Compact Heat Exchangers and Enhancement Technology for the Process Industries - 2003

ISBN Print: 978-1-56700-195-2

HEAT TRANSFER IN PACKED BEDS FROM PRESSURE DROP - AN APPLICATION OF THE LEVEQUE ANALOGY -

DOI: 10.1615/978-1-56700-195-2.160
pages 119-124

Resumo

A new type of analogy between frictional pressure drop and heat transfer has been discovered, that may be used in chevron-type plate heat exchangers, in tube bundles, in crossed-rod matrices, and in many other periodic arrangements of solids in a fluid flow. It is based on the Generalized Leveque Equation (GLE).
The new method can also be used in external flow situations, not only for internal flow. This was demonstrated recently for a single sphere as well as for a single cylinder in cross flow.
A new detailed comparison with experimental data from more than 40 sources is shown to agree very well with the GLE prediction, if Erguns equation is used to calculate the total pressure drop.
Data for packed beds of solid particles of other shapes, such as cubes, cylinders, hollow cylinders (rings), and saddles have also been compared.
The successful application of the GLE in a variety of different compact heat exchanger geometries shows that this new type of analogy has a broad range of applications and may lead to better design methods for compact heat exchangers.