Flow Distribution Property of the Constructal Distributor and Heat Transfer Intensification in a Mini Heat Exchanger

This article reports a numerical and experimental study on flow maldistribution and heat transfer intensification fit a mini heat exchanger with constructal distributor/collector integrated. The flow distribution characteristics of the constructal component functioning, as a,fluid distributor or as a fluid collector have hart investigated and compared using computational fluid dynamics simulations. Art experimental setup is designed and constructed for thermal and hydraulic performances tests. The effects of. various assembly configurations art heat transter characteristics and pressure drops are discussed. The results indicate that the into-ration of one constructal collector cut the outlet of the heat exchanger can achieve almost uniform flow, distribution and consequently better intensify the heat transfer. It is also the most advantageous configuration based on a balanced consideration of heat transfer intensification and pump power consumption under the investigation conditions. (C) 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 54: 2796-2808, 2008