Transient response of heat exchangers

Abstract

The transient response of heat exchangers to a change in inlet temperature ofone of the fluids is ofmuch interest in industrial practice. Due to the complexity ofthe problem, no generally accepted solutions exist. This thesis presents an extensive survey of major solutions available in literature and identifies the ranges ofparameters for which solutions are not available. A commercially available thermal network solver software package (Thermonet) will be used to model the transient response ofheat exchangers. The software package will be verified using five existing solutions found in literature. The software package will be utilized to generate transient solutions for a counterflow heat exchanger covering a wide range ofparameters useful in engineering practice. The results are presented in tabular form. Important parametric influences are discussed and effects of process and geometrical variables on the transient performance is evaluated. Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Satish Kandlikar whose insight, encouragement, and guidancewere crucial to the completion of this work. I would also