Numerical study of the heat transfer characteristics of Helium-Air flow in PCHE with zigzag channel
The PCHE is a critical component in the intermediate heat exchanger of mobile micro-reactors. This study conducts a numerical investigation of the flow and heat transfer characteristics of helium-air within the zigzag channels of the PCHE under 69 different thermal-hydraulic operating conditions. Th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25000462 |
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| author | Haidong Liu Qiao Zeng Deqi Chen Yi Xiao Yangyang Wang Mingxia Liu Xiaoli Qu |
| author_facet | Haidong Liu Qiao Zeng Deqi Chen Yi Xiao Yangyang Wang Mingxia Liu Xiaoli Qu |
| author_sort | Haidong Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The PCHE is a critical component in the intermediate heat exchanger of mobile micro-reactors. This study conducts a numerical investigation of the flow and heat transfer characteristics of helium-air within the zigzag channels of the PCHE under 69 different thermal-hydraulic operating conditions. The results reveal that the model validation shows good agreement, with maximum errors in the Nu and f of 10.75 % and 4.81 %, respectively. Changes in thermal-hydraulic parameters exert negligible effects on the inlet and outlet pressure drops for both helium and air (ΔPₕₑ ≈ 10 kPa, ΔPₐᵢᵣ ≈ 100 kPa). The helium-side inlet temperature and mass flow play a dominant role in determining the heat transfer characteristics of the PCHE. The Nu and h for variations in the helium-side inlet temperature are 19.66 % and 25.98 % higher, respectively, compared to the air-side. For variations in the inlet mass flow, the Nu and h are approximately 1.2 times greater on the helium-side than on the air-side. As both parameters increase, the overall heat transfer capacity of the PCHE is significantly enhanced. This study provides valuable theoretical insights for future experimental investigations and optimization designs of the flow and heat transfer characteristics of helium and air within the PCHE. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ad72008960a4486c9c415e64a7a0f50b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2214-157X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-ad72008960a4486c9c415e64a7a0f50b2025-02-02T05:27:28ZengElsevierCase Studies in Thermal Engineering2214-157X2025-02-0166105786Numerical study of the heat transfer characteristics of Helium-Air flow in PCHE with zigzag channelHaidong Liu0Qiao Zeng1Deqi Chen2Yi Xiao3Yangyang Wang4Mingxia Liu5Xiaoli Qu6Liang Jiang International College, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 401135, China; The Joint Graduate Training Base for Energy and Power (Clean Energy Technology) between Chongqing University of Technology and Chongqing Research Institute of Harbin Institute of Technology, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 401135, China; Corresponding author.Liang Jiang International College, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 401135, ChinaKey Laboratory of Low-Grade Energy Utilization Technologies & Systems, MOE, Chongqing, 400044, ChinaCivil Aviation Flight University of China, Sichuan, 618307, ChinaLiang Jiang International College, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 401135, ChinaLiang Jiang International College, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 401135, ChinaLiang Jiang International College, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 401135, ChinaThe PCHE is a critical component in the intermediate heat exchanger of mobile micro-reactors. This study conducts a numerical investigation of the flow and heat transfer characteristics of helium-air within the zigzag channels of the PCHE under 69 different thermal-hydraulic operating conditions. The results reveal that the model validation shows good agreement, with maximum errors in the Nu and f of 10.75 % and 4.81 %, respectively. Changes in thermal-hydraulic parameters exert negligible effects on the inlet and outlet pressure drops for both helium and air (ΔPₕₑ ≈ 10 kPa, ΔPₐᵢᵣ ≈ 100 kPa). The helium-side inlet temperature and mass flow play a dominant role in determining the heat transfer characteristics of the PCHE. The Nu and h for variations in the helium-side inlet temperature are 19.66 % and 25.98 % higher, respectively, compared to the air-side. For variations in the inlet mass flow, the Nu and h are approximately 1.2 times greater on the helium-side than on the air-side. As both parameters increase, the overall heat transfer capacity of the PCHE is significantly enhanced. This study provides valuable theoretical insights for future experimental investigations and optimization designs of the flow and heat transfer characteristics of helium and air within the PCHE.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25000462Printed circuit heat exchangerZigzag channelHelium-air flowNumerical simulation |
| spellingShingle | Haidong Liu Qiao Zeng Deqi Chen Yi Xiao Yangyang Wang Mingxia Liu Xiaoli Qu Numerical study of the heat transfer characteristics of Helium-Air flow in PCHE with zigzag channel Case Studies in Thermal Engineering Printed circuit heat exchanger Zigzag channel Helium-air flow Numerical simulation |
| title | Numerical study of the heat transfer characteristics of Helium-Air flow in PCHE with zigzag channel |
| title_full | Numerical study of the heat transfer characteristics of Helium-Air flow in PCHE with zigzag channel |
| title_fullStr | Numerical study of the heat transfer characteristics of Helium-Air flow in PCHE with zigzag channel |
| title_full_unstemmed | Numerical study of the heat transfer characteristics of Helium-Air flow in PCHE with zigzag channel |
| title_short | Numerical study of the heat transfer characteristics of Helium-Air flow in PCHE with zigzag channel |
| title_sort | numerical study of the heat transfer characteristics of helium air flow in pche with zigzag channel |
| topic | Printed circuit heat exchanger Zigzag channel Helium-air flow Numerical simulation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25000462 |
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