Improvement of a Nusselt-Based Simulation Model for Heat Transfer in Rotary Heat Exchangers

Eloy Melian, Harald Klein and Nikolaus Thißen
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Eloy Melian: Institute of Industrial Ecology, Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, 75175 Pforzheim, Germany
Harald Klein: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 85748 München, Germany
Nikolaus Thißen: Institute of Industrial Ecology, Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, 75175 Pforzheim, Germany

Energies, 2020, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-26

Abstract: In the last 50 years, the technology of rotary heat exchangers has not changed considerably. A reliable simulation can help improve the design of this technology. In this work, a simulation for rotary heat exchangers was developed and validated with multiple experimental data. This simulation takes an innovative approach based on locally calculated heat transfer coefficients and considers the entry region effect. This approach proved to be accurate since the average difference between the experimental results and the proposed model with a constant heat boundary condition is 0.1% and the maximum absolute deviation 1%. Experimental, as well as simulation results, indicate that lower empty tube gas velocity (1 m/s) and higher rotational speed (12 rpm) improve thermal efficiency compared to commonly used operating conditions. Additionally, a new model for predicting the local internal Nusselt number for sine ducts in the rotor channels is proposed, which considers the entry region effect.

Keywords: rotary heat exchanger; heat recovery wheel; thermal wheel; local Nusselt number; thermal efficiency; temperature effectiveness; heat recovery; heat recovery system; regenerator; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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