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Polymeric film application for phase change heat transfer

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Abstract

The paper gives a concise review on polymer film heat exchangers (PFHX) with a focus on polyether ether ketone (PEEK) foil as heat transfer element, mechanically supported by a grid structure. In order to promote PFHX applications, heat transfer performance and wetting behavior are studied in detail. Surface modifications to improve wetting are discussed and correlations are presented for critical Reynolds numbers to sustain a stable liquid film. Scaling phenomena related to surface properties and easily adaptable cleaning-in-place (CIP) procedures are further content. The contribution of the foil thickness and material selection on thermal performance is quantified and a correlation for enhanced aqueous film heat transfer for the grid supported PFHX is given. The basic research results and the design criteria enable early stage material selection and conceptual apparatus design.

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Abbreviations

A :

heat transfer surface area; m2

b :

width of heat transfer surface; m

c :

concentration; mol.L−1

CF:

cleanliness factor; −-

E a :

activation energy; kJ.mol−1

g :

gravitational acceleration; m.s−2

h :

heat transfer coefficient; W.m-2.K−1

k :

thermal conductivity; W.m-1.K−1

\( \dot{m} \) :

mass flow rate; kg.s−1

p :

pressure; bar, Pa

R :

molar gas constant; J.mol-1.K−1

R f :

thermal fouling resistance; m2.K.W−1

t :

time; h

T :

absolute temperature; K

U :

overall heat transfer coefficient; W.m-2.K−1

w :

average film velocity; m.s−1

δ :

film thickness; m

Γ :

falling film mass flow per unit of length; kg.s-1.m−1

θ :

contact angle; o

γ :

surface free energy; J.m−2

ν :

kinematic viscosity; m2.s−1

ϱ :

density; kg/m3

σ :

surface tension; J.m−2

ϑ:

temperature; oC

ω :

relative wetted area of heat transfer surface; −-

C :

clean

b :

bulk

cf:

condensate film

cond :

condensing

evap :

evaporation

f :

fouling

ff :

falling film

G :

gas

in :

inlet

lam :

laminar

tot :

total

w :

wall

+ :

increasing flow rate

- :

decreasing flow rate

Bi :

Biot number

Ka :

Kapitza number

Nu :

Nusselt number

Pr :

Prandtl number

Re :

Reynolds number

CFD:

computational fluid dynamics

CIP:

cleaning in place

FEM:

finite element method

PEEK:

polyetheretherketone

PFHX:

polymer film heat exchanger

PP:

polypropylene

PSU:

polysulfone

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) for supporting this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thermische Verfahrenstechnik, TU Kaiserslautern, PF 3049, 67653, Kaiserslautern, Germany

    Hans-Jörg Bart & Christian Dreiser

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  1. Hans-Jörg Bart
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  2. Christian Dreiser
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Correspondence to Hans-Jörg Bart.

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Bart, HJ., Dreiser, C. Polymeric film application for phase change heat transfer. Heat Mass Transfer 54, 1729–1739 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-017-2249-3

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