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Modeling, Optimization and Experimental Investigation of Heat Exchangers for Power...
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Modeling, Optimization and Experimental Investigation of Heat Exchangers for Power Plants

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "J1: Heat and Mass Transfer".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2025 | Viewed by 4363

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Robert Kaniowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering, Kielce University of Technology, 25-314 Kielce, Poland
Interests: heat transfer; minichannels; microchannels; pool boiling; flow boiling; compact heat exchangers; two-phase flow; temperature measurement; thermal and production engineering; quality management tools

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heat exchangers play a critical role in power plants, transferring heat between two or more fluids to ensure efficient energy conversion. The performance of these components directly impacts the overall efficiency and sustainability of power generation. This topic encompasses the modeling, optimization, and experimental investigation of heat exchangers to enhance their performance in power plants.

Modeling involves creating mathematical representations of heat exchangers to predict their behavior under various conditions. By using computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) and other simulation tools, engineers can analyze the thermal and fluid dynamic performance of heat exchangers. These models help to understand the heat transfer mechanisms and identify potential areas for improvement. Key aspects include thermal modeling, flow dynamics, and material properties.

The integration of modeling, optimization, and experimental investigation provides a comprehensive approach to improving heat exchangers for power plants. This holistic method not only enhances efficiency but also contributes to the sustainability and economic viability of power generation systems. By continuously refining these processes, the power industry can achieve significant advancements in energy efficiency and environmental impact reduction.

I invite you to submit an article to this Special Issue of Energies, entitled “Modeling, Optimization and Experimental Investigation of Heat Exchangers for Power Plants”.

Dr. Robert Kaniowski
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heat and mass transfer
  • boiling and condensation
  • heat transfer by convection
  • heat transfer enhancement
  • multiphase flow
  • computational methods for solving heat and mass transfer problems
  • modeling of heat exchangers
  • optimization of heat exchangers
  • practical applications

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1929 KiB  
Article
Experimental Studies on the Critical Reynolds Number in the Flow of a Microencapsulated Phase Change Material Slurry
by Krzysztof Dutkowski and Marcin Kruzel
Energies 2025, 18(6), 1520; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18061520 - 19 Mar 2025
Viewed by 253
Abstract
The disadvantage of phase change materials (PCMs) that store thermal energy is their low thermal conductivity. The macro-, micro-, and nanoencapsulation of PCMs are some of the ways to eliminate this drawback. Liquids with micro- and nanometer-sized capsules containing PCMs have become innovative [...] Read more.
The disadvantage of phase change materials (PCMs) that store thermal energy is their low thermal conductivity. The macro-, micro-, and nanoencapsulation of PCMs are some of the ways to eliminate this drawback. Liquids with micro- and nanometer-sized capsules containing PCMs have become innovative working fluids for heat transfer—a slurry of encapsulated PCMs. This paper shows the results of in-depth studies on the nature of fluid movement (slurry of microencapsulated PCMs) in pipe channels. The slurry flowed inside a tube with a diameter of 4 mm in the range of Re = 350–11,000. The PCM microcapsule (mPCM) concentration ranged from 4.30% to 17.2%. A pressure loss measurement was carried out on a section of 400 mm. The temperature of the flowing slurry was selected so that the PCMs in the microcapsules were in a liquid state and were solid during subsequent measurement series after undergoing a phase transformation. It was found that the boundary of the transition from laminar to turbulent flow is influenced by both the mPCM concentration in the slurry and the state of matter of the PCMs in the microcapsules. The influence of the slurry concentration and the state of matter of the PCMs in the microcapsules on changes such as fluid movement is presented (in terms of the critical Reynolds number). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling, Optimization and Experimental Investigation of Heat Exchangers for Power Plants)
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10 pages, 3719 KiB  
Article
Experimental Studies of Fluid Flow Resistance in a Heat Exchanger Based on the Triply Periodic Minimal Surface
by Marcin Kruzel, Krzysztof Dutkowski and Tadeusz Bohdal
Energies 2025, 18(1), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18010134 - 1 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1014
Abstract
This study describes experimental data on 3D-printed compact heat exchangers. The heat exchanger is a prototype designed and manufactured additively using 3D printing in metal—AISI 316L steel. The device’s design is based on the triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) geometry called gyroid, which [...] Read more.
This study describes experimental data on 3D-printed compact heat exchangers. The heat exchanger is a prototype designed and manufactured additively using 3D printing in metal—AISI 316L steel. The device’s design is based on the triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) geometry called gyroid, which can only be obtained by incremental manufacturing. This innovative heat exchange surface structure enables these devices to provide higher thermal performance while reducing their weight by up to 50%. Few publications describe thermal or flow tests in this type of device. They mainly concern computer simulations that have yet to be experimentally verified. The authors of this study conducted innovative flow tests to determine pressure drops during the flow of working fluids under conditions of variable temperature, mass flow rate and thermal load. Water was used as a heat transfer fluid during the tests. The range of parameters for the entire experiment was ṁ = 1–24 kg/h; Δp/Δl = 0.05–2 kPa; tcold = 20 °C; thot = 50 °C. Flow characteristics during the single-phase heat exchange process were determined, including Δp/Δl = f(ṁ), Δp/Δl = f(Re), Δp/Δl = f(f). The experimental data will be used to determine the relationships describing flow resistance in structures based on a triply periodic minimal surface, and it also enables one to specify the energy consumption of these devices and compare the profitability of their use to conventional designs, i.e., shell-and-tube or plate heat exchangers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling, Optimization and Experimental Investigation of Heat Exchangers for Power Plants)
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18 pages, 4744 KiB  
Article
Heat Transfer Enhancement in a 3D-Printed Compact Heat Exchanger
by Marcin Kruzel, Tadeusz Bohdal and Krzysztof Dutkowski
Energies 2024, 17(18), 4754; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17184754 - 23 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2071
Abstract
The study describes experimental data on thermal tests during the condensation of HFE7100 refrigerant in a compact heat exchanger. The heat exchanger was manufactured using the additive 3D printing in metal. The material is AISI 316L steel. MPCM slurry was used as the [...] Read more.
The study describes experimental data on thermal tests during the condensation of HFE7100 refrigerant in a compact heat exchanger. The heat exchanger was manufactured using the additive 3D printing in metal. The material is AISI 316L steel. MPCM slurry was used as the heat exchanger coolant, and water was used as the reference medium. The refrigerant was condensed on a bundle of circular tubes made of steel with an internal/external diameter of di/de = 2/3 mm, while a mixture of water and phase change materials as the coolant flowed through the channels. Few studies consider the heat exchange in condensation using phase change materials; furthermore, there is also a lack of description of heat exchange in small-sized exchangers printed from metal. Most papers deal with computer research, including flow simulations of heat exchange. The study describes the process of heat exchange enhancement using the phase transition of coolant. Experimental data for the mPCM slurry coolant flow was compared to the data of pure water flow as a reference liquid. The tests were carried out under the following thermal and flow conditions: G = 10–450 [kg m−² s−1], q = 2000–25,000 [W m−²], and ts = 30–40 [°C]. The conducted research provided many quantities describing the heat exchange in compact heat exchangers, including heat exchanger heat power, heat exchange coefficient, and heat exchange coefficients for working media. Based on these factors, the thermal performance of the heat exchanger was described. External characteristics include the value of the thermal power and the heat exchange coefficient as a function of the mass flow density of the working medium and the average logarithmic temperature difference. The performance of the heat exchanger was presented as the dependencies of the heat exchange coefficients on the mass flux density and the heat flux density on the heat exchange surface. The thickness of the refrigerant’s condensate film was also determined. Furthermore, a model was proposed to determine the heat exchange coefficient value for the condensing HFE7100 refrigerant on the outer surface of a bundle of smooth tubes inside a compact heat exchanger. According to experimental data, the calculation results were in good agreement with each other, with a range of 25%. These data can be used to design mini condensers that are widely used in practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling, Optimization and Experimental Investigation of Heat Exchangers for Power Plants)
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