Transient Response of a Cross Flow Heat Exchanger Subjected to Temperature and Flow Perturbations

Abstract

The transient performance of a multi-pass cross flow heat exchanger subjected to temperature and mass flow rate perturbations, where the heat exchanger flow circuiting is neither parallel flow nor counter flow, is considered in this work. A detailed numerical study was performed for representative single-pass, two-pass, and three-pass heat exchangers. Numerical predictions were obtained for cases where the minimum capacity rate fluid was subjected to a step change in inlet temperature in absence of mass flow rate perturbations. Likewise, numerical predictions were obtained for the heat exchangers operating initially at steady state, where a step mass flow rate change of the minimum capacity rate fluid was imposed in the absence of any fluid temperature perturbations. The transient performance of this particular heat exchanger configuration subjected to these temperature and flow disturbances has not been discussed previously in the available literature. In the present study the energy balance equations for the hot and cold fluids and the heat exchanger wall were solved using an implicit central finite difference method. A parametric study was conducted by varying the dimensionless quantities that govern the transient response of the heat exchanger over a typical range of values. Because of the storage of energy in the heat exchanger wall, and finite propagation times associated with the inlet perturbations, the outlet temperatures of both fluids do not respond instantaneously. The results are compared with previously published transient performance predictions of multi-pass counter flow and parallel flow heat exchangers.