Influence of chevron plates geometry on performances of plate heat exchangers

The paper presents the investigation on the influence of different geometric parameters such as the chevron angle  , pressing depth b and corrugation wave length l on thermal-hydraulic performances of corrugated channels, commonly employed in plate heat exchangers. In order to fully understand a rather complex flow phenomena occurring in corrugated channels, a number of dye based visualization tests have been conducted on two channels with chevron angles  =28° and  =61° at low Re-number flow conditions. The existence of two flow components has been recorded. The influence of flow components on the heat transfer depends mainly upon the angle  and Re-number as well as on the aspect ratio b/l. The exception are plates with the angle  <45° where the aspect ratio b/l does not significantly influence neither thermal nor hydraulic performances. Also, the influence of b/l on heat transfer declines as Re- numbers decrease. Thermal-hydraulic performances are evaluated in terms of the heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop and area goodness factor calculated from experimental data reported in the literature. Results indicate higher increase of the pressure drop relative to increase in the heat transfer for plates with deeper grooves (higher b/l) at fixed Re-number and angle  .