Distributed Temperature and Strain Measurements at a Cryogenic Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger Test Rig

Abstract

A large cryogenic test rig was built to investigate dynamic operation of plate-fin heat exchangers, which is needed for flexible operation of air separation units. This paper presents results from distributed temperature and strain measurements that were conducted during a dynamic test scenario. Results show that strong temperature gradients appear in all spatial directions of the heat exchangers, resulting in locally varying strains. It is shown that spatially dissolved, dynamic strain measurements are possible using optical fibers. Results from the test rig will help to properly instrument heat exchangers in research and in the field and provide important information for design and operation of plate-fin heat exchangers in dynamic processes.