RCAIDE.Library.Components.Thermal_Management.Heat_Exchangers.Cross_Flow_Heat_Exchanger

Cross_Flow_Heat_Exchanger

class Cross_Flow_Heat_Exchanger(*args, **kwarg)

Bases: Component

A class representing a cross-flow heat exchanger with strip fins for thermal management systems.

tag

Unique identifier for the heat exchanger, defaults to ‘cross_flow_heat_exchanger’

Type:

str

coolant

Coolant properties for calculations, defaults to Glycol_Water()

Type:

Glycol_Water

air

Air properties for calculations, defaults to Air()

Type:

Air

design_heat_removed

Design heat removal capacity, defaults to 0.0

Type:

float

minimum_air_speed

Minimum air velocity through exchanger, defaults to 105 knots

Type:

float

heat_exchanger_efficiency

Overall heat transfer effectiveness, defaults to 0.8381

Type:

float

density

Material density in kg/m^3, defaults to 8440

Type:

float

thermal_conductivity

Material thermal conductivity in W/m.K, defaults to 121

Type:

float

specific_heat_capacity

Material specific heat in J/kg.K, defaults to 871

Type:

float

stack_length

Length of heat exchanger core, defaults to 1

Type:

float

stack_width

Width of heat exchanger core, defaults to 1

Type:

float

stack_height

Height of heat exchanger core, defaults to 1

Type:

float

t_w

Plate thickness in meters, defaults to 5e-4

Type:

float

t_f

Fin thickness in meters, defaults to 1e-4

Type:

float

fin_spacing_cold

Cold side fin spacing in meters, defaults to 2.54e-3

Type:

float

fin_spacing_hot

Hot side fin spacing in meters, defaults to 2.54e-3

Type:

float

fin_metal_thickness_hot

Hot side fin metal thickness in meters, defaults to 0.102e-3

Type:

float

fin_metal_thickness_cold

Cold side fin metal thickness in meters, defaults to 0.102e-3

Type:

float

fin_exposed_strip_edge_hot

Hot side exposed strip edge in meters, defaults to 3.175e-3

Type:

float

fin_exposed_strip_edge_cold

Cold side exposed strip edge in meters, defaults to 3.175e-3

Type:

float

fin_area_density_hot

Hot side fin area density in m^2/m^3, defaults to 2254

Type:

float

fin_area_density_cold

Cold side fin area density in m^2/m^3, defaults to 2254

Type:

float

finned_area_to_total_area_hot

Hot side fin area ratio, defaults to 0.785

Type:

float

finned_area_to_total_area_cold

Cold side fin area ratio, defaults to 0.785

Type:

float

coolant_hydraulic_diameter

Coolant passage hydraulic diameter in meters, defaults to 1.54e-3

Type:

float

air_hydraulic_diameter

Air passage hydraulic diameter in meters, defaults to 1.54e-3

Type:

float

fin_conductivity

Fin thermal conductivity in W/m.K, defaults to 121

Type:

float

wall_conductivity

Wall thermal conductivity in W/m.K, defaults to 121

Type:

float

Notes

The cross-flow heat exchanger uses strip fins and is based on the 1/8-19.86 surface designation. The design includes:

• Liquid coolant passages with strip fins

• Air passages with strip fins

• Counter-flow arrangement for maximum effectiveness

Assumptions

• Coolant is 50-50 Glycol Water mixture

• Constant entrance and exit loss coefficients

• Surface designation of 1/8-19.86 with strip fins

Definitions

‘Strip Fin’

Interrupted fin design that enhances heat transfer while reducing pressure drop

‘Hydraulic Diameter’

Characteristic dimension for internal flow calculations

References

[1] Kays, W.M. and London, A.L. (1998) Compact Heat Exchangers. 3rd Edition,

McGraw-Hill, New York.

See also

RCAIDE.Library.Components.Thermal_Management.Heat_Exchangers.Cryogenic_Heat_Exchanger

Alternative heat exchanger for cryogenic applications

append_operating_conditions(segment, coolant_line)

Adds operating conditions for the heat exchanger to a mission segment.

Parameters:

• segment (Data) – Mission segment to which conditions are being added

• coolant_line (Data) – Cooling system flow path information

append_segment_conditions(segment, bus, coolant_line, conditions)

Adds specific segment conditions to the heat exchanger analysis.

Parameters:

• segment (Data) – Mission segment being analyzed

• bus (Data) – Electrical bus data

• coolant_line (Data) – Cooling system flow path information

• conditions (Data) – Operating conditions for the segment

compute_heat_exchanger_performance(state, bus, coolant_line, delta_t, t_idx)

Calculates thermal performance of the heat exchanger.

Parameters:

• state (Data) – Current system state

• bus (Data) – Electrical bus data

• coolant_line (Data) – Cooling system flow path information

• delta_t (float) – Time step size

• t_idx (int) – Time index in the simulation

plot_operating_conditions(results, coolant_line, save_filename, save_figure, show_legend, file_type, width, height)

Creates visualization plots of the heat exchanger operating conditions.

Parameters:

• results (Data) – Simulation results data

• coolant_line (Data) – Cooling system flow path information

• save_filename (str) – Path for saving the plot

• save_figure (bool) – Flag to save the figure

• show_legend (bool) – Flag to display plot legend

• file_type (str) – Output file format

• width (float) – Plot width

• height (float) – Plot height

load_kc_values()

Loads entrance loss coefficient data from file.

Returns:

Array of entrance loss coefficients

Return type:

ndarray

load_ke_values()

Loads exit loss coefficient data from file.

Returns:

Array of exit loss coefficients

Return type:

ndarray