Heat transfer and pressure drop in the main heat exchanger of a cryogenic mixed refrigerant cycle

Abstract

Mixed refrigerant cycles (MRCs) offer a cost-and energy-efficient cooling method for the temperature range between 80 and 200 K. The performance of MRCs is substantially influenced by entropy production in the main heat exchanger. Due to the wide-boiling refrigerant mixtures applied in MRCs, a reliable design of the heat exchangers is challenging as two-phase heat transfer and pressure drop in both fluid streams must be considered simultaneously. This contribution presents a literature review on the boiling/condensation heat transfer and pressure drop of zeotropic mixtures at low temperatures. Based on this survey, suitable correlations for the design of MRC heat exchangers are identified.