Evaluation of the thermodynamic effectiveness of a plate heat exchanger integrated into an experimental single stage heat transformer operating with Water/Carrol mixture

• Published in: Experimental thermal and fluid science Vol. 51; pp. 257 - 263
• Main Authors: Ibarra-Bahena, J., Romero, R.J., Velazquez-Avelar, L., Valdez-Morales, C.V., Galindo-Luna, Y.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.11.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Devices using thermal energy; Economizer; Effectiveness; Energy; Energy balance; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Equipment costs; Exact sciences and technology; Heat exchangers (included heat transformers, condensers, cooling towers); Heat transfer coefficients; Heat transformers; Mathematical analysis; Plate heat exchangers; Rational use of energy: conservation and recovery of energy; Single stage; Single stage heat transformer; Thermal efficiency; Thermodynamics; Water/Carrol; ε – NTU method; Energy balance; Water/Carrol; Effectiveness; Economizer; Single stage heat transformer; ε – NTU method; ε ― NTU method; Ethylene glycol; Plate heat exchanger; Lithium bromide; Experimental study; Heat transformer; Heat recovery; Thermodynamics; Heat exchanger; Heat transfer
• ISSN: 0894-1777; 1879-2286
• DOI: 10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2013.08.006

•Thermodynamical methods for heat exchanger effectiveness were described.•Water/Carrol mixture was analyzed into an experimental absorption heat transformer.•Similar plate heat exchanger effectiveness values were obtained for both methods with experimental conditions.•Single stage heat transformer’s coefficients of performance were calculate with and without economizer. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of a Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE) used as an economizer integrated into an experimental Single Stage Heat Transformer (SSHT). The heat exchanger effectiveness (η), sometimes referred as thermal efficiency, is an important parameter for the design of heat transfer equipment. Two thermodynamic methods for η evaluation are shown. The overall heat transfer coefficient (U) and the individual convective heat transfer coefficients (h) were calculated for Water/Carrol mixture. Four SSHT experimental tests runs were carried out, in order to evaluate the η. The economizer effectiveness ranged from 0.69 to 0.71. Finally, the η effect for Coefficient of Performance (COP) is shown as a function of absorber temperature.