Air-cooled condensers are routinely designed for a variety of applications, including residential air-conditioning systems. Recent attempts at improving the performance of these heat exchangers have included the consideration of microchannel tube, multilouver fin heat exchangers instead of the more conventional round tube-plate fin designs. In most packaged air-conditioning systems, however, the condenser surrounds the compressor and other auxiliary parts in an outdoor unit, with an induced draft fan at the top of this enclosure. Such a configuration results in significant mal-distribution of the air flow arriving at the condenser, and leads to a decrease in performance. This work addresses the issue of mal-distribution by adapting the air-side geometry to the expected air flow distribution. A microchannel tube, multilouver fin condenser is first designed to transfer the desired heat rejection load for an air-conditioning system under uniform air flow conditions. Tube-side pass arrangements, tube dimensions, and fin and louver geometry are varied to arrive at a minimum mass, 2.54 kg condenser that delivers the desired heat load of 14.5 kW. The design model is then used to predict the performance of the condenser for a variety of air flow distributions across the heat exchanger. It is found that for a 50% air flow mal-distribution, the required condenser mass increases to 2.73 kg. The air-side geometry (fin density and height) of the condenser is then systematically changed to optimally distribute the air-side surface area across the condenser to best address the mal-distributed air flow. It is found that linear fin density and height variations from the mean value of 40% and 20%, respectively, keeping the mean fin density and height the same, reduce the required condenser mass to 2.65 kg even for this mal-distributed air-flow case. The influence of geometry variations on heat transfer coefficients, fan power and other performance measures is discussed in detail to guide the judicious choice of surface area and tube-side flow area allocations for any potential air flow mal-distribution. The results from this study can be used for the design of air-cooled condensers under realistic flow conditions.

Enhanced Finned-Tube Condenser Design and Optimization Susan W. Stewart 173 pages Directed by Dr. Sam V. Shelton Finned-tube heat exchangers are widely used in space conditioning systems, as well as any other application requiring heat exchange between liquids and gases. Their most widespread use is in residential air conditioning systems. Residential systems dictate peak demand on the U.S. national grid, which occurs on the hot summer afternoons, and thereby sets the expensive infrastructure requirement of the nations power plant and electrical distribution system. In addition to peak demand, residential air conditioners are major energy users that dominate residential electrical costs and environmental impact. The only significant opportunity for electrical power use reduction of residential air conditioners is in technology improvement of the finned-tube heat exchangers, i.e., condenser and evaporator coils. With the oncoming redesign of these systems in the next five years to comply with the regulatory elimination of R-22 used in residential air conditioners today, improvement in the design technology of these systems is timely. An air conditioner condenser finned-tube coil design optimization methodology is derived and shown to lead to improved residential air conditioner efficiency at fixed equipment cost. This nonlinear optimization of the 14 required design parameters is impractical by systematic experimental testing and iteration of tens of thousands condenser coils in an air conditioning system. The developed methodology and results can be used in the redesign of residential systems for the new mandated environmentally friendly refrigerants and to meet increasing regulatory minimum system efficiencies. Additionally, plain fins and augmented fins, (louvered), are compared using the developed model and optimization scheme to show the effect of the augmentation on system performance. Furthermore, an isolated condenser model was developed using condenser entropy generation minimization as the figure of merit to minimize the model complexity and computation time. Isolated model optimizations are compared with the system model optimum designs.

Compact heat exchangers such as porous foam coldplates have great potential as a high heat flux cooling solution for electronics due to their large surface area to volume ratio and tortuous coolant path. The focus of this work was the development of unit cell modeling techniques for predicting the performance of coldplates with porous foam in the coolant path. Multiple computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models which predict porous foam coldplate pressure drop and heat transfer performance were constructed and compared to gain insight into how to best translate the foam microstructure into unit cell model geometry. Unit cell modeling in this study was realized by applying periodic boundary conditions to the coolant entrance and exit faces of a representative unit cell. A parametric study was also undertaken which evaluated dissimilar geometry translation recommendations from the literature. The use of an effective thermal conductivity for a representative orthogonal lattice of rectangular ligaments was compared to a porosity-matching technique of a similar lattice. Model accuracy was evaluated using experimental test data collected from a porous copper foam coldplate using deionized water as coolant. The compact heat exchanger testing facility which was designed and constructed for this investigation was shown to be capable of performing tests with coolant flow rates up to 300 mL/min and heat fluxes up to 290 W/cm2. The greatest technical challenge of the testing facility design proved to be the method of applying the heat flux across a 1 cm2 contact area. Based on the computational modeling results and experimental test data, porous foam modeling recommendations and porous foam coldplate design suggestions were generated.

Two-phase flow, boiling, and condensation in microchannels have received considerable attention in the recent past due to the growing interest in the high heat fluxes made possible by these channels. This dissertation presents a study on the condensation of refrigerant R134a in small hydraulic diameter (100 < Dh < 160 mm) channels. A novel technique is used for the measurement of local condensation heat transfer coefficients in small quality increments, which has typically been found to be difficult due to the low heat transfer rates at the small flow rates in these microchannels. This method is used to accurately determine pressure drop and heat transfer coefficients for mass fluxes between 300 and 800 kg/m2-s and quality 0 < x < 1 at four different saturation temperatures between 30 and 60oC. The results obtained from this study capture the effect of variations in mass flux, quality, saturation temperature, hydraulic diameter, and channel aspect ratio on the observed pressure drop and heat transfer coefficients. Based on the available flow regime maps, it was assumed that either the intermittent or annular flow regimes prevail in these channels for the flow conditions under consideration. Internally consistent pressure drop and heat transfer models are proposed taking into account the effect of mass flux, quality, saturation temperature, hydraulic diameter, and channel aspect ratio. The proposed models predict 95% and 94% of the pressure drop and heat transfer data within ±25%, respectively. Both pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient increase with a decrease in hydraulic diameter, increase in channel aspect ratio and decrease in saturation temperature. A new non-dimensional parameter termed Annular Flow Factor is also introduced to quantify the predominance of intermittent or annular flow in the channels as the geometric parameters and operating conditions change. This study leads to a comprehensive understanding of condensation in microchannels for use in high-flux heat transfer applications.

<p>Accurate forecasting is a real problem at many companies and that includes Alfa Laval in Lund. Alfa Laval experiences problems forecasting for future raw material demand. Management is aware that the forecasting methods used today can be improved or replaced by others. A change could lead to better forecasting accuracy and lower errors which means less inventory, shorter cycle times and better customer service at lower costs.</p><p>The purpose of this study is to analyze Alfa Laval’s current forecasting models for demand of raw material used for pressed plates, and then determine if other models are better suited for taking into consideration trends and seasonal variation.</p>

M. Tech. Mechanical Engineering. / Discusses the economiser design to absorb as much heat as possible within the flue gases. Fly ash particles, a product of combustion, entrained in the flue gas of the furnace part of the boiler in coal fired boilers, affect economiser thermal performance by causing erosive wear and scale on the outer surface of the economiser tubes along the flow path, which in turn increases the thermal resistance characterisation of coals in relation to combustion behaviour traditionally relies on staged quenching of the reaction and subsequent gravimetric analysis of the remaining sample. Three typical steam-raising coals are compared with regard to reactivity and broadly examined relative to their petro-graphic constituents and other standard laboratory tested samples. A significant correlation was found between the ignition temperature and the hydrogen or carbon ratio determined by the ultimate analysis, inter alia, the erosion rate and the heat transfer rate.

M. Tech. Engineering Technology . / Demonstrates through design and experiments the heat transfer effectiveness of energy recovery from waste gases by using a heat exchanger. To use the heat exchanger to intercept the waste gases before they leave the process, extract some of the heat in the gases and use the same for preheating/heating the process water. The experiment is also intended to demonstrate whether or not waste heat unit has an effect on the emissions released to the environment. Diesel engines have been widely used in heavy-duty vehicles for their better fuel efficiency and higher power output than gasoline engines. However, the emissions of gas (CO, HC and NOx) and particulate matter (PM) pollutants from the diesel engine receive much concern from the general public and environmental researchers because of the epidemiological and toxicological investigations suggesting a relationship between exhaust pollutants exposure and adverse health effects.

Heat transfer and pressure drop during condensation of propane flowing through minichannels is investigated in this study. Studies of condensation of hydrocarbons are important for applications in the petrochemical industry. Insights into the mechanisms of propane condensation are required for accurate design of heat transfer equipment for use in hydrocarbon processing. At present, there is very little research on vertical condensation, especially of hydrocarbons, for the tube sizes and flow conditions of interest to the present study. An experimental facility was designed and fabricated to measure the frictional pressure drop and heat transfer coefficients during condensation of propane in plain tubes with an inner diameter of 1.93 mm. Measurements were taken across the vapor-liquid dome in nominal quality increments of 0.25 for two saturation temperatures (47°C and 74°C) and four mass flux conditions (75 – 150 kg m‾² s‾¹). The data were compared to the predictions of relevant correlations in the literature. The data from this study were also used to develop models for the frictional pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient based on the measurements and the underlying condensation mechanisms. These results and the corresponding correlations contribute to the understanding of condensation of hydrocarbons in vertical minichannels.

All heat pump cycles have one common feature that connects them to one another; this feature is the presence of a heat exchanger. There are even some heat–driven cycles that are completely composed of heat exchangers, every heat exchanger fulfilling a different, though critical role. The need therefore exists to optimize heat exchangers, more specifically Compact Heat Exchangers (CHE). This study deals with the optimization of such a CHE by determining an optimal hydraulic diameter of the micro–channels in a CHE, for minimal hydraulic losses. Two Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models were developed for a single micro–channel that is present in a CHE. The first model had a semi–circular cross–section, the second a triangular cross–section. The results were verified by comparing it with existing experimental data. Following the verification of the results, the micro–channel was optimized by implementing an optimum diameter for the lowest pressure drop over the micro–channel. This was done for both the semi–circular and triangular micro–channel cross–sections. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

All heat pump cycles have one common feature that connects them to one another; this feature is the presence of a heat exchanger. There are even some heat–driven cycles that are completely composed of heat exchangers, every heat exchanger fulfilling a different, though critical role. The need therefore exists to optimize heat exchangers, more specifically Compact Heat Exchangers (CHE). This study deals with the optimization of such a CHE by determining an optimal hydraulic diameter of the micro–channels in a CHE, for minimal hydraulic losses. Two Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models were developed for a single micro–channel that is present in a CHE. The first model had a semi–circular cross–section, the second a triangular cross–section. The results were verified by comparing it with existing experimental data. Following the verification of the results, the micro–channel was optimized by implementing an optimum diameter for the lowest pressure drop over the micro–channel. This was done for both the semi–circular and triangular micro–channel cross–sections. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.