• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제54권5호
• /
• pp.1874-1889
• /
• 2022

In this study, we evaluate the thermal-hydraulic performance and economics of Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger (PCHE) according to the channel types and associated shape variables for the design of recuperators with Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs). To perform the evaluations with variables such as the Reynolds number, channel types, tube diameter, and shape variables, a code for the heat exchanger is developed and verified through a comparison with experimental results. Based on the code, the volume and pressure drop are calculated, and an economic assessment is conducted. The zigzag type, which has bending angle of 80° and a tube diameter of 1.9 mm, is the most economical channel type in a SFR using CO₂ as the working fluid. For a SFR using N₂, we recommend the airfoil type with vertical and horizontal numbers of 1.6 and 1.1, respectively. The airfoil type is superior when the mass flow rate is large because the operating cost changes significantly. When the mass flow rate is small, volume is a more important design parameter, therefore, the zigzag type is suitable. In addition, we conduct a sensitivity analysis based on the production cost of the PCHE to identify changes in optimal channel types.

• 한국유체기계학회 논문집
• /
• 제14권5호
• /
• pp.55-62
• /
• 2011

Shape optimization of a Printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) has been performed by using three-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (3-D RANS) analysis and surrogate modeling techniques. The objective function is defined as a linear combination of effectiveness of the PCHE term and pressure drop in the cold channels of the PCHE. The cold channel angle and the ellipse aspect ratio of the cold channel are used as design variables for the optimization. Design points are selected through Latin-hypercube sampling. The optimal point is determined through surrogate-based optimization method which uses 3-D RANS analyses at design points. The results of three types of surrogate model are compared each other. The results of the optimizations indicate improved performance in friction loss but low performance in effectiveness than the reference shape.