Compact Heat Exchangers in Clean Energy Systems

Abstract

With the increase of awareness of energy shortage, saving energy and reducing environment pollution have become the major principle of industrial production. Developing more sustainable energy systems is perhaps the most critical issue that today's society must address. During the development of the new generation of energy systems, such as aero engine, and nuclear power system, it is found that applying compact heat exchangers ( CHEs ) considerably increases the efficiency of the systems. This article provides a brief introduction of CHEs used in clean energy systems. The structures of the CHEs are illustrated, and their heat transfer enhancement mechanisms and their advantages and limitations are summarized. Moreover, the design methodology, heat transfer, and friction correlations for four types of CHEs are provided in detail. CHEs technologies are expected to play an even more important role in the cleaner energy systems.