Thermal-hydraulic characteristics and optimization of a liquid-to-suction triple-tube heat exchanger

Abstract

The highly effective heat-transfer characteristic of a triple-tube heat exchanger was applied to the liquid-to-suction heat exchanger of an R410A refrigerator. A one-dimensional analytical model was established and validated against numerical and experimental models. The study aimed to find the optimum refrigerant flow-rate fraction and diameter of the three tubes in terms of the heat-transfer rate and pressure drop. The results indicated that the liquid-to-suction triple-tube heat exchanger had a much higher heat transfer and lower pressure loss than the double-tube heat exchanger. The TOPSIS decision-making technique determined that the triple-tube heat exchanger with diameters of 1, 1-1/4, and 1-1/2 inch and a mass flow-rate fraction of 0.66 obtained the lowest pressure loss and highest heat transfer. Keywords: Three-fluid heat exchanger, Triple tube, Pareto front, TOPSIS, Thermal-hydraulic performance