Numerical simulation of heat transfer process in longitudinal section of a plate heat exchanger

Abstract

The task of increasing energy efficiency in the production, transmission and use of thermal energy is relevant and directly depends on the efficiency of the used heat exchangers. In this work, a numerical simulation of the heat transfer process in a plate heat exchanger in a longitudinal section was carried out using the ANSYS software package. Four options of plates were considered: those with a sinusoidal, triangular, trapezoidal, and ellipsoidal profile. Based on the obtained simulation results, it was concluded that when considering the longitudinal section with increasing velocity, the shape of the corrugated plate affects the heat transfer characteristics to a lesser extent, and the hydraulic losses to a more extent. Based on the data, the curvature of the plates was modified to better match the flow style of hot and cold media.