Study of the heat transfer and flow characteristics of a plate and shell heat exchanger

A numerical simulation and experimental study were performed of the heat transfer and heat exchange characteristics of a round plate and shell heat exchanger. By using the software Solidworks, a full scale real-entity model for a single flow passage was established during the numerical simulation without any simplification, dividing the grid by employing the software ICEM and seeking solutions by adopting the software Fluent. In addition, the simulation results were verified through a pilot-scale water-water heat transfer test. The prototype machine for the test used the plates fully identical to the geometrical structure during the numerical simulation with the number of the plates being 122. Through a comparison, it has been found that when the Reynolds number is in a range from 200 to 7000, the error between the numerical simulation results and the test ones is within 15%. The simulation results can be used as an underlying basis for type selection and optimization during design of the products of the same kind in industrial applications.