Calculating the optimal physical size of an industrial plate recuperator

Abstract

Introduction. The wide spread of plate heat exchangers in various fields of technology is due to the simplicity of their design and a variety of layout schemes. An area where their use is very promising is heat recovery. The effect of an air heat exchanger-recuperator consists in heating the incoming flow with the heat of the outgoing flow and is expressed in drastically reduced power consumption, which would otherwise be spent on heating. Research methodology. The object of research is a recuperator designed to heat the air entering the production room in winter. Resistance to air flow is a significant disadvantage of the plate heat exchange. The aerodynamic resistance reduces the flow rate, therefore, leads to a decrease in the flow rate of air passing through the recuperator, so the required flow rate is ensured by special fan installations. The task of designing a recuperator is to minimize the size of the flow part and prevent excessive load on the fan unit. Calculation with the use of the recuperatorТs mathematical model is applied in the research. Results. In the course of the research, a mathematical model of the recuperator has been developed, which includes a condition for limiting the pressure loss by an acceptable value. Ratios have been obtained for determining the optimal duct width between the plates, plates height, length and number. Conclusion. A simplified mathematical model has been proposed to estimate the dimensions of the flow part. The reliability of the simplified model has been confirmed by numerical calculation.