CFD analysis on heat exghanger
Phi Drive the solution for your CFD analysis
Phi Drive offers CFD analysis for the sizing of heat exchangers. The increasingly stringent energy efficiency requirements require a dedicated design of these devices.
Check how our experts can support your company in the fluid dynamics optimization of heat exchangers.
Fluid dynamics analysis and heat exchangers
Heat exchangers are devices widely used in industrial and civil fields, from air conditioning to the chemical sector. Heat exchanger allows heat rejection from a hot fluid to a cold fluid without any mixing process.
The ever-growing demand of energy efficiency requires the optimisation of such devices. As a consequence, once is chosen the type of heat exchanger, during the sizing process, the designer must deal with an optimisation problem with several degrees of freedom.
If for example we take into account a finned cross-flow heat exchanger we should determine the material and the dimension of pipes and fins, the number of columns, rows, fins and the distance between them. The only constraints of this problem are mass flow rates, the desired outlet temperature and the global size.
Technical literature offers several correlations, such as Zukauskas correlation, that can help in the design process for standard working condition. However, in most cases working conditions are far to be standard and therefore correlations offer poor results.
In this situation, Phi Drive provides a great contribution with CFD analysis, offering the more efficient solution from the technical and economical point of views.
CFD simulation
Here below is shown a cross-flow heat exchanger. Inside the pipes flows hot water while outside flows cold air. From the image we can observe the temperature increment of air due to heat exchange with water that, in turns, cools down.
Heat exchanger are also used to make a liquid flow evaporate or make a gas flow condensate. Such phenomena are complex because they involve phase change and hence properties change. Here below is shown the phase change (in terms of volume fraction) of water that turns into steam.
If you need more information or support in the fluid dynamics optimization of heat exchangers, contact our experts.
Previous news 
Contact us for more information
