Study on the Heat Transfer Characteristic of Compact Heat Exchanger Based on Experimental Data

Compact air - air heat exchanger (CAAHX) is a key component of the airborne environmental control system (ECS) for commercial airliners. In order to predict the performance of the ECS during the flight conditions, a computational model to descript the performance of CAAHX is needed. This study presents a common heat transfer model for engineering applications based on the η-NTU relationship and the structural parameters of CAAHX. Based on experiments, the common heat transfer models of two CAAHXs are established. Two kinds of values of the CAAHX's outlet temperature which calculated by the heat transfer model and measured in the test are used to verify the accuracy of the models. Results show that the proposed model can get the CAAHXs’ characteristics in full working conditions by using only a small amount of experimental data, which can greatly improve the efficiency of the system design and optimization. The model can also provide a theoretical guidance in the related research fields.