Abstract
Printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHEs) are a promising technology for helium and supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles due to their highly compact construction, very high heat transfer coefficients, capability to withstand high pressures and wide range of operating temperatures. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the performance of PCHEs based on available literature and survey of heat exchangers currently available on the market. First, the fundamental principles, including material selection, manufacturing and assembly, are introduced. Then, PCHEs with different flow passages are summarized and analysed along with their heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics. Next, geometric design optimisation of PCHEs is summarised and discussed, taking into consideration the complex relationships between heat transfer enhancement and pressure drop penalty, compactness and fluid inventory as well as capital cost. Finally, knowledge gaps are identified and suggestions for further research to address these for a wider range of applications are presented. The review covers relatively new heat exchangers on the market as well as designs that are still under development. Although extensive work has already been done in this field, and PCHEs are well established in the petrochemical industry, significantly more work is needed to increase their attractiveness for a wider range of applications. This work should be aimed at the optimisation of flow passage configurations in terms of thermohydraulic performance, complexity and manufacturing costs, development and selection of materials to increase further the range of high temperature and pressure operation, and the development of more generalised correlations for performance prediction and overall design optimisation.
Highlights
For power generation and heat to power conversion systems, advanced nuclear reactors have attracted the attention of various scholars in the field of future energy technologies, due to the global increase in electrical energy demand, environmental concerns, economic benefits and the multi-purpose potential application of this technology [1]
Unlike the work of Huang et al [20] that reviewed Printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHEs) by considering separately experimental studies and numerical simulations, the review in this paper considers in significant detail PCHE performance in terms of flow passage geometry and flow characteristics, material selection, manufacturing techniques and design optimisation
Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers (PCHEs) extend the applications of compact heat exchangers where pressure, temperature or corrosion prevent the use of conventional heat exchangers
Summary
For power generation and heat to power conversion systems, advanced nuclear reactors have attracted the attention of various scholars in the field of future energy technologies, due to the global increase in electrical energy demand, environmental concerns, economic benefits and the multi-purpose potential application of this technology [1]. A supercritical CO2 with low viscosity and high thermal conductivity can result in good compatibility with standard materials, lower compressive work, good tolerance and robustness with the turbine and compressor and good availability for heat sinks and sources due to the relatively low temperature required for maintaining the supercritical condition [7,8,9,10] In such power generation and conversion systems, the efficiency of the electricity generation is critically dependent on heat exchangers, which are key components in transferring the thermal energy, and can be used as the heater, condenser, gas cooler and recuperator. Huang et al [20] summarized the characteristics of flow and heat transfer in PCHEs based on experimental results and simulations but did not discuss material selection, manufacturing and assembly, and heat exchanger optimization methods. Unlike the work of Huang et al [20] that reviewed PCHEs by considering separately experimental studies and numerical simulations, the review in this paper considers in significant detail PCHE performance in terms of flow passage geometry and flow characteristics, material selection, manufacturing techniques and design optimisation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
