Design of a Thermal Performance Test Equipment for a High-Temperature and High-Pressure Heat Exchanger in an Aero-Engine

Abstract

For next-generation power systems, particularly aero-gas turbine engines, ultra-light and highly efficient heat exchangers are considered key enabling technologies for realizing advanced cycles. Consequently, the development of efficient and accurate aero-engine heat exchanger test equipment is essential to support future gas turbine heat exchanger advancements. This paper presents the development of a high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) heat exchanger test facility designed for aero-engine heat exchangers. The maximum temperature and pressure of the test facility were configured to simulate the conditions of the last-stage compressor of a large civil engine, specifically 1000 K and 5.5 MPa. These conditions were achieved using multiple electric heater systems in conjunction with an air compression system consisting of three turbo compressor units and a reciprocating compressor unit. A commissioning test was conducted using a compact tubular heat exchanger, and the results indicate that the test facility operates stably and that the measured data closely align with the predicted performance of the heat exchanger. A commissioning test of the tubular heat exchanger showed a thermal imbalance of 1.02% between the high-pressure (HP) and low-pressure (LP) lines. This level of imbalance is consistent with the ISO standard uncertainty of ±2.3% for heat dissipation. In addition, CFD simulation results indicated an average deviation of approximately 1.4% in the low-pressure outlet temperature. The close alignment between experimental and CFD results confirms the theoretical reliability of the test bench. The HPHT thermal performance test facility will be expected to serve as a critical test bed for evaluating heat exchangers for current and future gas turbine applications.

Keywords

• high temperature–high pressure (HPHT)
• heat exchanger
• aero-engines
• thermal performance test
• pressure drop test
• full-scale heat exchanger