Experimental Studies on Performance Parameters of Finned Tube Heat Exchanger for Waste Heat Recovery.

Abstract

The demand for energy is rising significantly due to growth of nations. The use of diesel engines for the purpose of transportation is increasing because of their high efficiency and robustness. Around 30% of the input energy is carried by the engine exhaust gas, which in turn reduces thermal efficiency and increases environmental pollution. With an objective of waste heat recovery and reduction in pollution due to engine exhaust, this work focuses on the theoretical and experimental analysis of performance parameters of continuous plate fin-tube heat exchanger for waste heat recovery at simulated engine conditions. From the experimental data it was observed that fin tube heat exchanger is one of the best heat exchangers for recovery of waste heat at lower fluid flow rates and higher inlet temperatures. The heat recovered is calculated to be 110W, 60W and 52W at hot gas flow rates of 150, 170 and 190LPM respectively.

Keywords: finned-tube, heat-exchanger, waste heat, exhaust, efficiency