PERFORMANCE OF A COMPACT, SPIRAL COIL HEAT-EXCHANGER

A spiral coil heat exchanger consists of a number of horizontal layers of spirally wound, finned tubes connected to vertical manifolds at th e inner and outermost turns of each coil. This design has advantages i n heat recovery and air-conditioning applications. Two theoretical mod els to predict the performance of this compact heat exchanger are pres ented based upon unmixed and mixed air-flow considerations. Results of experimental studies on a laboratory model of the spiral coil heat ex changer agree well with the predicted performance of the theoretical m odels. Charts of effectiveness vs NTU suitable for design are presente d.