Numerical simulation of micro-channel airfoil printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE)

This study aims to improve the heat exchange capacity of Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger (PCHE), reduce the pressure drop of flow and solve the problem of inlet and outlet flow distribution uniformity, the airfoil guide fins are placed within the PCHE and fluid distributary baffles are set at the inlet and outlet of flow. The present work carries out a numerical study on the flow distribution characteristics, resistance of flow and heat transfer characteristic of this type of PCHE. The numerical results indicate that by setting the fluid distributary baffles at the inlet and outlet, the flow separation can be effectively reduced, simultaneously reducing the flow distribution imbalance of the channel and improving the flow uniformity. The heat transfer capacity of PCHE can be effectively enhanced by adding airfoil guide fins in the heat exchange plate, and the streamline design conduces to reduce the flow resistance of fluid.