Effects of the structure parameters of horizontal tube bundles on particle flow performance in the heat exchanger

The horizontal heat exchange tube is an important factor affecting the flow uniformity of solid particles in the heat exchanger. Further, it affects the thermal efficiency of the heat exchanger. The particle flow calculation model of the heat exchanger with built-in horizontal tube bundles was constructed by the discrete element method. The effects of tube bundle types and horizontal tube distance on the flow uniformity of solid particles were investigated. The results show that the uniformity of the particles flowing through the staggered tube bundles is superior to that of the in-line tube bundles. The flow non-uniformity number of particles with the staggered tube bundle is 0.00721, which is 42.3% less than that of the in-line tube bundle. As the distance between horizontal tubes decreases, the uniformity of particle flow deteriorates significantly if the particles pass through the staggered tube bundles. The particle flow non-uniformity number increases from 0.00721 to 0.00996, an increase of about 38.1%.