Performance Comparison of the Matrix Heat Exchanger Prototype Through Practical Experimentation, Computational Simulation, and Preliminary Theoretical Considerations

A computer simulation model developed in the ANSYS Fluent 2022 version R2 package was used for the engineering analysis required to design a counterflow matrix heat exchanger (MHE) for cooling a hydrogen stream. The theoretical data obtained with the simulation model were compared with the experimental data collected during the experimental campaigns carried out in the Cryogenics Laboratory of ICSI Rm. Valcea.

The MHE was tested for three test regimes obtained by theoretical correlations applicable to the current configuration. The Nusselt number, friction factor, and performances theorized by different authors, such as Gnielinski, Miheev, and Mikulin et al. were evaluated. This paper presents comparisons between the results obtained with the simulation model, the experimental values, ​​and the theoretical models from the literature, highlighting the possibility of developing a mathematical model that can be applied to the calculation and design of a MHE.