Empirical modeling and meta-analysis of heat transfer in plate heat exchangers

Abstract

Plate heat exchangers provide a compact and efficient alternative to bulky and spacious shell-and-tube heat exchangers. With numerous plates and flow passages, plate heat exchangers increase the flow transit time and enhance hot-fluid-to-cold fluid contact promoting higher heat transfer rates than conventional designs. Plate condensers and evaporators offer cost-effective, compact, and highly efficient alternatives to traditional surface condensers and evaporators. This article reports the empirical modeling and meta-analysis of over two-thousand heat transfer data compiled from thirty-five experimental investigations in the past three decades. The predictive correlations validated against an extensive database should be helpful to the industry and academia. Meta-analysis of the phase-change heat transfer data was statistically insignificant, and the current practice of deploying plate heat exchangers should be encouraged.