Abstract
The present study is devoted to the modeling, design, and experimental study of a heat pipe heat exchanger utilized as a recuperator in small air conditioning systems (airflow ≈ 300–500 m3/h), comprised of individually finned heat pipes. A thermal heat pipe heat exchanger model was developed, based on available correlations. Based on the previous experimental works of authors, refrigerant R404A was recognized as the best working fluid with a 20% heat pipe filling ratio. An engineering analysis of parametric calculations performed with the aid of the computational model concluded 20 rows of finned heat pipes in the staggered arrangement as a guarantee of stable heat exchanger effectiveness ≈ 60%. The optimization of the overall cost function by the “brute-force” method has backed up the choice of the best heat exchanger parameters. The 0.05 m traversal (finned pipes in contact with each other) and 0.062 m longitudinal distance were optimized to maximize effectiveness (up to 66%) and minimize pressure drop (less than 150 Pa). The designed heat exchanger was constructed and tested on the experimental rig. The experimental data yielded a good level of agreement with the model—relative difference within 10%.
Highlights
The effectiveness and heat transfer rate is higher for winter conditions, where higher temperature differences between airstreams exist
The designed heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHE) made of an individually finned heat pipe (HP) bundle is a competitive solution to the continuous plate-fine HPHE
The continuous fin heat exchangers (HEXs) is a more thermally efficient construction, the individual finning has its advantages in HPHE:
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The heat pipe (HP) has no moving parts and uncomplicated construction. It is a reliable, and passive heat transfer device—working fluid transport within HP occurs naturally, without additional energy input. Its heat conductance could be higher than any known solid material [1], so it can efficiently transfer heat along significant distances
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