Heat Transfer between Molten Salt and Supercritical CO2 in Discontinuous Fins Print Circuits Heat Exchanger

Abstract In this paper, the heat transfer between molten salt and supercritical CO 2 (S-CO 2 ) in a discontinuous fins print circuits heat exchanger (PCHE) is numerically studied. Along the flow direction, the local heat transfer coefficient rise and fall periodically. In the zones behind the fins, flow separation and vortices appear, which causes low local heat transfer coefficient. The degree of the heat transfer deterioration relates to area and intensity of the vortices. Under the effect of gravity, the velocity fields of the top and bottom of S-CO 2 passage differs. High S-CO 2 inlet velocity enhances the convection but produces a great pressure drop. Increasing the height of the passage can decrease the pressure drop, especially for the molten salt.