to 3?m. Experiments were performed in a single-effect process with sucrose–water solution varying from 3 to 20% concentration rate of sucrose and we used a vertical tube evaporator with the dimensions of laboratory scale. The model that was developed considers convection, shear stress, viscosity and conjugate heat transfer while most of the previous works ignored these factors. The main factors influencing the heat transfer mechanism performance of the unit were investigated and analyzed. We concluded that the experimental studies are verified by the developed model. Furthermore, it was also concluded that, the heat transfer is affected by the mass flow rate, sucrose concentration rate in solution, film thickness and pressure.     

Convective heat transfer under unsteady impinging jets: the effect of the shape of the unsteadiness

Unsteady impinging jets are systematically controlled with respect to their time dependence in order to investigate the influence of unsteadiness on the heat transfer performance. This is achieved by a special mass flow control device, which allows almost arbitrary shapes of unsteadiness to be imposed onto the impinging jet. Three different standard signals (sinusoidal, triangular, rectangular) and two specially designed signals are applied and their influence on heat transfer is determined in terms of an enhancement factor. Heat transfer augmentation up to 30% was found and could be physically explained with the help of PIV and hot-wire measurements of the flow field.     

Thermal performance of a parabolic trough collector with a longitudinal externally finned absorber

A new absorber configuration has been proposed for parabolic trough solar collector. It consists of a tube through which the working fluid flows. The tube is attached externally to two longitudinal fins which are directed normally to the collector aperture. The absorber aggregate, tube and fins, is encased by a transparent envelope. The heat balance equations for such absorber have been derived and solved. Based on these analyses a study has been carried out on an absorber located in Alexandria (31^o N latitude) in Egypt to show the effect of its geometrical parameters on the thermal performance. The results of the study show that a wide range of concentration ratios, higher than the smallest ideal ones, can be chosen. For each concentration ratio, there is a corresponding fin height to absorber tube diameter ratio which maximizes the collector efficiency. The greatest collector efficiency is achieved when the concentration ratio is 1.7 of the smallest ideal one and the ratio of fin height to tube diameter in 0.7. In this case the collector efficiency increases in average ca. 3% over that when using a conventional absorber.