A Numerical Study on Plate-Type Heat Exchanger Using One-Dimensional Flow Network Model and Porous-Media Model

Abstract A typical heat exchanger, found in many industrial sites, is made up of a large number of unitary cells, whichcauses difficulties when carrying out full-scale three-dimensional numerical simulations of the heat exchanger to analyzethe aero-thermal performance. In the present study, a three-dimensional numerical study using a porous media model was carried out to evaluate the performance of the heat exchanger modelled in two different ways ： full-scale and simplified. The pressure drop in the air side and gas side along with the overall heat transfer rate were calculated using a porousmedia model and the results were then compared to results obtained with a one-dimensional flow network model. The comparison between the results for two different geometries obtained using a porous media model and a one-dimensional flow network model shows good agreement between the simplified geometry and the one-dimensional flow network model.The full-scale geometry shows reasonable differences caused by the geometry such as sudden expansion and contraction.