Heat Transfer Design Project
Detailed view of one end of the glass heat exchanger, which consists of two concentric tubes
Experimental set up. Glass heat exchanger can be seen encased in styrofoam.
Detailed view of one end of the glass heat exchanger, which consists of two concentric tubes
Custom Glass Heat Exchanger
The purpose of this project was to condense water vapor using a custom glass heat exchanger and cold water, then compare the heat transfer efficiency of the flows when flowing in the same and opposing directions. This project served as the final practicum for my heat transfer course during my engineering exchange to PUC in 2012.
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This project was revisited in 2016. A 3D model, drawing and heat transfer simulation were created to help visualize the efficiency of the exchanger.
MATLAB was used to calculate the length and size of the tubes necessary. The building of the exchanger was contracted out to an external glassmaker to ensure good build quality. Flows in the same direction exchanged 260.2W of heat, whereas flow in opposing directions exchanged 295.4W of heat. This was due to the larger difference in temperatures maintained along the length of the exchanger when flowing in opposite directions. Overall, the heat exchanger was more efficient with liquids when the flows are in the same direction and more efficient with gases when the flows are in opposing directions.