Examining the effect of backward/forward-facing wavy channels on the thermohydraulic performance of a printed circuit heat exchanger under the laminar flow regime

The printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) has been used in many important engineering applications because of its advantages, including its small size and high efficiency. This study aims to enhance the thermohydraulic characteristics of the PCHE by using new channels characterised by a three-dimens...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ahmed Oleiwi Samarmad, Hayder Mohammad Jaffal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-11-01
Series:International Journal of Thermofluids
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666202723002008
_version_ 1797401624788860928
author Ahmed Oleiwi Samarmad
Hayder Mohammad Jaffal
author_facet Ahmed Oleiwi Samarmad
Hayder Mohammad Jaffal
author_sort Ahmed Oleiwi Samarmad
collection DOAJ
description The printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) has been used in many important engineering applications because of its advantages, including its small size and high efficiency. This study aims to enhance the thermohydraulic characteristics of the PCHE by using new channels characterised by a three-dimensional flow path. These proposed backward/forward-facing wavy channels (BFFWCs) are a combination of a wave path in the horizontal plane and a U-shape path in the vertical plane. Under laminar water flow on both sides of the PCHE, a numerical study was conducted to assess the thermohydraulic characteristics of the proposed PCHEs with various wave amplitudes for channels and angles of attack for six models of BFFWCs on the basis of the conventional PCHE. The evaluation parameters that were adopted are the Nusselt number, friction factor, thermohydraulic performance criterion, and PCHE's effectiveness. Two models of the PCHE were manufactured and tested—one for the straight channels and the other for the proposed channels—to verify the accuracy of the numerical simulation results by comparing them with the experimental outcomes. Results indicated that the three-dimensional flow path has a positive influence on enhancing the heat transfer rate of the exchanger, with a slight increase in the pressure loss. The Nusselt number and friction factor increase with increasing wave amplitude and angle of attack. Compared with conventional PCHE, the maximum improvement in the Nusselt number is as much as 71 % and 78 % for model 3 (amplitude = 0.8 and angle of attack = 30°) and model 6 (amplitude = 0.8 and angle of attack = 60°). The thermohydraulic performance of model 3 was better than that of model 6. The maximum obtained thermohydraulic performance criterion reaches about 1.43 and 1.40 for models 3 and 6, respectively.
first_indexed 2024-03-09T02:13:39Z
format Article
id doaj.art-64f9cb9e39ae454fb10f653db5af98c8
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2666-2027
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-09T02:13:39Z
publishDate 2023-11-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series International Journal of Thermofluids
spelling doaj.art-64f9cb9e39ae454fb10f653db5af98c82023-12-07T05:30:55ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Thermofluids2666-20272023-11-0120100485Examining the effect of backward/forward-facing wavy channels on the thermohydraulic performance of a printed circuit heat exchanger under the laminar flow regimeAhmed Oleiwi Samarmad0Hayder Mohammad Jaffal1Air Conditioning Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Warith Al-Anbiyaa University, Karbala, IraqMechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq; Corresponding author.The printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) has been used in many important engineering applications because of its advantages, including its small size and high efficiency. This study aims to enhance the thermohydraulic characteristics of the PCHE by using new channels characterised by a three-dimensional flow path. These proposed backward/forward-facing wavy channels (BFFWCs) are a combination of a wave path in the horizontal plane and a U-shape path in the vertical plane. Under laminar water flow on both sides of the PCHE, a numerical study was conducted to assess the thermohydraulic characteristics of the proposed PCHEs with various wave amplitudes for channels and angles of attack for six models of BFFWCs on the basis of the conventional PCHE. The evaluation parameters that were adopted are the Nusselt number, friction factor, thermohydraulic performance criterion, and PCHE's effectiveness. Two models of the PCHE were manufactured and tested—one for the straight channels and the other for the proposed channels—to verify the accuracy of the numerical simulation results by comparing them with the experimental outcomes. Results indicated that the three-dimensional flow path has a positive influence on enhancing the heat transfer rate of the exchanger, with a slight increase in the pressure loss. The Nusselt number and friction factor increase with increasing wave amplitude and angle of attack. Compared with conventional PCHE, the maximum improvement in the Nusselt number is as much as 71 % and 78 % for model 3 (amplitude = 0.8 and angle of attack = 30°) and model 6 (amplitude = 0.8 and angle of attack = 60°). The thermohydraulic performance of model 3 was better than that of model 6. The maximum obtained thermohydraulic performance criterion reaches about 1.43 and 1.40 for models 3 and 6, respectively.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666202723002008Printed circuit heat exchangerBackward/forward-facingWavy channelThermohydraulic performance
spellingShingle Ahmed Oleiwi Samarmad
Hayder Mohammad Jaffal
Examining the effect of backward/forward-facing wavy channels on the thermohydraulic performance of a printed circuit heat exchanger under the laminar flow regime
International Journal of Thermofluids
Printed circuit heat exchanger
Backward/forward-facing
Wavy channel
Thermohydraulic performance
title Examining the effect of backward/forward-facing wavy channels on the thermohydraulic performance of a printed circuit heat exchanger under the laminar flow regime
title_full Examining the effect of backward/forward-facing wavy channels on the thermohydraulic performance of a printed circuit heat exchanger under the laminar flow regime
title_fullStr Examining the effect of backward/forward-facing wavy channels on the thermohydraulic performance of a printed circuit heat exchanger under the laminar flow regime
title_full_unstemmed Examining the effect of backward/forward-facing wavy channels on the thermohydraulic performance of a printed circuit heat exchanger under the laminar flow regime
title_short Examining the effect of backward/forward-facing wavy channels on the thermohydraulic performance of a printed circuit heat exchanger under the laminar flow regime
title_sort examining the effect of backward forward facing wavy channels on the thermohydraulic performance of a printed circuit heat exchanger under the laminar flow regime
topic Printed circuit heat exchanger
Backward/forward-facing
Wavy channel
Thermohydraulic performance
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666202723002008
work_keys_str_mv AT ahmedoleiwisamarmad examiningtheeffectofbackwardforwardfacingwavychannelsonthethermohydraulicperformanceofaprintedcircuitheatexchangerunderthelaminarflowregime
AT haydermohammadjaffal examiningtheeffectofbackwardforwardfacingwavychannelsonthethermohydraulicperformanceofaprintedcircuitheatexchangerunderthelaminarflowregime