Volume 9: Sustainable Energy Solutions for Changing the World: Part I

THE THERMAL HYDRAULIC PERFORMANCES OF A NOVEL WAVY-LOUVERED FIN-TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER USED IN PEMFC SYSTEMS Wei Luo, Zirong Yang, Qing Du*

Abstract

To achieve better heat management in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems, a novel wavy-louvered fin-tube (WL-FT) heat exchanger is proposed. Three-dimensional numerical simulations based on OpenFOAM are utilized to investigate the thermal hydraulic performances of proposed structure, including heat transfer coefficient (HTC), pressure drop, heat flux and JF ratio. Effects of different wave length are studied. The results show that WL-FT heat exchanger with wave length 0.4 mm has the best performances, which achieves 8.1% higher in HTC and 10.8% lower in volume than conventional flat louver type.

Keywords Enhanced heat transfer, wavy louver, volume optimization, numerical simulation