Abstract
This paper discusses a mathematical model for airflow through a cross-flow plate heat exchanger. The exhaust air is used to heat the supply air. Three kinds of plates are considered: made of aluminium, copper, and steel. The purpose of this research was to verify which material used to build the plate heat exchangers uses the exhaust air heat more efficiently. The method of the Trefftz function was used to determine approximate solutions to the analysed problem. The results obtained for 1.2 mm-thick plates and for external winter, summer, and spring–autumn temperatures are discussed. The results indicate that if the efficiency and price of the metals are considered, then steel is the best material for the plate heat exchanger. Thanks to the use of thin steel plates and the reduction in air exchange time to a few minutes, a cheap and efficient cross-flow heat exchanger can be obtained.
Subject
Energy (miscellaneous),Energy Engineering and Power Technology,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment,Electrical and Electronic Engineering,Control and Optimization,Engineering (miscellaneous),Building and Construction
Reference33 articles.
1. Shah, R.K., and Sekulic, D.P. (2003). Fundamentals of Heat Exchanger Design, John WIley and Sons.
2. Wang, L., Sundén, B., and Manglik, R.M. (2007). Plate Heat Exchangers, Design, Applications and Performance, WIT Press Southampton.
3. (2021, July 01). Available online: https://www.rekuperatory.pl/rekuperator#co-to-jest-rekuperator.
4. Xu, K. (2019). Design and Optimization of Plate Heat Exchanger Networks. [Ph.D. Thesis, The University of Manchester, Faculty of Science and Engineering].
5. Grysa, K., Maciąg, A., and Ściana, A. (2021). Comparison of the Efficiency of Two Types of Heat Exchangers with Parallel Plates Made of Varied Materials. Energies, 14.