Modelling of evaporator in Waste Heat Recovery system using finite volume method and fuzzy technique

The evaporator is an important component in the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)-based Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) system since the effective heat transfer of this device reflects on the efficiency of the system. When the WHR system operates under supercritical conditions, the heat transfer mechanism in the evaporator is unpredictable due to the change of thermo-physical properties of the fluid with temperature. Although the conventional finite volume model can successfully capture those changes in the evaporator of the WHR process, the computation time for this method is high. To reduce the computation time, this paper develops a new fuzzy based evaporator model and compares its performance with the finite volume method. The results show that the fuzzy technique can be applied to predict the output of the supercritical evaporator in the waste heat recovery system and can significantly reduce the required computation time. The proposed model, therefore, has the potential to be used in real time control applications

Parametric investigation of a non-constant cross sectional area air to air heat exchanger

The present article addresses the design, mathematical modelling and analysis of a novel highly exergy-efficient air to air heat exchanger. An intricate design based on an hexagonal mesh is proposed for the cross-sectional area of the heat exchanger with aims to explore the performance gains that can be obtained by exploiting the capabilities and benefits offered by modern fabrication techniques such as additive manufacturing. Special attention is paid to understanding the relationship or trade-off that exists between the overall exergy efficiency of the heat exchanger and its cost. The iterative algorithm used to find the geometrical parameters that yield the best performance in terms of volume of material required per unit of exergy transfer at a certain level of efficiency, as well as the assumptions and simplifications made, are comprehensively explained. It has been found through the analyses carried out performed, which are thoroughly discussed throughout the paper, that if the characteristic dimension of the heat exchanger is scaled up by a factor of n, the volume of material per kW of exergy transfer at certain exergy efficiency will increase by a factor of n squared. This is a very important observation, possibly applicable to other types of heat exchangers, that indicates that performance improves dramatically at smaller scales. The overall performance of the case study presented is satisfactory, a volume of material as low as 84.8 cm3 for one kW of exergy transfer can be achieved with a 99% exergy efficiency

Benchmarking the Timmins Process – a novel approach for low energy pre-combustion carbon capture in IGCC flowsheets

This paper reports results from an initial benchmarking study of the Timmins Process, a novel pre-combustion carbon capture process that uses a combination of traditional unit operations, DEPG scrubbing, carbon monoxide shift and carbon dioxide liquefaction, in a unique arrangement. The study examines the performance of the Timmins Process embedded within an integrated gasifier combined cycle (IGCC) flowsheet and the results are compared to data from the US Department of Energy (DoE) cost and performance baseline studies for coal-fired energy plants. Modeling was undertaken using UniSim R400 (Honeywell Inc.) with thermodynamic parameters for DEPG interactions being regressed from literature data; these results are also reported here. The net efficiency of an IGCC flowsheet incorporating the Timmins Process, with a carbon capture level of 91.8 % on a mass basis, varies between 33.8 % and 34.3 % depending on the process configuration and the cooling water temperature. This result compares very favorably to a DoE study for a conventional capture process embedded within an IGCC flowsheet that operated at an efficiency of 31.2 %. Further, more detailed, studies are recommended to assess the impact of various assumptions that underpin this work.UK Technology Strategy Board (strand two of the Carbon Abatement Technology call, 2011), Honeywell Inc. (research use of UniSim R400 as part of its Universities Program

Dynamic model of supercritical Organic Rankine Cycle waste heat recovery system for internal combustion engine

The supercritical Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for the Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) from Internal Combustion (IC) engines has been a growing research area in recent years, driven by the aim to enhance the thermal efficiency of the ORC and engine. Simulation of a supercritical ORC-WHR system before a real-time application is important as high pressure in the system may lead to concerns about safety and availability of components. In the ORC-WHR system, the evaporator is the main contributor to thermal inertia of the system and is considered to be the critical component since the heat transfer of this device influences the efficiency of the system. Since the thermo-physical properties of the fluid at supercritical pressures are dependent on temperature, it is necessary to consider the variations in properties of the working fluid. The wellknown Finite Volume (FV) discretization method is generally used to take those property changes into account. However, a FV model of the evaporator in steady state condition cannot be used to predict the thermal inertia of the cycle when it is subjected to transient heat sources. In this paper, a dynamic FV model of the evaporator has been developed and integrated with other components in the ORC-WHR system. The stability and transient responses along with the performance of the ORC-WHR system for the transient heat source are investigated and are also included in this paper

Intensification of heat exchanger performance utilizing nanofluids

Heat exchangers are widely utilized in different thermal systems for diverse industrial aspects. The selection of HEx depends on the thermal efficiency, operating load, size, flexibility in operation, compatibility with working fluids, better temperature and flow controls, and comparatively low capital and maintenance costs. Heat transfer intensification of heat exchangers can be fulfilled using passive, active, or combined approaches. Utilizing nanofluids as working fluids for heat exchangers have evolved recently. The performance of heat exchangers employed different nanofluids depends mainly on the characteristics and improvement of thermophysical properties. Regarding the unique behavior of different nanofluids, researchers have attended noteworthy progress. The current study reviews and summarizes the recent implementations carried out on utilizing nanofluids in different types of heat exchangers, including plate heat exchangers, double-pipe heat exchangers, shell and tube heat exchangers, and cross-flow heat exchangers. The results showed that nanofluids with enhanced thermal conductivity, although accompanied by a considerable decrease in the heat capacity and raising viscosity, has resulted in performance enhancement of different heat exchangers types. So, the performance evaluation criterion that combines the thermal enhancement and increases the pumping power for any type of heat exchangers is requisite to evaluate the overall performance properly. The challenges and opportunities for future work of heat transfer and fluid flow for different types of heat exchangers utilizing nanofluids are discussed and presented

Heat exchanger design handbook

Completely revised and updated to reflect current advances in heat exchanger technology, Heat Exchanger Design Handbook, Second Edition includes enhanced figures and thermal effectiveness charts, tables, new chapter, and additional topics--all while keeping the qualities that made the first edition a centerpiece of information for practicing engineers, research, engineers, academicians, designers, and manufacturers involved in heat exchange between two or more fluids.See What's New in the Second Edition: Updated information on pressure vessel codes, manufacturer's association standards A new