Entropy generation analysis on condensation upward flow for hydrocarbon mixture in two types of helical wavy pipes

Abstract

This paper proposed the application of two types of wavy structures for spiral wound heat exchanger, and conducted numerical simulations on the condensation flow of a hydrocarbon mixture with methane, ethane, and propane in them. The effects of saturation pressure and mass velocity are also studied. It was found that both types of helical wavy pipes produce higher condensation heat transfer coefficients and frictional pressure drop than those in helical smooth one, and both of them increase with the rise in mass velocity and the decrease of saturation pressure. The influence of saturation pressure on heat transfer and pressure drop is greater than that of mass velocity. Meanwhile, the comprehensive performance of the two types of helical wavy pipes is analyzed using entropy generation. It can be found that the horizontal wavy pipe has a better overall performance than vertical wavy one with a lower irreversible loss. Finally, prediction models for the condensation heat transfer coefficients and frictional pressure drops are established using RBF neural networks, with 95 % of the predicted results having a relative deviation within 10 %.

Keywords

• Helical wavy pipes
• Condensation heat transfer
• Entropy generation
• RBF neural network