Numerical investigation of thermal and hydraulic characteristics of sCO2-water printed circuit heat exchangers with zigzag channels

• Published in: Energy conversion and management 2020-11, Vol.224, p.113375, Article 113375
• Main Authors: Saeed, Muhammad, Berrouk, Abdallah S., Salman Siddiqui, M., Ali Awais, Ahmad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brayton cycle; Carbon cycle; Carbon dioxide; Computational fluid dynamics; Cooling loads; Cooling systems; Correlation analysis; Data reduction; Design; Fluid flow; Heat exchangers; Heat transfer; Heat transfer correlations; Hydraulics; Prandtl number; Precooler design; Pressure drop; Pressure drop correlations; Printed circuit heat exchanger; Printed circuits; Real gases; Regenerators; Reynolds number; Straight channels; Thermophysical properties
• ISSN: 0196-8904; 1879-2227
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2020.113375

•New correlations for zigzag channels PCHEs are proposed for broader operational ranges.•Proposed segmental averaged data reduction method is proficient to analyze precooler.•Design value of the flow Reynold number found critical to pinch point location in precooler.•Complex flow and heat transfer characteristics in precooler are analyzed and explained. Since the precooler and the recuperator are the largest components of a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle, their design can substantially affect the performance and size of the whole system. Although the design of a precooler with zigzag channel geometry as an alternative to straight channels can reduce its size significantly, the applicability of available correlations (e.g. 0.7