Numerical investigation on thermal-hydraulic performance of a printed circuit LNG vaporizer

As a new type of micro-channel heat exchanger, printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is widely applied to floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) as LNG vaporizer for high efficiency and compactness. In this paper, a three-dimensional numerical model of counter-flow printed circuit LNG vaporizer is established, applying supercritical LNG and propane as cold source and heat source respectively. The flow and heat transfer characteristics in semicircular channels, and the effects of channel bending angle on them are studied. The results indicate that the channel bending causes the accelerating core of cold and hot fluids close to the inner wall of the corner, thinning or even destructing the boundary layer, which is conducive to convective heat transfer, although causes greater flow resistance. The larger the channel bending angle, the better the heat transfer and the greater the pressure drop. The criterion zeta= ((Nu/Nu(0))/(f/f(0))) is used to evaluate the thermal-hydraulic performance of the printed circuit LNG vaporizer, and it shows that the channel bending angle 15 degrees offers the best comprehensive performance.