ANALYSIS OF HEAT AND MASS-TRANSFER IN A COUNTERCURRENT-FLOW WET SURFACE HEAT-EXCHANGER

A numerical analysis was carried out to study the detailed heat- and mass-transfer characteristics in a countercurrent-flow wet surface heat exchanger. The coupled conservation equations for hot fluid, liquid film and moist air stream are solved together. The heat-transfer rates in the wet surface heat exchanger are compared with those obtainable in the dry surface heat exchanger. Furthermore great attention is paid to investigating the-effects of latent heat transfer associated with liquid-film vaporization on the thermal performance of the exchanger. Results show that the energy transported across the liquid film is mostly absorbed by the process of film vaporization.