Heat Transfer Performance of a Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger Subjected to Mechanical Vibration

Abstract

Heat transfer characteristics in terms of heat transfer coefficient, overall heat transfer coefficient and heat exchanger effectiveness of a vertical counter flow Gasket plate heat exchanger (GPHE) are experimentally investigated. The tested PHE is made of stainless-steel plates with 30° chevron angle (β=30°). The surface enlargement factor, Ф for all plates was 1.17. Six plates were installed; providing two hot channels and three cold channels in counter flow arrangement. The vibration effect on tested GPHE has been performed and compared with non-vibration model. Vibration frequencies (ω) are in the range of 13.33 to 46.67 cps and vibrational dimensionless amplitude (A/De) varied from 9.14*10-3 to 52.66*10-3 at various oscillating Reynolds numbers were employed. It is found that the heat transfer performance of the GPHE is enhanced when vibration is applied. The maximum enhancement percentage of the GPHE heat transfer coefficient, overall heat transfer coefficient and effectiveness due to vibration are 43%, 31% and 18%, respectively. These maximums are occurred at oscillation Reynolds number of 211.34 and A/De = 52.66*10-3 which after the resonance condition. The GPHE performance after and before resonance condition are obtained. Finally, correlations for GPHE Nusselt number, when vibration is and is not applied, are obtained with an acceptable error of 3.99%.

Keywords

• mechanical vibration
• gasket plate heat exchanger
• heat transfer enhancement