Performance Investigation of Innovative Compact Porous Ceramic Heat Exchanger

Abstract

Designing efficient and compact heat exchangers is essential to enhance energy utilization and improve the overall performance of energy systems. In this study, the performance of an innovative compact porous ceramic heat exchanger configuration is examined. A numerical model based on Whitaker theory is developed to accurately evaluate heat and mass transfer within an unsaturated porous ceramic exchanger. To simulate the transport phenomena occurring during convective exchange, a three-dimensional unstructured Control Volume Finite Element Method (CVFEM) is implemented. Several numerical investigations are performed to assess the influence of porosity, hot air velocity, and the initial saturation of the ceramic medium. The temporal evolution of temperature, liquid saturation, and pressure within the porous domain is analyzed and compared. The heat exchange rate increases as the initial liquid saturation of the porous ceramic medium decreases, while the mass transfer efficiency improves with higher air velocity. Moreover, the porosity of the ceramic material plays a crucial role in maximizing heat exchange. The results show that doubling the air velocity reduces the exchange time by half compared to the reference case with a hot air velocity of V = 5 m/s.