New thermal-hydraulic correlations for printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHEs) with zigzag channels under high Reynolds numbers

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of semi-circular zigzag-channel printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) design parameters on heat transfer and pressure drop of flows under high Reynolds numbers and provide new thermal-hydraulic correlations relevant to conditions encountered in natural gas processing plants.Design/methodology/approachThe correlations were developed using three-dimensional steady-state computational fluid dynamics simulations with varying semicircular channel diameter (from 1 to 5 mm), zigzag angle (from 15° to 45°) and Reynolds number (from 40,000 to 100,000). The simulation results were validated by comparison with experimental results and existing correlations.FindingsThe results revealed that the thermal-hydraulic performance was mostly affected by the zigzag angle, followed by the ratio of the zigzag channel length to the hydraulic diameter. Overall, smaller zigzag angles favored heat transfer intensification while keeping reasonably low pressure drops.Originality/valueThis study is, to date, the only one providing thermal-hydraulic correlations for PCHEs with zigzag channels under high Reynolds numbers. Besides, the broad range of parameters considered makes the proposed correlations valuable PCHE design tools.