New Heat Transfer and Friction Factor Design Data for Perforated Plate Heat Exchangers

Perforated plate heat exchangers have been found to have inherently low axial conduction and are therefore excellent candidates for cryogenic applications where an all-metal design is required. A total of three plate cores were tested; two were chemically etched and the other mechanically punched. Hole size, percent open area and plate thickness parameters were varied among the plates. Experimental results were compared to analytical projections and found to differ significantly. The single-blow, transient test technique was used to determine the heat transfer coefficients and the isothermal pressure drop test was used to determine friction factors, as a function of Reynolds number.