Thermal Simulation of Plate-Fin Heat Exchangers

Plate-fin heat exchangers are playing an important role in the power and process industry in the recent past. Hence, it has become necessary to model their temperature response accurately. A new mathematical model of plate-fin heat exchanger is proposed, considering the heat conduction resistance along the fins and the separating plates. The effects of fin geometrical parameters and spacer thickness on the performances of the heat exchanger have been numerically calculated. It is found that the heat conduction resistance of fins has significant influence on the outlet fluid temperature variation. The analysis presented here suggests a better method of heat-transfer data analysis for plate heat exchangers.