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Investigation of the Effectiveness of a Compact Heat Exchanger with Metal Foam in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Cooling

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  • Roman Dyga

    (Department of Process and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Opole University of Technology, Mikolajczyka 5, 45-271 Opole, Poland)

Abstract

Printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHE) are ideal for use in very demanding operating conditions. In addition, they are characterized by very high efficiency, which can still be increased. This paper presents new concepts for improving PCHE heat exchangers. The aim of the described work was to evaluate the potential for improving the performance of printed circuit heat exchangers by incorporating open-cell metal foam as the heat exchanger packing material. The evaluation was conducted based on the results of numerical simulation of supercritical carbon dioxide cooling flowing through printed circuit heat exchanger channels filled with 40 PPI copper foam with 90% porosity. A unit periodic region of the heat exchanger comprising two adjacent straight channels for cold and hot fluid was analyzed. The channels had a semicircular cross-section and a length of 200 mm. Studies were conducted for three different channel diameters—2, 3, and 4 mm. The range of mass flux variations for cold fluid (water) and hot fluid (sCO 2 ) were 300–1500 kg/(m 2 ·s) and 200–800 kg/(m 2 ·s), respectively. It was found that in channels filled with metal foam, carbon dioxide cooling is characterized by a higher heat transfer coefficient than in channels without metal foam. In channels of the same diameter, heat flux was 33–63% higher in favor of the channel with metal foam. Thermal effectiveness of the heat exchanger with metal foam can be up to 20% higher than in the case of a heat exchanger without foam. Despite very high pressure drop through channels filled with metal foam, thermal–hydraulic performance can also be higher—even 4.7 in the case of a 2 mm channel. However, both these parameters depend on flow conditions and channel diameter, and under certain conditions may be lower than in a heat exchanger without metal foam. The results of the presented work indicate a new direction for the development of PCHE heat exchangers and confirm that the use of metal foams in the construction of PCHE heat exchangers can contribute to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes in which they are used.

Suggested Citation

  • Roman Dyga, 2025. "Investigation of the Effectiveness of a Compact Heat Exchanger with Metal Foam in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Cooling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-32, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:17:p:4736-:d:1743000
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roman Dyga & Sebastian Brol, 2021. "Pressure Drops in Two-Phase Gas–Liquid Flow through Channels Filled with Open-Cell Metal Foams," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-26, April.
    2. Ma, Ting & Zhang, Pan & Deng, Tianrui & Ke, Hanbing & Lin, Yuansheng & Wang, Qiuwang, 2021. "Thermal-hydraulic characteristics of printed circuit heat exchanger used for floating natural gas liquefaction," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
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    4. Kim, Dae Yeon & Sung, Tae Hong & Kim, Kyung Chun, 2016. "Application of metal foam heat exchangers for a high-performance liquefied natural gas regasification system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 57-69.
    5. Jadhav, Prakash H. & Gnanasekaran, N. & Mobedi, Moghtada, 2023. "Analysis of functionally graded metal foams for the accomplishment of heat transfer enhancement under partially filled condition in a heat exchanger," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PA).
    6. Shilin Li & Zhongchao Zhao & Yanrui Zhang & Haijia Xu & Weiqin Zeng, 2020. "Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Condensation Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop of Refrigerant R22 in Minichannels of a Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-19, December.
    7. Han, Zengxiao & Guo, Jiangfeng & Huai, Xiulan, 2023. "Theoretical analysis of a novel PCHE with enhanced rib structures for high-power supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle system based on solar energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
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