Transport processes in narrow channels with application to rotary exchangers

Rotary solid storage elements, combining heat and mass transfer, are used for dehumidizing air, solvents recovery or separation. The performance of the rotor mainly depends on its single channels parameters and the type of flow material combinations employed as sorbents and carrying structures. The local heat transfer along the ducts was investigated by holographic interferometry. Fundamental tests were conducted to determine the loading behaviour of different rotary heat and mass exchanger samples. In further experiments the loading progression of different samples after an increase of humidity were determined. Finally a method of the numerical simulation of the combined heat and mass transfer in rotary exchangers is described briefly. Received on 23 September 1998     

Thermal behavior of spiral fin-and-tube heat exchanger having fly ash deposit

This research investigates the effect of fly-ash deposit on thermal performance of a cross-flow heat exchanger having a set of spiral finned-tubes as a heat transfer surface. A stream of warm air having high content of fly-ash is exchanging heat with a cool water stream in the tubes. In this study, the temperature of the heat exchanger surface is lower than the dew point temperature of air, thus there is condensation of moisture in the air stream on the heat exchanger surface. The affecting parameters such as the fin spacing, the air mass flow rate, the fly-ash mass flow rate and the inlet temperature of warm air are varied while the volume flow rate and the inlet temperature of the cold water stream are kept constant at 10 l/min and 5 °C, respectively.

From the experiment, it is found that as the testing period is shorter than 8 h the thermal resistance due to the fouling increases with time. Moreover, the deposit of fly-ash on the heat transfer surface is directly proportional to the dust–air ratio and the amount of condensate on heat exchange surface. However, the deposit of fly-ash is inversely proportional to the fin spacing. The empirical model for evaluating the thermal resistance is also developed in this work and the simulated results agree well with those of the measured data.     

Effect of Moisture Movement on Tested Thermal Conductivity of Moist Aerated Autoclaved Concrete

The purpose of this work was to study both theoretically and experimentally the process of moisture redistribution and heat transfer due to phase changes during the tests of thermal conductivity in aerated autoclaved concrete (AAC) moist specimens. The different moisture contents of the test samples were obtained in climatic chamber at equilibrium conditions reached with constant air temperature and variable relative humidity. The moist specimens were sealed inside highly impermeable polyethylene bag, as required by UNI 10051, and placed in a heat flow meter apparatus. During the experimental thermal conductivity measurements, the temperature and heat flow rate were measured under transient and steady state conditions. A theoretical analysis of the heat and mass transfer process was performed and then a suitable numerical model was used to predict the moisture redistribution and heat transfer due to the phase changes. The theoretical model has been compared against the experimental data. Substantial agreement between numerical results and experimental data was found. Then several numerical simulations have been performed to study the influence of the errors due to phase changes and non-uniform moisture distribution during the test of thermal conductivity of moist AAC specimens.     

Condensation intensity in vapour/gas mixture

Quite a large quantity of waste energy is discharged into atmosphere with vapor/gas mixture. It exceeds more than 10% of the primary energy input in a plant. By developing heat exchangers resistant to the low-temperature corrosion, an efficient use of a large part of this energy can be provided. The intensity of moist air/cold water heat transfer has been experimentally determined in a semi-in-dustrial plant and given in the form of the criterion equation (diagram) with variations of inlet gas moisture, inlet gas Reynolds number, and water flow rates. This diagram enables technically reliable calculation of any heat exchanger consisting of a bundle of vertical tubes in a tube sheet.     

A new model for predicting performance of fin-and-tube heat exchanger under frost condition

Accurate prediction of frost characteristics has crucial influence on designing effective heat exchangers. In this paper, a new CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model has been proposed to predict the frost behaviour. The initial period of frost formation can be predicted and the influence of surface structure can be considered. The numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the performance of fin-and-tube heat exchanger under frost condition. The results have been validated by comparison of simulations with the data computed by empirical formulas. The transient local frost formation has been obtained. The average frost thickness, heat exchanger coefficient and pressure drop on air side has been analysed as well. In addition, the influence factors have also been discussed, such as fin pitch, relative humidity, air flow rate and evaporating temperature of refrigerant.     

Hysteretic Behaviour and Moisture Buffering of Hemp Concrete

Moisture transfer in hygroscopic building materials affects the indoor air quality by exchanging moisture and buffering the ambient relative humidity variations. The paper deals with experimental and numerical study on hysteretic sorption behaviour of the hemp concrete sorption process. Experimental intermediate scanning curves of hemp concrete are measured and used to compare two hysteresis models, Huang’s model and Carmeliet’s model. An original method is achieved to fit the numerical results on the experimental ones leading to the identification of the main desorption curve. The most relevant model, Huang’s model, is implemented in a heat and moisture transfer model based on Künzel formalism. The transient hydric response of hemp concrete submitted to cyclic hydric loadings is investigated and compared to experimental results issued from the literature. These investigations show the relevance to consider the hysteresis phenomenon into the model. Then, the influence of initial conditions is discussed. The results point out that transient response of hemp concrete strongly depends on the initial hydric state (initial moisture content as well as initial relative humidity).     

多孔介质在压力梯度作用下的热质耦合数值模拟

多孔介质干燥导致热质耦合传输过程。本文基于连续介质力学的宏观尺度,对多孔介质的热、湿和气三者耦合迁移进行数值模拟,研究压力梯度对热质传输的影响。多孔介质传质机理主要为水汽和空气的对流和扩散传输、吸附水在含湿量梯度作用下的自由扩散和其在温度梯度即Soret效应驱动下的流动。采用Galerkin加权余量的有限元方法,提出了...     

一种着装人体动态热湿传递模拟方法

针对服装热湿功能设计问题,结合改进的人体热调节模型和微元织物热湿耦合模型,实现了着装人体动态热湿传递过程的模拟。水分的蒸发凝结、纤维对湿的吸附解吸、液态水的毛细传递、人体汗水在体表积聚等现象,及其对服装热性能的作用在模型中都给予了考虑。并给出了计算流程。算例表明了模拟方法的有效性。     

Experimental investigation of the flow pattern,pressure drop and void fraction of two-phase flow in the corrugated gap of a plate heat exchanger

The two-phase flow in the corrugated gap created by two adjacent plates of a plate heat exchanger was investigated experimentally. One setup consisting of a transparent corrugated gap was used to visualize the two-phase flow pattern and study the local phenomena of phase distribution, pressure drop and void fraction. Saturated two-phase R365mfc and an air-water mixture were used as working fluids.In a second experimental setup, the heat transfer coefficients and the pressure drop inside an industrial plate heat exchanger during the condensation process of R134a are determined. Both experimental setups use the same type of plates, so the experimental results can be connected and a flow pattern model for the condensation in plate heat exchangers can be derived. In this work the results of the flow pattern visualization, the two-phase pressure drop in the corrugated gap and the void fraction analysis by measurement of the electrical capacity are presented. A new pressure drop correlation is derived, which takes into account different flow patterns, that appear during condensation. The mean deviation of the presented pressure drop model compared to the experimental data and data from other experimental works is 18.9%. 81.7% of the calculated pressure drop lies within ±30% compared to the experimental data.     

A study on the correlation between the thermal contact conductance and effective factors in fin–tube heat exchangers with 9.52 mm tube

The thermal contact resistance is a principal parameter interfering with heat transfer in a fin–tube heat exchanger. However, the thermal contact resistance in the interface between tubes and fins has not been clearly investigated. The objective of the present study is to examine the thermal contact conductance for various fin–tube heat exchangers with tube diameter of 9.52 mm and to find a correlation between the thermal contact conductance and effective factors such as expansion ratio, fin type, fin spacing and hydrophilic coating. In this study, experiments have been conducted only to measure heat transfer rate between hot and cold water. To minimize heat loss to the ambient air by the natural convection fin–tube heat exchangers have been placed in an insulated vacuum chamber. Also, a numerical scheme has been employed to calculate the thermal contact conductance with the experimental data. As a result, a new correlation including the influences of expansion ratio, slit of fin and fin coating has been introduced, and the portion of each thermal resistance has been estimated in the fin–tube heat exchangers with 9.52 mm tube.     

A rigorous analysis of simultaneous heat and mass transfer in the pasta drying process

This study presents a two dimensional analysis of coupled heat and mass transfer during the process of pasta drying. Velocity and temperature distributions of air flowing around the pasta are predicted in steady state condition. Using these profiles and the similarity between heat and mass boundary layers, local convective heat and mass transfer coefficients were determined on different points of pasta surface. By employing these values, the solution of coupled heat and mass transfer equations within the pasta object in unsteady state condition was obtained. Furthermore the effects of operating conditions such as velocity, temperature and relative humidity of air flow on drying rate of pasta were studied. Sensitivity analysis results show that the effects of air temperature and relative humidity on the rate of drying are more important than the effect of air velocity. Finally, the results obtained from this analysis were compared with the experimental data reported in the literatures and a good agreement was observed while, no adjustable parameter is used in the presented model.     

Frost formation in vertical channels under natural convection

Processes involving heat transfer from a humid air stream to a cold plate, with simultaneous deposition of frost, are of great importance in a variety of refrigeration equipment. In this paper, frost growth on a cold, vertical plate in free convection has been experimentally investigated. The cold plate (0.095 m high, 0.282 m wide) was placed in vertical channels open at the top and bottom in order to permit the natural circulation of ambient air. The channels, rectangular in shape, were 2.395 m high and 0.36 m wide, with the depth set equal either to 20 mm, or 10 mm, or 6 mm in order to infer the influence of channel flow area on the natural convection and frost formation. The cold plate temperature and the air relative humidity were varied in the −40 to −4 °C and 31–85% range, respectively, with the air temperature held fixed at 27 °C (±1 °C). Several quantities (thickness, temperature and mass of frost, heat flux at the cold plate), were measured during the time-evolution of the process (7.5 h from the frost growth inception), and are presented as functions of the input parameters (relative humidity and cold plate temperature); in particular, the role exerted by the plate confinement on the frost growth is discussed. Data are recast in order to identify compact parameters able to correlate frost mass, thickness and density data.     

Experimental study on effect of relative humidity on heat transfer of an evaporating water droplet in air flow

Dispersed water droplets are often seen in environmental air flows in rain, cloud, mist, sea spray and so on. It is therefore of great importance to precisely estimate heat transfer between water droplets and atmospheric air in developing a reliable climate model. The purpose of this study is to fabricate the measurement system for the temperature of a small water droplet in air flow under the controlled relative humidity condition and to investigate the effect of relative humidity on heat transfer across the surface of an evaporating water droplet in air flow. The results show that the droplet temperature decreases in the low-relative-humidity condition, whereas it increases in the high-relative-humidity condition. Nusselt number on the droplet surface is not affected by the relative humidity.     

Heat and mass transfer characteristics of air bubbles and hot water by direct contact

 This paper has dealt with direct contact heat and mass transfer characteristics of air bubbles in a hot water layer. The experiments were carried out by bubbling air in the hot water layer under some experimental conditions of air flow rate, inlet air temperature and humidity as a dispersion fluid, and hot water temperature and hot water layer depth as a continuous fluid. Heat transfer and evaporation of water vapor from hot water to air bubbles occurred during air bubbles ascending into the hot water. Air bubble flow patterns were classified into three regions of independent air bubble flow, transition and air bubble combination growth. Non-dimensional correlation equations of direct contact heat and mass transfer between air bubbles and hot water were derived by some non- dimensional parameters for three regions of bubble flow pattern. Received on 14 July 2000 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

Numerical investigation of transient heat and mass transfer in a parallel-flow liquid-desiccant absorber

Liquid desiccant systems have received significant attention as a way to reduce latent loads. Tests of liquid desiccant systems in humid climates have shown significant reductions in energy consumption. As moisture in the air is absorbed at the dehumidifier, the temperature of the liquid desiccant increases due to the addition of heat from the enthalpy of condensation of the water vapor. Thus, the coupled effects of heat and mass transfer are relevant for these applications. A two-dimensional mathematical model of the transient heat and mass transfer for an absorber where a thin film of liquid desiccant flows down its walls and dehumidifies the air in parallel-flow configuration is developed and the dynamics of the modeled system are analyzed.     

Flow and coupled heat transfer in the cavity between the rotor and stator

The turbulent flow and coupled heat transfer in the cavity between the rotor and stator is numerically simulated. Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations closed with equations of the k-ɛ turbulence model are used to calculate the viscous compressible gas flow characteristics and heat transfer; the unsteady heat conduction equation is used to calculate the temperature field in the metal. The influence of the mass flow rate of the coolant on the flow structure and efficiency of cooling of the rotor and stator walls is studied. The calculated results are compared with experimental data.     

Analysis of evaporative cooling and enhancement of condenser efficiency and of coefficient of performance

The graphical method to determine with the aid of a Mollier i - x diagram (psychrometric chart) combined heat and mass transfer is simulated by a computer program. Heat rejection rates from a plate-fin tube type condenser are determined for various flow rates and inlet state conditions of air and for different degrees of wetting of the heat transfer surfaces. The presence of water and the cooling by latent heat makes it possible to exchange more heat than the unwetted exchanger would even for idealized conditions of infinite heat transfer coefficient of the air. The evaporative cooled condenser also can exchange heat with ambient air which has much higher temperature than the condensing fluid. Evaporative cooling increases heat transfer by a factor of more than three for saturated inlet air and greater than five for lower inlet humidities. Wetted heat exchangers require less extended surfaces and can operate effectively with bare tubes only. Wetting the condenser of a refrigeration or heat pump system makes it possible to exchange the condenser load at lower temperatures. This yields an increase of COP of the order of 30 to 60% and therefore a substantial decrease in compressor power and its energy consumption.     

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).     

Effect of salt spray corrosion on air-side hydrophilicity and thermal-hydraulic performance of copper-fin heat exchangers

The effect of salt spray corrosion on the air-side hydrophilicity and the thermal-hydraulic performance of copper-fin heat exchangers were experimentally investigated. Artificial accelerated method of salt spray corrosion on the copper-fin heat exchangers was used for simulating the actual corroded heat exchangers. The experimental results show that, the contact angles increase with the increase of salt spray corrosion hours, which results in the degradation of the hydrophilicity of copper fin. The air-side heat transfer coefficients decrease and pressure drops increase with the increase of corrosion hours. The effect of salt spray corrosion on the heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops become more obvious with the increase of inlet air velocity. The heat transfer coefficients of the corroded copper-fin heat exchangers decrease by 4.4–34.0% and the pressure drop increase by 5.2–26.1% comparing with those of the uncorroded copper-fin heat exchanger at the inlet air velocity ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 m/s.     

Investigations on the heat transfer performance of edge-shaped finned-tubes

The third generation enhanced heat transfer technologies, such as three-dimensional fin and dimple, are still important means of improving energy efficiency and will continue to be challenging issues. This paper concentrates on the analysis of the condensation heat transfer performance of an edge-shaped finned-tube fabricated by extrusion–ploughing process. Experimental results show that the overall heat transfer coefficient increases with increases of volumetric flow rate of cold water and heat flux whereas the shell side heat transfer coefficient decreases with volumetric flow rate and heat flux increasing. At the similar volumetric flow rate, the shell side heat transfer coefficient of the edge-shaped finned-tube is 4–6 times larger than that of the smooth tube. At the similar volumetric flow rate, the shell side heat transfer coefficient of edge-shaped finned-tube increases with ploughing depth increasing. At the same temperature difference between wall and vapor, the shell side heat transfer coefficient is also higher than what had been reported in the literature.