Experimentally Verified Flow Distribution Model for a Composite Modelling System

Abstract

Requirements of modern process and power technologies for compact and highly efficient equipment for transferring large heat fluxes lead to designing these apparatuses as dense parallel flow systems, ranging from conventional to minichannel dimensions according to the specific industrial application. To avoid operating issues in such complex equipment, it is vital to identify not only the local distribution of heat flux in individual parts of the heat transfer surface but also the uniformity of fluid flow distribution inside individual parallel channels of the flow system. A composite modelling system is currently being developed for accurate design of such complex heat transfer equipment. The modeling approach requires a flow distribution model enabling to yield accurate-enough predictions in reasonable time frames. The paper presents the results of complex experimental and modeling investigation of fluid flow distribution in dividing headers of tubular-type equipment. Different modeling approaches were examined on a set of header geometries. Predictions obtained via analytical and numerical models were validated using data from the experiments conducted on additively manufactured header samples. Two case studies employing parallel flow systems (mini-scale systems and a conventional-size heat exchanger) demonstrated the applicability of the distribution model and the accuracy of the composite modelling system.

Study on the Convective Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow of Mini-Channel with High Aspect Ratio of Neutron Production Target

“…It was first proposed by Tuckerman and Pease in 1981 [4], and it has been shown that micro/mini-channel cooling has gained much attention for its promising capability to remove high heat flux [5][6][7]. A significant amount of research has been dedicated to micro-channel transport on four aspects: (1) simple geometry of channels [8], (2) properties of coolants [9][10][11], (3) optimization of geometries [12,13], and (4) some research methods conducted by experimental research, numerical simulation, and empirical formula.…”