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Optimization-Inspired Pin-Fin Array for Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Recuperator

Journal Article · · Applied Thermal Engineering
 [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States)
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Additively manufactured heat exchangers are one possible route to cost-effective sCO2 power cycles. In this paper, experimental results are obtained for two helical pin fin tubes that were designed following parametric optimization of the fin array. Neither the numerical optimization nor the experimental testing have been previously reported in the literature. The two tube designs were, (1) the optimization inspired design, and (2) the optimization-inspired design with a fin diameter increased by a factor of 2. To characterize the print, the designs were scanned using X-ray computed tomography to measure feature sizes and heat transfer area. The optimization was conducted in a commercial, computational fluid dynamics code. The code solved the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and energy equations with turbulence closure provided by the shear stress transport (SST) k-ω model. In the experiments, the Nusselt number augmentation was measured using the Wilson plot technique and the friction factor was determined with mass flow and pressure drop measurements. The experimental testing indicated that the optimization-inspired design had a friction factor that was four times less than the baseline tube design at equal Nusselt number. Additionally, the optimization-inspired design had a 14% improvement in Nusselt number, at equal friction factor, relative to the best performing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) trial points. Tube design (2), with the larger diameter pin fins, had similar performance, within experimental error, as the tube with the smaller diameter pin fins (1). Both tubes achieved overall fin array efficiencies near 1. A performance factor, V/V0, equal to the volume of the enhanced heat exchanger divided by the volume of the baseline (no-fins) heat exchanger, is recommended to quantify internal cooling performance. In conclusion, the experimental shell and tube heat exchanger, using the additively manufactured tube, is competitive with printed circuit heat exchangers in its pressure drop class and could be further improved by optimizing a shell-and-tube heat exchanger utilizing this heat transfer enhancement feature.
Research Organization:
National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM)
OSTI ID:
2305506
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2369665
Journal Information:
Applied Thermal Engineering, Journal Name: Applied Thermal Engineering Vol. 241; ISSN 1359-4311
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (7)

Performance evaluation criteria for use of enhanced heat transfer surfaces in heat exchanger design journal April 1981
Optimal design of microtube recuperators for an indirect supercritical carbon dioxide recompression closed Brayton cycle journal April 2018
Design and dynamic modeling of printed circuit heat exchangers for supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycles journal December 2018
Heat transfer coefficients of additively manufactured tubes with internal pin fins for supercritical carbon dioxide cycle recuperators journal November 2020
Design optimization of an additively manufactured prototype recuperator for supercritical CO2 power cycles journal July 2022
Experimental and Computational Heat Transfer Study of sCO2 Single-Jet Impingement conference June 2023
High Temperature Heat Exchanger Design and Fabrication for Systems with Large Pressure Differentials report March 2017

Figures / Tables (23)

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Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
Additive manufacturing
Direct cycle
Heat transfer
Parametric optimization
Supercritical carbon dioxide