Optimal heat utilisation
For optimal heat recovery through heat exchanges, several parameters need to be optimised simultaneously. It is important to have a heat exchanger with high effectiveness and reduced pressure drop, but on the other hand, it is also important to minimise material use and, in some cases, also reduce dimensions/size (or fit within certain boundary conditions).
Within EnergyVille, we focus on the development of software packages for detailed simulation and optimisation of flows and heat transfer in (compact) heat transfer devices. The software is based on new macro-scale modelling techniques for fast evaluation of ‘average’ flow and temperature in heat transfer devices with fin arrays.
In order to validate new designs of heat exchangers we are equipped with:
- micro-scale testing infrastructure (measurements on arrays of fin structures including flow velocity measurement via Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and temperature measurement via Thermographic PIV) and
- macro scale testing of complete heat exchangers (core and manifolds) in the thermotechnical lab.
New manufacturing techniques are further explored within the additive manufacturing groups of KULeuven and VITO.
