Heat exchangers are among the most widely used apparatus in power and process engineering. Billions of heat exchangers are used wherever heat is to be transferred between fluids.
The correct, uniform flow of fluids through the apparatus is essential for the efficient operation of the heat exchanger. The result of improper flow is an irregularly distributed flow velocity, which can also result in an improper distribution of temperature. Usually, heat exchangers are designed for a specific operating point by providing the required operating behavior. If the operating conditions, e.g. fluid mass flows in part-load operation of a plant, deviate from the design parameters, this can result in inadequate performance of the apparatus, which is often attributable to faulty flow.
The goal of this research project is to optimize heat exchangers so that they operate properly and efficiently over a wider range of operating conditions. To this end, the degrees of freedom offered by additive manufacturing are to be used to develop control elements and geometries that prevent faulty flow through heat exchangers and intelligently control the flow.
Different approaches will be taken. On the one hand, control elements are to be developed which, for example based on the bimetallic effect, adapt the flow cross-section section by section when temperature deviations occur. On the other hand, new distributor geometries and distributor inserts are to be developed which improve fluid distribution in the heat exchanger and which would not be feasible in this form without the use of additive manufacturing.
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IfT, Leibniz Universität Hannover
Processing
30823 Garbsen
