Open AccessHeat Exchanger Modelling for Solar Organic Rankine Cycle
Author(s) -
Shadreck M. Situmbeko,
Freddie L. Inambao
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of thermal and environmental engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1923-7316
DOI - 10.5383/ijtee.09.01.002
Subject(s) - mechanics , organic rankine cycle , heat transfer , thermodynamics , evaporator , heat exchanger , shell and tube heat exchanger , plate fin heat exchanger , mechanical engineering , convective heat transfer , pressure drop , plate heat exchanger , working fluid , materials science , chemistry , engineering , waste heat , physics
The paper presents work done on the development of a heat exchanger model suitable for incorporation into a low temperature solar thermal power cycle. In particular it presents the mathematical model comprising heat transfer, mass transfer, and convective heat transfer coefficients, and velocity and pressure drop correlations for single and two phase flows. The preliminary evaporator model is based on a counter flow double pipe configuration; the flow boiling process incorporates both convective and nucleate boiling. The shell side heat transfer fluid consists of ethylene glycol at 50 % concentration; the tube side fluid flow is modelled on four candidate working fluids pre-selected from previous stages of the research study. The evaporator model is implemented on the engineering equation solver platform; following on the computer simulation results a further proposal is made for conversion of the model design into a feasible shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The outputs of the model study are in the form of the rate of heat exchange, size and type of the heat exchanger, whilst ensuring that the pressure drops and fluid velocities are within acceptable limits.