Fin-tube and plate heat exchangers — Evaluation of transient performance

A methodology for evaluation of transient performance of, and comparison between plate heat exchanger and plate-fin-and-tube heat exchanger was developed and realized, including experiment and 3-D simulation. Heat transfer from water to a gas medium was addressed. The heated gas volume was the same for both heat exchanger designs. This was achieved by placing the plate-fin-and-tube heat exchanger into enclosure. The volume average temperature of the gas as function of time was computed. Estimated material cost for the studied designs was at least seven times lower than for the stainless steel plate heat exchanger. The performance of the selected plate-fin-and-tube heat exchanger design was found comparable to the plate heat exchanger, when both fin and tube materials were set to Al, and the enclosure was a light-weight thermal insulator. Transient behavior of the studied heat exchangers should be of interest for micro-grid applications, but also for thermal management in electronic cabinets and data centers.