Using CFD to improve the performance of a heat exchanger from a gasifier

Abstract

In this paper, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis is performed on a gas-liquid heat exchanger fitted on a gasification equipment. The flow and temperature patterns are preliminary investigated using SolidWorks Flow Simulation software, in order to gain insight into the involved physical processes, and to find the exchanger weak points before being manufactured and tested. The analysed equipment tranfers heat from the flue gasses generated by a gasification system, towards a liquid heat transfer medium. This is subsequently sent to a second liquidliquid heat exchanger used to heat water from a boiler. As a result of the analysis, solutions aiming at performance improvement of the equipment are discussed and proposed.