Condensation heat transfer and multi-phase pressure drop of CO2 near the critical point in a printed circuit heat exchanger

Abstract

In this study, condensation heat transfer and multi-phase pressure drop of CO2 near the critical point are investigated occurring in a Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger (PCHE) for a supercritical CO2 power cycle application in mind. Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM) approach is used to evaluate and develop appropriate heat transfer and pressure drop correlations. The experiment was performed with the CO2 test facility called SCO2PE (Supercritical CO2 Pressurizing Experiment) in KAIST. The heat transfer and pressure drop test was conducted with the PCHE in the facility. Existing correlations were compared to the test data and a new set of correlations was necessary to be developed. A new set of correlations is newly suggested in this paper which captures physical characteristics reasonably well.