Comparative analysis of compact heat exchangers for application as the intermediate heat exchanger for advanced nuclear reactors

• Published in: Annals of nuclear energy Vol. 81; pp. 143 - 149
• Main Authors: Bartel, N., Chen, M., Utgikar, V.P., Sun, X., Kim, I.-H., Christensen, R., Sabharwall, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2015; Elsevier
• Subjects: Advanced nuclear reactor; colburn factor; Design engineering; flow area; GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; Heat Exchange Compactness; Heat exchangers; heat transfer surface area; Intermediate heat exchanger; Low pressure; Nuclear engineering; Nuclear reactors; Offset strip-fin heat exchanger (OSFHE); Pitch angle; Pressure drop; Printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE); Printed circuits; Thermal-hydraulic design; Intermediate heat exchanger; Thermal-hydraulic design; Heat Exchange Compactness; Printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE); Offset strip-fin heat exchanger (OSFHE); Advanced nuclear reactor
• ISSN: 0306-4549; 1873-2100
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2015.03.029

•Compact heat exchanger designs evaluated for advanced nuclear reactor applications.•Wavy channel PCHE compared with offset strip-fin heat exchanger (OSFHE).•15° pitch angle wavy channel PCHE offers optimum performance characteristics.•OSFHE exhibits higher pressure drop and lower compactness than other options.•Comparison technique applicable for evaluating candidate heat exchangers designs.
A comparative evaluation of alternative compact heat exchanger designs for use as the intermediate heat exchanger in advanced nuclear reactor systems is presented in this article. Candidate heat exchangers investigated included the Printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) and offset strip-fin heat exchanger (OSFHE). Both these heat exchangers offer high surface area to volume ratio (a measure of compactness [m2/m3]), high thermal effectiveness, and overall low pressure drop. Helium–helium heat exchanger designs for different heat exchanger types were developed for a 600MW thermal advanced nuclear reactor. The wavy channel PCHE with a 15° pitch angle was found to offer optimum combination of heat transfer coefficient, compactness and pressure drop as compared to other alternatives. The principles of the comparative analysis presented here will be useful for heat exchanger evaluations in other applications as well.