Design of gravity assisted heat exchanger and its application on enhanced waste heat recuperation utilizing organic Rankine and LNG system

1. Overview:

  • Title: Design of gravity assisted heat exchanger and its application on enhanced waste heat recuperation utilizing organic Rankine and LNG system
  • Authors: Rizvi Arefin Rinik, Naimul Islam, M. Monjurul Ehsan, Yasin Khan
  • Year: 2024
  • Journal/Conference: International Journal of Thermofluids
  • Keywords: Waste Heat, Gravity heat exchanger, Organic Rankine, Combined cycle, Parametric optimization

2. Research Background:

The research addresses the growing global energy demand, projected to increase by 33% by 2050 [1]. A significant portion of energy is wasted as low-grade waste heat in industries like manufacturing and power generation [2, 4]. Conventional waste heat recovery (WHR) methods using heat exchangers often face challenges such as high costs, complexity, and limitations imposed by the temperature of the waste heat source [5]. These limitations hinder widespread adoption, particularly in smaller industries. The research highlights the need for efficient, cost-effective, and easily applicable WHR systems that can handle dirty exhaust gases.

3. Research Objectives and Research Questions:

The primary objective is to design a novel gravity-assisted heat exchanger (GPHE) and integrate it with Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cycles for enhanced waste heat recuperation. This system aims to overcome the limitations of conventional WHR technologies. The core research questions are implicit but can be inferred as:

  • What is the optimal design of a gravity-assisted heat exchanger for maximizing energy recovery from low-grade waste heat streams, particularly those containing contaminants?
  • How efficiently can the GPHE, ORC, and LNG cycles be integrated to maximize overall energy recovery and minimize energy losses?
  • What are the optimal operating parameters (temperatures, pressures, mass flow rates) for the combined system?
  • What is the economic viability of the proposed GPHE compared to conventional heat exchangers?

Specific hypotheses are not explicitly stated, but the research implicitly hypothesizes that the combined GPHE-ORC-LNG system will achieve higher energy efficiency and economic viability compared to conventional WHR methods.

4. Research Methodology:

The study employed a combined theoretical and experimental approach.

  • Research Design: The research involved designing a gravity pipe heat exchanger, developing mathematical models for heat transfer, energy efficiency, and exergy analysis, performing parametric optimization, and conducting an economic analysis. An experimental validation of the GPHE model is mentioned, using data from a prior study [1].
  • Data Collection: Experimental data on the performance of the GPHE was apparently drawn from a prior study; details of this methodology are not provided in the given excerpt. Additional data was generated using simulation and modelling.
  • Analysis Methods: The analysis involved heat transfer calculations, energy and exergy analysis, mathematical optimization models to determine optimal operating parameters, and economic cost analysis comparing the GPHE to conventional heat exchangers. Specific software (Python and COOLPROP) were used.
  • Research Subjects/Scope: The research focused on a specific type of gravity-assisted heat exchanger applied to recover waste heat from a low-temperature, potentially dirty, exhaust gas stream (like that from a heat setting machine). The use of pentane as the ORC working fluid is explored.

5. Major Research Findings:

The excerpt provides limited findings; detailed results would be expected in the complete paper. Based on the available section, preliminary findings include:

  • The GPHE demonstrated good effectiveness (close to 52.3%) at an optimum temperature of approximately 275 °C to 280 °C for a 35 kg/s air flow rate.
  • The ORC cycle showed maximum efficiency of 36.8% when using pentane (mass flow rate 3.3 kg/s) and a condenser pressure of 0.21 MPa, producing 280 kW of power.
  • The system's exergy efficiency decreased by 4.94% with a 7 °C increase in pinch temperature.
  • The designed GPHE showed economic viability for waste heat recovery from dirty exhaust gas.
    (Note: Figures from the paper were referenced but are not directly available for inclusion in this summary.)
Fig. 1. (a)Diagram of gravity heat pipe exchanger in setting machine, (b) Working mechanism of gravity heat pipe.
Fig. 1. (a)Diagram of gravity heat pipe exchanger in setting machine, (b) Working mechanism of gravity heat pipe.

6. Conclusions and Discussion:

The proposed combined GPHE-ORC-LNG system offers a potentially innovative solution for waste heat recovery, particularly from low-grade, dirty streams. The gravity-assisted heat exchanger design addresses the challenges of conventional heat exchangers by enabling efficient heat transfer even in the presence of contaminants. Integration with ORC and LNG cycles enhances energy recovery and provides flexibility in applications. The economic analysis suggests viability. However, the conclusions are limited by the absence of full results data.

7. Future Research:

Future research should include a more comprehensive experimental validation of the entire system’s performance under various operating conditions. Further optimization of the system’s design and operating parameters using advanced optimization techniques could be pursued. The economic analysis could be expanded to include a wider range of scenarios and uncertainties.

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