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ISSN Online: 2379-1748

ISBN Flash Drive: 978-1-56700-483-0

ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-482-3

4th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference
April, 14–17, 2019 , Las Vegas, NV, USA

NUMERICAL MODELLING AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON A WIRE MESH HEAT EXCHANGER

Get access (open in a dialog) pages 205-219
DOI: 10.1615/TFEC2019.che.027989

Abstract

Compact heat exchangers are most commonly used in refrigeration and cryogenic systems for providing more heat transfer since they have high surface area density greater than700 m2/m3. High heat transfer area is required to increase the heat exchange between fluids and less occupied volume is needed to reduce the heat in leak from the ambient. There are different configurations of compact heat exchangers available in the literature. In the present study the wire mesh heat exchanger is analyzed numerically and experimentally. The experimental wire mesh heat exchanger is made of a double pipe heat exchanger in which several wire mesh discs are inserted as extended surfaces in the gas side. The experimental study involves the determination of effectiveness, heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics, using hot water and ambient air as process fluids in counter flow arrangement. The numerical study involves the development of a three dimensional, steady flow, laminar numerical model using ANSYS FLUENT 15 for predicting the j factor and f factor of wire mesh surfaces. Numerical study was compared with the experimental studies at the same operating and geometrical parameters with the aid of Colburn j factor and Friction f factor. The deviations of numerical results of j factor and f factor from the experimental results were found to be in the affordable range.