Volume calculation and heat transfer performance simulation of a helical tube with cryogenic helium under intermittent flow condition

Wenhui Cui, Zhaoxue Zhang, Meimei Zhang, Han - Zhou, Pengtong Meng, Qian Wang, Linghui Gong

Article ID: 11347
Vol 8, Issue 1, 2025

VIEWS - 242 (Abstract)

Abstract


The intermittent flow cold storage heat exchanger is one of the most important components of the pulse tube expansion refrigerator based on the reverse Brayton cycle. In the experimental system, the volume and heat transfer of the helical tube play a decisive role in the stable operation of the whole experimental system. However, there are few studies on heat transfer in a helical tube under helium working medium and intermittent flow conditions. In this paper, a process and method for calculating the volume of a helical tube are proposed based on the gas vessel dynamics model. Subsequently, a three-dimensional simulation model of the helical tube was established to analyze the heat transfer process of cryogenic helium within the tube. The simulations revealed that the temperature of helium in the tube decreases to the wall temperature and does not change when the helical angle exceeds 720°. Moreover, within the mass flow rate range of 1.6 g/s to 3.2 g/s, an increase in the mass flow rate was found to enhance the heat transfer performance of the helical tube. This study provides a reference for the selection and application of a helical tube under intermittent flow conditions and also contributes to the experimental research of inter-wall heat exchanger and pulse tube expansion refrigerators.


Keywords


helical tube; refrigeration; intermittent flow; heat transfer; helium

Full Text:

PDF


References


Hu J, Luo E. Progress in regenerative cryocoolers. Science & Technology Review. 2015; (02): 99–107. doi: 10.3981/j.issn.1000-7857.2015.02.015. Jia Q, Gong L, Feng G, et al. Thermodynamic analyses and the experimental validation of the Pulse Tube Expander system. Cryogenics. 2018; 91: 118–124. doi: 10.1016/j.cryogenics.2018.01.005 Cui W, Gong L, Jia Q, et al. Numerical study of heat transfer characteristics of intermittent flow cold storage surface heat exchanger. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. 2024; 1301(1): 012036. doi: 10.1088/1757-899x/1301/1/012036 Jia Q. Theoretical study and experimental verification of pulse tube expander and jet expander [PhD thesis]. Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences; 2020. Sun W, Dai W, Liang J, et al. Research on pulse tube refrigerator with low temperature switch valve. Cryogenics and Superconductivity. 2000; (3): 1–9. doi:10.16711/j.1001-7100.2000.03.001 Zhu L, Cai T, Chen X, et al. Gas-solid flow behavior and heat transfer in a spiral-based reactor for calcium-based thermochemical energy storage. Journal of Energy Storage. 2024; 99: 113481. doi: 10.1016/j.est.2024.113481 Zhang Y, Wang D, Lin J, et al. Development of a computer code for thermal–hydraulic design and analysis of helically coiled tube once-through steam generator. Nuclear Engineering and Technology. 2017; 49(7): 1388–1395. doi: 10.1016/j.net.2017.06.017 Choudhari M, Gawali BS, Patil JD. Oscillating flow heat transfer: a comprehensive review. Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects. 2022; 44(3): 7598–7619. doi: 10.1080/15567036.2022.2113932 Pan C, Zhang T, Wang J, et al. CFD study of heat transfer and pressure drop for oscillating flow in helical rectangular channel heat exchanger. International Journal of Thermal Sciences. 2018; 129: 106–114. doi: 10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2018.02.035 Wang Y, Lu T, Liu X, et al. Heat Transfer of Near Pseudocritical Nitrogen in Helically Coiled Tube for Cryogenic Energy Storage. Energies. 2022; 15(8): 2752. doi: 10.3390/en15082752 Cha H, Choi Y, Kim S. Heat transfer performance of a helical heat exchanger depending on coil distance and flow guide for supercritical cryo-compressed hydrogen. Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics. 2022; 24(3): 62–67. doi: 10.9714/PSAC.2022.24.3.062 Bejan A. Advanced engineering thermodynamics, 4th ed. Newark: Wiley; 2016. Shen W, Tong J. Engineering thermodynamics, 5th ed. China: Higher Education Press; 2016. Rahman MA. Review on heat transfer augmentation in helically coiled tube heat exchanger. International Journal of Thermofluids. 2024; 24: 100937. doi: 10.1016/j.ijft.2024.100937 Kaushik S, Singh S, Panwar K. Experimental study of fluid flow properties in spiral tube heat exchanger with varying insert shape over spiral tube profile. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2023; 80: 78–84. doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2022.10.117 Yan F, Lu H, Feng S. Numerical Simulation of Liquified Natural Gas Boiling Heat Transfer Characteristics in Helically Coiled Tube-in-Tube Heat Exchangers. Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer. 2024; 22(5): 1493–1514. doi: 10.32604/fhmt.2024.055324 Zhao Y, Mao Q. Experimental and numerical analysis of unsteady state conditions on thermal storage performance of a conical spiral shell-tube energy storage system. Journal of Energy Storage. 2024; 88: 111579. doi: 10.1016/j.est.2024.111579 Kazemi-Esfe H, Shekari Y, Omidvar P. Comparison of heat transfer characteristics of a heat exchanger with straight helical tube and a heat exchanger with coiled flow reverser. Applied Thermal Engineering. 2024; 253: 123772. doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.123772 Bi H, Yang J, Chen C, et al. Heat transfer and flow characteristics of intermittent oscillating flow in tube. Applied Thermal Engineering. 2023; 225: 120233. doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.120233 Wu J, Zhao J, Sun X, et al. Design method and software development for the spiral-wound heat exchanger with bilateral phase change. Applied Thermal Engineering. 2020; 166: 114674. doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2019.114674 Li S, Cai W, Chen J, et al. Numerical study on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of forced convective condensation with propane in a spiral pipe. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. 2018; 117: 1169–1187. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2017.10.080 Dong X, Wu Y, Zhang C, et al. Experimental and numerical study on heat transfer and flow characteristics of molten salt nanofluids in spiral-wound tube heat exchanger. International Journal of Thermal Sciences. 2023; 191: 108343. doi: 10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2023.108343 Han Z, Reitz RD. Turbulence Modeling of Internal Combustion Engines Using RNG κ-ε Models. Combustion Science and Technology. 1995; 106(4–6): 267–295. doi: 10.1080/00102209508907782 Zhang D, Zhang G, Wang H, et al. Numerical investigation of time-dependent cloud cavitating flow around a hydrofoil. Thermal Science. 2016; 20(3): 913–920. doi: 10.2298/tsci1603913z Pan C, Zhou Y, Wang J. CFD study of heat transfer for oscillating flow in helically coiled tube heat-exchanger. Computers & Chemical Engineering. 2014; 69: 59–65. doi: 10.1016/j.compchemeng.2014.07.001 Wu J, Lu S, Wang C, et al. Numerical study on heat transfer characteristics of helically coiled grooved elliptical tube heat exchanger. International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow. 2024; 110: 109622. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2024.109622



DOI: https://doi.org/10.24294/tse11347

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2025 Author(s)

License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.