Title: Numerical investigation on shear flow and boiling heat transfer on shell-side of LNG spiral wound heat exchanger

Authors: Zhiyong Wu; Ying Fan; Weihua Cai; Yiqiang Jiang

Addresses: School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Petrochemical University, Fushun 113001, China ' School of Petroleum Engineering, Liaoning Petrochemical University, Fushun 113001, China ' School of Energy and Power Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin 132012, China ' School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150006, China

Abstract: A numerical model was developed to investigate the shear flow and boiling heat transfer on shell-side of spiral wound heat exchanger used for natural gas liquefaction. Thermal ratio of phase transition as an important parameter in simulation was studied, and an error on defining it was illuminated. After thermal ratio of phase transition was anew defined, the parameter value was appropriately selected under different working conditions, and some major factors governing the parameter were analysed. Simulation results were consistent with experimental data, the simulation deviations of both frictional pressure drop and heat transfer was within ±15%. Simulation images revealed that the shear flow belongs to mist flow and that heat and mass transfer can occur not only on heated walls of coil but also in flow field. Additionally, it is also found that vapour quality has a significant effect on the thermal diffusion of shell-side.

Keywords: spiral wound heat exchanger; SWHE; shell side; shear flow; boiling.

DOI: 10.1504/PCFD.2022.121854

Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An International Journal, 2022 Vol.22 No.2, pp.105 - 117

Received: 09 Jan 2021
Accepted: 26 Mar 2021
Published online: 07 Apr 2022 *

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