Heat transfer correlations for single-phase flow in plate heat exchangers based on experimental data

Abstract

In the present paper, the single-phase heat transfer for nine brazed-plate heat exchangers with different geometric parameters is experimentally investigated. An ethylene glycol and water mixture is used as working fluid. First, the results show that the herringbone angle is the most dominant factor influencing heat transfer. Then, the results also show that geometric dimensions affect heat transfer jointly with herringbone angle. Individual correlations and a general correlation based on experimental data are presented. Then the empirical equations are compared to existing correlations from the open literature. Based on archival data and the experimental data presented in this work, a generalization of single-phase heat transfer performance of plate heat exchangers is given, relating the Nusselt number to heat exchanger geometry, Reynolds number, and fluid properties. The proposed correlation is based on experiments of 22 heat exchangers and 25 empirical correlations, and the percent root-mean-square deviation is 20.77%. This novel correlation has the accuracy of 50% and it is applicable for a very large range of plate heat exchangers.