Simulation of compact heat exchanger performance

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present some methods to analyse and determine the performance of compact heat exchangers; show the applicability of various computational approaches and their limitations, provide examples to demonstrate the methods, and present results to highlight the opportunities and limitations of the considered methods. Design/methodology/approach - Engineering methods based on thermal balances and correlations, as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods based on the finite control volume (CV) approach, are used. Findings - Overall, it is found that computational heat transfer methods of various kind and complexity are useful tools if carefully handled and appropriately applied. However, there are several constraints, difficulties and limitations to be aware of. Radiators, extended surfaces and enhanced ducts are considered. Originality/value - The paper presents a timely and coherent review and description of various computational methods to simulate the thermal-hydraulic performance of compact heat exchanger issues.