Numerical Modeling and Thermal Performance Evaluation of a Heat Exchanger Using Ethanol and Cold Water

This study presents a numerical investigation of heat transfer between ethanol and cold water flowing through a heat exchanger. A three-dimensional model of the heat exchanger was first prepared using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software and subsequently used for numerical analysis. In the simulated configuration, cold water was supplied through the outer passage at a mass flow rate of 0.001 kg/s with an inlet temperature of 10 °C. At the same mass flow rate, ethanol was introduced into the inner passage at an initial temperature of 78 °C. Both fluids were allowed to leave the heat exchanger under atmospheric pressure conditions. The numerical analysis predicted an average outlet temperature of 25.67 °C for the cold water, whereas the ethanol reached an average outlet temperature of 43.64 °C. The obtained temperature variations demonstrate the heat exchange occurring between the two fluids and provide useful numerical data for evaluating and improving heat exchanger designs involving ethanol–water thermal systems.