Thermal performance of a geofluid direct-contact heat exchanger
A sieve-tray direct-contact heat exchanger was used to transfer heat from a 280/sup 0/F geothermal fluid to the working fluid, isobutane, in the Raft River 60kW prototype plant. A series of experiments were run at different working fluid-to-geofluid flow ratios which produced different boiling conditions. In this paper, the results of these experiments are analyzed on the basis of thermal performance. The flow ratio, the geofluid outlet temperature, the working fluid inlet temperature, the amount of working fluid dissolved or entrained in geofluid, and tray efficiency are varied and preheating temperature profiles are calculated. These are compared with the experimentally obtained temperature profiles and the relative effects of the variables are evaluated. From this, it was determined that the approach temperature difference was on the order of .1/sup 0/ after 17 preheating trays, and the tray efficiencies, which appear to be about the same for all trays, reached approx. 70%. It was also determined that entrainment has a negligible effect on column thermal performance. The thermal performance of this column compares favorably with a spray-tower direct-contact heat exchanger and a shell-and-tube heat exchanger in terms of overall heat-transfer coefficient. Distributor tray and boiling tray behavior are discussed. These is some discussion of operations and thermal hydraulics as well.
- Research Organization:
- EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-76ID01570
- OSTI ID:
- 6457851
- Report Number(s):
- EGG-M-23982; CONF-830301-15; ON: DE82013233
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ASME-JSME thermal engineering joint conference, Honolulu, HI, USA, 20 Mar 1983
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
DIRECT CONTACT HEAT EXCHANGERS
PERFORMANCE
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS
EFFICIENCY
GEOTHERMAL FLUIDS
RAFT RIVER VALLEY
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION
WORKING FLUIDS
FEDERAL REGION X
FLUIDS
HEAT EXCHANGERS
IDAHO
NORTH AMERICA
POWER PLANTS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
USA
Geothermal Legacy
150802* - Geothermal Power Plants- Power Plant Systems & Components