Thermal characterisation of Triple Concentric Tube Heat Exchangers by applying parameter estimation: direct problem implementation

Heat transfer enhancement in heat exchangers's design represents a key technological challenge because of the increase in the cost of energy and raw materials. A promising technology is represented by the triple tube heat exchangers, in which the heat transfer is enhanced in comparison with the traditional double tube heat exchangers, due to the larger heat transfer area per unit length. Among the different methodologies that can be adopted to assess the performance of the triple tube heat exchangers, parameter estimation procedure represents a promising tool, since it has been successfully applied in many disciplines of engineering. To apply this inverse technique, it is mandatory defining the direct problem, which for the issue here addressed allows evaluating the outlet temperatures of the fluids flowing in the heat exchanger. Since in a triple tube heat exchanger there are three fluids, the approach based on the evaluation of the logarithmic mean temperature difference is no longer valid and an alternative procedure has to be followed. In the present analysis a numerical model for the performance evaluation of triple tube heat exchangers is presented. The validation of the proposed numerical model, carried out by adopting the analytical model available in literature, highlights that the model can be considered accurate and reliable. Moreover, the computational time required to solve the set of equations is very limited.