Experimental study of single phase pressure drop in a vehicle heat-regenerator

Authors: O. R. Gouveia, A. Almeida, H. Santos, J. Morgado, N. Martinho, J. F. Pereira

ABSTRACT:

Waste heat recovery (WHR) by means of Rankine cycle (RC) is a promising technology to further reduce fuel consumption in internal combustion engine (ICE) equipped vehicles. The design and performance optimization of the Rankine cycle system components are then key factors to optimize the overall vehicle efficiency. One of the main components of a RC based system is the heat exchanger (HEX), which is responsible for the thermal energy transfer between the ICE waste heat source and the RC working fluid. Considering ethanol as the practical application RC working fluid, almost 70% of the HEX volume corresponds to the pre-heater section. With this in mind, this paper presents an experimental study on the single-phase working fluid pressure drop through the tubes and return chambers of a HEX for a Rankine cycle waste heat recovery (RC-WHR) system. Based on a detailed geometrical characterization of the HEX on the working fluid side, a predictive analytical model for the pressure drop through the HEX was developed. We determine the pressure drop in HEX tubes and return chambers for a wide range of practical operating conditions.

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