By: Indresh Rampall, Alan Soler, Krishna P. Singh and Benjamin H. Scott
Publisher: ASME
Year: 1994
Abstract: A transient testing technique is developed to evaluate the thermal performance of industrial scale heat exchangers. A Galerkin-based numerical method with a choice of spectral basis elements to account for spatial temperature variations in heat exchangers is developed to solve the transient heat exchanger model equations.
Testing a heat exchanger in the transient state may be the cmly viable alternative where conventional steady state testing procedures are im ble or infeasible. For example, this methodology is particularly suited to the determination of fouling levels in component cooling water system heat exchangers in nuclear power plants. The heat load on these so-called “component coolers” under steady state conditions is too small to permit meaningful testing. An adequate heat load develops immediately after a reactor shutdown when the exchanger inlet temperatures are highly time-dependent. The application of the analysis methodology is illustrated herein with reference to an in-situ transient testing carried out at a nuclear power plant. The method, however, is applicable to any transient testing application.
Citation: Rampall, I., Soler, A., Singh, K., & Scott, B. “Application of Transient Analysis Methodology to Heat Exchanger Performance Monitoring,” ASME Joint Power Generation Conference, (1994).