Numerical study on the shell-side flow and heat transfer of superheated vapor flow in spiral wound heat exchanger under rolling working conditions

In order to explore the shell-side flow and heat transfer characteristics for spiral wound heat exchanger (SWHE) in floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG), a model was established to simulate the flow and heat transfer of shell-side superheated vapor flow under rolling working conditions. The effects of rolling parameters and working parameters were investigated. By comparing, the deviations between simulation results and experimental data were generally within ±10%. Under static working conditions, both frictional pressure drop gradient and heat transfer coefficient increased with the increasing mass flux, which were consistent with the predictions of calculation correlations. After that, an improved heat transfer correlation was proposed with an error of ±5%. Meanwhile, rolling motions can affect the shell-side flow and heat transfer characteristics of superheated vapor flow and lead them to show obvious periodicity. The influence of rolling period was smaller than that of rolling amplitude, and 90% of the working conditions in FLNG SWHE can lead to the enhancement of heat transfer from −0.5% to 2.6%. These results can provide some instructions in the design and efficient running for FLNG SWHE.