Analysis of the efficiency of using heat exchangers with porous inserts in heat and gas supply systems

The creation of efficient and compact heat exchangers is one of the priority tasks arising during the design of heat and gas supply to industrial and residential buildings. As a rule, finned surfaces and turbulization of heat carrier flows are used to increase the efficiency of heat exchange in heat exchangers. The present paper proposes to use novel materials, namely porous material, in the design of highly efficient heat exchangers. The investigation was carried out experimentally and theoretically. To study the possibility of creating such heat exchangers, a multi-purpose test bench is created. The aim of the study was to assess the intensity of heat transfer in heat exchangers using porous metal. Laboratory tests are carried out as part of the experimental study. In the theoretical study, the classical equation for the change in the heat flux density when the coolant passes through the porous insert was used. As a result, a mathematical model was obtained in the form of a second-order differential equation. Boundary conditions were set and a particular solution was obtained. The results of theoretical calculations were compared with experimental data. The performed study experimentally confirmed the efficiency of using porous metal inserts in the design of shell-and-tube heat exchangers. The compiled mathematical model allows one to perform engineering calculations of the considered heat exchangers with porous inserts.