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Title: Experimental evaluation of dry/wet air-cooled heat exchangers. Progress report

Abstract

The ultimate goal of this project was to contribute to the development of improved cooling facilities for power plants. Specifically, the objective during FY-81 was to experimentally determine the thermal performance and operating characteristics of an air-cooled heat exchanger surface manufactured by the Unifin Company. The performance of the spiral-wound finned tube surface (Unifin) was compared with two inherently different platefin surfaces (one developed by the Trane Co. and the other developed by the HOETERV Institute) which were previously tested as a part of the same continuing program. Under dry operation the heat transfer per unit frontal area per unit inlet temperature difference (ITD) of the Unifin surface was 10% to 20% below that of the other two surfaces at low fan power levels. At high fan power levels, the performances of the Unifin and Trane surfaces were essentially the same, and 25% higher than the HOETERV surface. The design of the Unifin surface caused a significantly larger air-side pressure drop through the heat exchanger both in dry and deluge operation. Generally higher overall heat transfer coefficients were calculated for the Unifin surface under deluged operation. They ranged from 2.0 to 3.5 Btu/hr-ft/sup 2/-/sup 0/F as compared to less thanmore » 2.0 Btu hr-ft/sup 2/-/sup 0/F for the Trane and HOETERV surfaces under similar conditions. The heat transfer enhancement due to the evaporative cooling effect was also measureably higher with the Unifin surface as compared to the Trane surface. This can be primarily attributed to the better wetting characteristics of the Unifin surface. If the thermal performance of the surfaces are compared at equal face velocities, the Unifin surface is as much as 35% better. This method of comparison accounts for the wetting characteristics while neglecting the effect of pressure drop. Alternatively the surfaces when compared at equal pressure drop essentially the same thermal performance.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
6873051
Report Number(s):
PNL-4043
ON: DE83000397
DOE Contract Number:  
AC06-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS; COOLING SYSTEMS; HEAT EXCHANGERS; DESIGN; HEAT TRANSFER; PERFORMANCE; THERMAL POWER PLANTS; AIR FLOW; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; RESEARCH PROGRAMS; DATA; ENERGY SYSTEMS; ENERGY TRANSFER; FLUID FLOW; GAS FLOW; INFORMATION; NUMERICAL DATA; POWER PLANTS; 200101* - Fossil-Fueled Power Plants- Cooling & Heat Transfer Equipment & Systems

Citation Formats

Hauser, S G, Gruel, R L, Huenefeld, J C, Eschbach, E J, Johnson, B M, and Kreid, D K. Experimental evaluation of dry/wet air-cooled heat exchangers. Progress report. United States: N. p., 1982. Web. doi:10.2172/6873051.
Hauser, S G, Gruel, R L, Huenefeld, J C, Eschbach, E J, Johnson, B M, & Kreid, D K. Experimental evaluation of dry/wet air-cooled heat exchangers. Progress report. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/6873051
Hauser, S G, Gruel, R L, Huenefeld, J C, Eschbach, E J, Johnson, B M, and Kreid, D K. 1982. "Experimental evaluation of dry/wet air-cooled heat exchangers. Progress report". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/6873051. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6873051.
@article{osti_6873051,
title = {Experimental evaluation of dry/wet air-cooled heat exchangers. Progress report},
author = {Hauser, S G and Gruel, R L and Huenefeld, J C and Eschbach, E J and Johnson, B M and Kreid, D K},
abstractNote = {The ultimate goal of this project was to contribute to the development of improved cooling facilities for power plants. Specifically, the objective during FY-81 was to experimentally determine the thermal performance and operating characteristics of an air-cooled heat exchanger surface manufactured by the Unifin Company. The performance of the spiral-wound finned tube surface (Unifin) was compared with two inherently different platefin surfaces (one developed by the Trane Co. and the other developed by the HOETERV Institute) which were previously tested as a part of the same continuing program. Under dry operation the heat transfer per unit frontal area per unit inlet temperature difference (ITD) of the Unifin surface was 10% to 20% below that of the other two surfaces at low fan power levels. At high fan power levels, the performances of the Unifin and Trane surfaces were essentially the same, and 25% higher than the HOETERV surface. The design of the Unifin surface caused a significantly larger air-side pressure drop through the heat exchanger both in dry and deluge operation. Generally higher overall heat transfer coefficients were calculated for the Unifin surface under deluged operation. They ranged from 2.0 to 3.5 Btu/hr-ft/sup 2/-/sup 0/F as compared to less than 2.0 Btu hr-ft/sup 2/-/sup 0/F for the Trane and HOETERV surfaces under similar conditions. The heat transfer enhancement due to the evaporative cooling effect was also measureably higher with the Unifin surface as compared to the Trane surface. This can be primarily attributed to the better wetting characteristics of the Unifin surface. If the thermal performance of the surfaces are compared at equal face velocities, the Unifin surface is as much as 35% better. This method of comparison accounts for the wetting characteristics while neglecting the effect of pressure drop. Alternatively the surfaces when compared at equal pressure drop essentially the same thermal performance.},
doi = {10.2172/6873051},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6873051}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982},
month = {Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982}
}