Theoretical and experimental analysis of dynamic heat exchanger: Retrofit configuration

• Eliminating the heat exchanger performance decrease subject to transient flow rates.
• Mathematical modeling of plate heat exchanger using the orthogonal collocation method.
• Rapid system response through transient flow rates.
• Retrofit configuration of heat exchangers.

This paper theoretically and experimentally describes a dynamic plate heat exchanger configuration that decreases or even eliminates heat exchanger losses in performance and efficiency associated with transient flow rates of hot and cold streams passing through its interior or other sources of imbalance. Heat exchanger constraints are some of the most restrictive transient response constraints in a process and thereby inhibit the process's agility and responsiveness. These constraints include temperature changes, expansion, or thermal stresses in the heat exchangers or neighboring process equipment. Despite any changes in inlet conditions, the proposed configuration is capable of leveling the varying parameters such that the exit temperatures remain fixed. Theoretical and experimental results show that the proposed configuration can respond to changes in process flow rates with a near-zero time constant.