Int. &mm. Hear Mass Transfer; Vol. 28, No. 6, pp. 803-8 13.

200 I
Copyright 0 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd
Pergamon
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved
07351933/01/$-see front matter

PII: SO7351933(01)00284-6

ENTROPY GENERATION ON A THREE-GAS CROSSFLOW HEAT

EXCHANGER WITH LONGITUDINAL WALL CONDUCTION

Ping Yuan
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Lee-Ming Institute of Technology,
Taipei, Taiwan, ROC

Hong-Sen Kou
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Tatung University,
Taipei, Taiwan, ROC

(Communicated by J.P. Hartnett and W.J. Minkowycz)

ABSTRACT
This study investigates the entropy generation in a crossflow heat exchanger including
three gas streams and the effect of longitudinal wall conduction on the entropy generation.
Using the numerical method, this study calculates the exit mean temperature of each
stream, and then computes the number of entropy generation units. The results indicate
that the entropy generation increases with the decrease of inlet temperature of gas stream
3 and the decrease of inlet temperature ratio of gas streams I to 2. In addition, the results
show that the longitudinal wall conduction raises the entropy generation and that this
raising increases with increasing NTU when heat capacity rate ratio of stream I is 0.5.
Q 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd

Introduction

Three-fluid heat exchangers are widely used in cryogenics and some chemical processes. The

header and flow distributors lead three fluid streams into respective layers of a heat exchanger core.

The arrangement of three fluid streams in crossflow is that one stream flows through the center layer
sandwiched between the other two streams, as shown in Fig. I. Much research has focused on the
analysis of thermal performance of three-fluid crossflow heat exchangers. Willis and Chapman [I]
predict the performance of a single-pass, three-fluid crossflow heat exchanger by the numerical method,
presenting the performance graphically in terms of the temperature effectiveness of two of the fluids,

803
 804 P. Yuan and H.-S. Kou Vol. 28. No. 6

Baclic et al. [2] solve the exact solution to the exit mean temperature of each fluid in a three-fluid
crossflow heat exchanger by using Laplace transformation. Sekulic and Kmecko [3] derive an
expression for overall effectiveness to provide insight into the overall performance of three-fluid heat
exchangers. Sekulic and Shah [4] introduce a comprehensive review of three-fluid heat exchangers and
also provide a detailed description of the crossflow arrangement. In addition, Yuan and Kou [5]
investigate numerically the effect of longitudinal wall conduction in a three-fluid crossflow heat
exchanger, and their results indicate that the effect of longitudinal wall conduction reduces the thermal
performance in each fluid, and the deterioration factor increases with increasing longitudinal wall
conduction.
In the analysis and design of a heat exchanger, the rate of entropy generation caused by the
irreversible processes is the quantitative measure of the quality of thermal energy transformation. Bejan
[6] presents a method for fixed or minimum number of entropy generation units in counterflow heat
exchangers for gas-to-gas applications. The irreversibility minimization in a compact crossflow heat
exchanger is investigated by Sekulic and Herman [7] with the concept of minimum enthalpy exchange

irreversibility. They consider that the irreversibility is caused by the fluid friction in flow over solid
surfaces and the heat transfer across a finite temperature difference. Sekulic [8] investigates the internal
heat exchanger irreversibility by the enthalpy exchange irreversibility norm, discussing the behavior of
the norm as a function of the heat exchanger thermal size for cocurrent and countercurrent heat
exchangers. Selulic [9] estimates the quality of the heat exchange process in heat exchanger analysis by
using the entropy generation concept. In the study by Ogulata and Doba [lo], the irreversibility of the
heat exchanger has been taken into consideration in the crossflow heat exchanger with an applicable
experimental set up. Variations of the entropy generation number with optimum flow path length,
dimensionless mass velocity, and dimensionless heat transfer area are analyzed and explained with their
diagrams and comments, However, to our knowledge, there has been little literature focusing on the

analysis of irreversibility in a crossflow heat exchanger including three gas streams. Therefore, this
study investigates the quality of thermal energy transformation in a three-gas crossflow heat exchanger
by using the entropy generation concept and discusses the effect of longitudinal wall conduction on the
entropy generation.

Analysis

The following analysis presents a method for determining the exit mean temperatures of a three-gas
crossflow heat exchanger, as shown in Fig. 1. In this study, certain idealizations derived from Shah

and Sekulic [ 1I] are as follows:

 Vol. 28, No. 6 ENTROPY GENERATION IN A CROSSFLOW HEAT EXCHANGER 805

1. In the inlets of each gas stream, the velocity and temperature distributions are constant with

respect to time and position.

2. The individual and overall heat transfer coefficients and thermal-physical properties of all gas

streams and dividing walls are constant and uniform.

3. Heat loss between the heat exchanger and the surroundings is negligible.

4. The convection heat transfer coefficient between each gas stream and the respective heat

transfer surface of the dividing wall is uniform throughout the heat exchanger.

5. The effects of heat generation, phase change, and viscous dissipation within the gas streams are

neglected.

6. The gas flow rate is uniformly distributed through the exchanger on each gas side.

7. The fluids are ideal gases and have no friction in their flow over solid surfaces.

In Fig. I, the gas stream with the highest or lowest temperature is selected as the central gas stream.

Because heat is transferred from the central gas stream 2 to each outer gas streams 1 and 3 respectively,

there is no heat transferred directly between the two outer gas streams. The x coordinate direction is

chosen in the direction of gas stream 2 and y is chosen in the direction of gas streams I and 3. The

application of energy conservation leads to the following live simultaneous, dimensionless partial

differential equations.

m-4 1 (

FIG. I
Schematic depiction of a three-gas crossflow heat exchanger unit

N,(T, -T,)=$ (1)

N21K - T2) + N2dG T2)z (2)

 806 P. Yuan and H.-S. Kou Vol. 28, No. 6

N3(Tb -T3) = -fl3 (3)

ay

a2T,+x a2T,
-- _.
Nz,(Tz-Ta)+N,C;(T,-T,)+h,,, (4)
ax2 %Y ay2

aZT, a2Tb -0
N23(Tz-Tb)+N3C;(T3--~b)+hb.x + 'b., (5)
8X2 ay2-

The inlet conditions and boundary conditions are

T,(X,O) = 0
(7)
T2(0,Y) = I (6)
T,(XO) = T3,,
I
The dimensionless parameters are defined as:

T=

N =@a)] ,N2,=(d@21 ,N,, =@tha)23 ,N, =(vho)3 , h (k&h L, (k%Lx (8)

I , &,,y = ~
Cl c2 c2 c3
b3x= C,L, C2Ly

In the above equations, the values of N,, N,, , N,, and N, can be determined from C;, C;, R;, R;3,

R; and NTU according to the following relationship:

N, = NTU(1 + R;) , N,, = NTU C;(l + A), N,, = NTU C; R;,(l + 4)

RI RI

C;
N, = NTU,R;(l+ 4) (9)
c3 RI

The above parameters, R;, R;s, R; and NTU, are defined as below:

)I
-1

R* = (Oah R;3 = OW23 , R; =

(10)
(rlhah G-d%

Numerical Method

This study divides each domain of gas stream 1, gas stream 2, gas stream 3, wall a, and wall b into
the same Nx N subdivisions, as shown in Fig. 2. Along the flow direction of gas stream 1 and gas

stream 3, TI(,,,), Ts(,,,) and T,(i+t,r), T~(,+I,,) are specified in the inlet and exit of the subdivisions.

Similarly, along the flow direction of gas stream 2, T,(,,,) and T,(,,,+t) are specified in the inlet and

exit of the subdivision. The nodes of T,(,,,) and T,(,,,) are assigned in the center of the subdivisions.
 Vol. 28, No. 6 ENTROPY GENERATION IN A CROSSFLOW HEAT EXCHANGER 807

The governing equations can be individually discretized into finite difference equations, and this study
uses the AD1 method to solve the two-dimensional finite difference equations. The procedures of the
numerical calculation are 1.) Calculate the temperature fields of each gas stream in iteration step n from
the finite difference equation, respectively. 2.) Use the temperatures of gas streams obtained from step
1 to solve the temperature field of the dividing wall in iteration step n using the finite difference equation
for the wall. 3.) Treat the results of step 2 as the updated values. Return to step 1 and repeat the
whole procedure until the total sum of each grid points absolute error between two consecutive
iterations in the temperature field is less than 0.01. 4.) Calculate the exit mean temperatures of each gas
stream. Table 1 is a comparison between the present numerical solution and the analytical solution [2]

at C;=C;=O.S, Ts,, =0.5, and h, =h, =O.O. Clearly, the results in this study agree well with the

analytical results, so this numerical method is reliable.

a 0 0 0 @
fluid 1 fluid 2 fluid 3 wall a wall b

FIG. 2
Subdivision of a three-gas crossflow heat exchanger unit

TABLE 1
C omparison Between the Present Numerical Solution and the Analytical Solution [2] at C;= C; =
T,,, =0.5, and h, = h, =O.O
 808 P. Yuan and H.-S. Kou Vol. 28, No. 6

This study considers the irreversibility of heat transfer as a consequence of finite temperature
differences between the gases. Therefore, the number of entropy generation units [6] of a crossflow

heat exchanger including three gas streams, N, , can be expressed in the summation of each gas entropy

change over the heat capacity rate of gas stream 2 as below:

Ns
=C~InT,e(l-T*)+T*
1 +ln(T&(l-T*)+T*)+C;ln$$-$/$ (11)
T 3J

T
where T* = --$ and Ns=$-.
2J 2

Based on the definition of dimensionless parameters, the range of the design and operating

parameters under consideration are NTU=l-IO, C;=O.S and 1.O, C; =0.5 and 1.O, R; = R; = Ri3 =1 .O,

T3,=0.0and 0.5, T*=0.2 and0.5, h,,= h,,= h,=O.OandO.O125,as wellas h,,,=hb,y=khy=O.O,

0.00625, 0.0125, and 0.025. Figure 3 depicts the number of entropy generation units versus NTU at

C; = C; =0.5, C; = C; =l.O, as well as C; =0.5 and C; =l.O when T,,, =0.5 and h, = h, ~0.0,

respectively. In the figure, the entropy generation at T*=0.2 is always higher than that at T*=0.5.

Because T* is the ratio of Ti,, to T;,, , the smaller value of T* represents the heat transfer across

larger temperature difference. Therefore, the entropy generation increases as T* decreases. In

addition, the entropy generation first increases and then decreases along with the increase of NTU in the
figure. There exists a maximum entropy generation in each line, which is close to NTU=I. The
maximum entropy generation occurs in the adiabatic mixing of three gas streams, indicating that the exit
mean temperature of each gas stream is equal [8]. In the figure, the dashed line is always higher than

both the continuous line and the dashdot line, indicating that the entropy generation at higher C; is

larger than that at lower C; . Because of the increase of C; , the variation of temperature of gas stream

1 becomes slower and hence the temperature difference between gas streams 2 and 1 becomes larger.

Consequently, the entropy generation becomes higher when C;=l.O.

Figure 4 depicts the number of entropy generation units versus NTU at C;=C; =0.5, Ci=C; =I .O,

as well as C;=O.S and C; =I .O when T*=0.2 and h, = h, =O.O. In this figure, the entropy generation

at T3,,=0 is larger than that at T3,,=0.5, because the temperature difference between gas streams when
 Vol. 28, No. 6 ENTROPY GENERATION IN A CROSSFLOW HEAT EXCHANGER 809

T3,,=O.O is larger than that when Ts,, =0.5. In addition, the dashed line is also higher than both the

continuous line and the dashdot line due to the heat transfer across the larger temperature difference

between gases when C;=l.O. Comparing Figs. 3 and 4, the results show that the continuous line and

dashdot line are close to each when Ts,, =0.5, but they separate when Ts,, =O.O. This indicates that the

entropy generation is not affected by the variation of C; when Tj, =0.5.

loo 10;
40 I
o,9 _ T3,,=0 5,hr= hy-0.0 - 0.9
__ c;=o.s,c;=o5
08- ~~~~ q-1 o,c;=10 -06

0.7 - - c;=o5,c;=r 0
q _Tw2 ! ;I;
06-
,r-m--- ~_
t05- ,
,
0.4 - ,
~_ i -----I:.:
/
03-,-
/ dYY> 1.1
02-

01 - __-- 01

qoYI---,- .- , ,I
109
NlTo

FIG. 3
Number of entropy generation units versus NTU at Ts,, =0.5, and h, =ky =O.O

lo0 10;
I

___ c;=o5,c;=o5 -0.2

- -. c;=10,c;=1.0 -o,
Ol-
_ T=0.2, hx= ky=O.O - - - - - c; =o 5, c;=1.0
I
90 100
N1R

FIG. 4
Number of entropy generation units versus NTU at T*=0.2, and h, = h, =O.O

In order to illustrate the effect of longitudinal wall conduction on the number of entropy generation
units, this study defines a correction factor, r , as below:

N s(wlh longltudmal conductm) -N s (wthout longltudmal conductmn)

r= (12)
N I (wthout langltudmal conductm)
 810 P. Yuan and H.-S. Kou Vol. 28, No. 6

Figure 5 depicts the correction factor versus NTU at C;= C; =O.S, C;= C; =l .O, as well as C;=O.S

and C; =l.O when h, =h, =0.0125 and 0.025, respectively. In this figure, the correction factor

increases with increasing NTU at C;=C; =0.5, as well as at C;=O.S and C; =l.O. Meanwhile, the

correction factor at C;=C; =0.5 increases to 10% when NTU=IO and h, =A, =0.025. The correction

factor at C; = C; = 1.O keeps slightly changing as NTU increases, and its value is always under 3%. The

results show that the entropy generation increases with the increase of longitudinal wall conduction and

it is clearly affected by the conduction effect when C;=C; =0.5.

, ,
01 3 3b 4I 5, I 70 aI 9I 18
MU6

FIG. 5
Correction factor versusNTU at different heat capacity rate ratios

Figure 6 depicts the correction factor versus NTU for h, Ih, =0.5, 1.O and 2.0 at C;=C; =0.5,

Cf=C;=l.O, as well as C;=O.S and Cs=l.O when T~,i=O.5, T*=0.2 and h,=0.0125. Meanwhile,

the dashed line, continuous line, and dashdot line represent the correction factor of entropy generation at

h, Ih, =0.5, 1.O and 2.0, respectively. In these figures, the results show that the correction factor in

descending order is h, ih, =2.0, 1.0 and OS. The results in Figs. 5 and 6 show that much longitudinal

wall conduction in both x and y directions or in either direction will increase the entropy generation of a
three-gas crossflow heat exchanger. Therefore, the quality of thermal energy transformation decreases
when the effect of longitudinal wall conduction increases.
Vol. 28, No. 6 ENTROPY GENERATION IN A CROSSFLOW HEAT EXCHANGER 811

61 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 9 Js

/'~
7- C;=O 5,C;=O 5,T3,=0 5,T'=O 2 /' - 7
- xyo.x=o 5 /'
6 _ __- hy/hx=l.O
- hy/Ax=20
5-

g 4_
*

3-

2- -2

l- -1

01 2 I
3 I
4 I
5 1 1
7 I
8 I
9 18
NW6

(a) C; = C; ~0.5

3l 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 9 14

C; =l O,C;=l O,T3.,=05,T'=O 2
~y/~x=05
__-- Aylhx=l 0
~_~~~ ~y/Ax=20
2- -2
_~_~~~__
,__- __
3 /'
_--_-m___
;:

1 1

01 J, 2 , , ,
3 4 5
NTU6
1 , , ,
7 8 9 18

(b) C;=C;=l.O

2 3 4 5 6 7 6 91%
, I I I 1 I I I
C; =0 5, C;=l O.T,,,=O5. T'=0.2

(c) C;=O.5 and C;=l.O

FIG. 6
Correction factor versus NTU at h, /h, =OS, 1.O and 2.0, as well as h, =0.0125
 812 P. Yuan and H.-S. Kou Vol. 28, No. 6

Conclusions

The entropy generation on a crossflow heat exchanger including three gas streams is investigated by

this study. In addition, this study defines a correction factor, r , to discuss the effect of longitudinal

wall conduction on the entropy generation. According to the results, this study concludes that: I .) The

entropy generation increases with decrease of T* and T, , because the lower values of T* and Ts,,

represent the heat transfer across larger temperature differences. 2.) The entropy generation has a

maximum value along with the increase of NTU. 3.) The entropy generation at higher C; is larger

than that at lower C;. 4.) The entropy generation increases with the increase of longitudinal wall

conduction and it is affected severely by the longitudinal wall conduction when Ci=C;=O.S.

Nomenclature

a total heat transfer area

C heat capacity rate

C heat capacity rate ratio, as defined in Equation (8)

h heat transfer coefficient

k thermal conductivity of the dividing wall
L length of the crossflow heat exchanger with a subscript x or y
N dimensionless parameter, as defined in Equation (8)

N, number of entropy generation units, as defined in Equation (11)

NTU umber of transfer units, as defined in Equation (10)

R heat transfer resistance ratio, as defined in Equation (10)

T dimensionless temperature, as defined in Equation (8)
T temperature

T mean temperature
T* temperature ratio , as defined in Equation (11)
X coordinate in the x direction

X dimensionless coordinate in the x direction, x/L,

Y coordinate in the y direction

Y dimensionless coordinate in the y direction, y/Ly

6 effective thickness of the dividing wall

 Vol. 28, No. 6 ENTROPY GENERATION IN A CROSSFLOW HEAT EXCHANGER 813

rl total surface efficiency, dimensionless

h dimensionless parameter of longitudinal wall conduction, as defined in Equation (8)

r correction factor for number of entropy generation units, as defined in Equation (12)

Subscripts

fluid 1
2 fluid 2
21 portion of fluid 2 near fluid I
23 portion of fluid 2 near fluid 3

3 fluid 3
a dividing wall a
b dividing wall b
e exit
inlet
W dividing wall
X x direction

Y y direction

References

1. NC. Willis, Jr. and A.J. Chapman, ASMEJ. Heat Transfer, 90,333 (1968).

2. B.S. Baclic, D.P. Sekulic, and D.D. Gvozdenac, Heat Transfer 1982, 6, 167, Hemisphere,
Washington, DC. (1982).
3. D.P. Sekulic and I. Kmecko, ASME JHeat Transfer, 117, 226 (1995).

4. D.P. Sekulic and R.K. Shah, Advanced Heat Transfer, 3,219 (1995).

5. P. Yuan and H.S. Kou, Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A, 3, I35 (1998).
6. A. Bejan, ASMEJ. Heat Transfer, 99,374 (1977).

7. D.P. Sekulic and C.V. Herman, ht. Comm. Heat Muss Transfer, l3,23 (1986).

8. D.P. Sekulic, heat transfer engineering, 1, 83 (1986).

9. D.P. Sekulic, ASME J. Heat Transfer, l& 295 (1990).

IO. R.T. Ogulata and F. Doba, ht. J Heat Muss Transfer, 41, 373 (1998).
I 1. R.K. Shah and D.P. Sekulic, Handbook of Heat Transfer, p, 17.1, McGraw Hill, N.Y. (1998).

Received May IO. 2001