Experimental analysis of thermal energy exchange performance in gravitational water vortex systems

Thermal performance of heat exchangers is essential in a wide range of industrial applications, demanding continuous advancements in thermal energy exchange systems. The proposed novel configuration of gravitational water vortex heat exchangers (GWVHEs) could be an appealing option for effective thermal energy exchange in industrial heat exchange operations. Moreover, the suggested configuration of GWVHE may operate with less energy input due to the use of gravity to facilitate flow. Therefore, the current study examines the mechanism of thermal energy exchange in a newly designed and developed configuration of GWVHE. The experimental study includes measuring the rates at which heat is exchanged between the hot and cold fluids to examine the thermal energy balance between two fluids, as well as the temperature distributions of the two fluids. The experimental results for the thermal energy exchange process validate the thermal energy balance for both fluids streams with thermal losses in the range of 10.5–8.5% for the two sets of investigating parameters. Moreover, the temperature distributions found for the thermal energy gained by cold fluid inside the basin from baffled shell and rectangular spiral confirms the efficient heat exchange process. In addition, the Nusselt number correlations obtained using the Wilson plot approach can be used to predict heat transfer coefficients. The experimental results are effectively predicted by the developed Nusselt number correlation within a maximum of ± 20% deviation and with an average deviation of 1.9% and 5.1% for both sets of investigating parameters, respectively. The results validate the suggested GWVHE configuration's effective thermal energy exchange capability, setting a new industry benchmark for heat exchangers.