Experimental validation of the numerical thermal model of the cross-flow heat exchanger with unequal agent flow

The thermodynamic analysis of a ribbed cross-flow heat exchanger of the liquid-gas type is the subject of the research. This type of heat exchanger was investigated during previous researches conducted at the Institute of Thermal Technology of the Silesian University of Technology. The aim of the research was to assess the influence of the unequal air flux distribution at the inlet cross-section of the exchanger on its thermal efficiency. The form of the unequal air flux distribution was determined by the measurements performed on the specially designed test station. On the basis of experimental and numerical analysis a mathematical model and a computer code for computations of such type heat exchangers have been worked out. The initial arrangement of the test station has not allowed for validation of the numerical results. This became available after some modernization of the test station and the validation procedure for the total heat flux transferred in the considered exchanger has been completed in the frameworks of this work. The average heat transfer coefficient values received from numerical and experimental computations and average temperatures of the agents were also compared. The selected results of the performed analyses and the most important and interesting conclusions are presented in the paper.