Design and Optimization of Perforated Plate Type Cryogenic Matrix Heat Exchanger for Hydrogen Liquefaction System

This paper deals with the design and optimization of cryogenic perforated plate matrix heat exchanger. Design and optimization represent the speci�cation of the system/component structure, size, and performance, as well as other characteristics important for manufacturing and utilization. In gas-flow heat exchangers the friction-power limitations generally force the designer to arrange for moderately low mass velocities. Low mass velocities, together with the low thermal conductivities of gases (low relatives to most liquids), results in low heat transfer rates per unit of surface area. The large amount of surface area becomes a typical characteristic of gas-flow heat exchangers. Gas-to-gas heat exchangers may require up to 10 times the surface area of liquid-to-liquid heat exchangers. These led to the development of heat transfer surfaces for gas-flow applications in which the surface area density is large. Such surfaces referred to as compact heat transfer surfaces and compactness itself leads to high performance. Cryogenic heat exchangers are works at temperature 123K (-150℃) or below it and used for separation, purification, liquefaction, refrigeration systems, working with different cryogenic gases like helium, hydrogen, neon, nitrogen, oxygen etc. As normal boiling point of liquid hydrogen is 20.3 K. So, highly effective and very highly compact heat exchangers are necessary for producing liquid hydrogen. The necessity of high effectiveness in a small volume has led to the development of perforated plate matrix heat exchangers (MHE) for cryogenic applications. By the proper optimization of various geometrical parameters of perforated plate matrix heat exchanger, we can get desired optimum size and desired performance of heat exchanger.