A simplified method of calculating heat flow through a two-phase heat exchanger

A simplified method of calculating the heat flow through a heat exchanger in which one or both heat carrying media are undergoing a phase change is proposed. It is based on enthalpies of the heat carrying media rather than their temperatures. The method enables the determination of the maximum rate of heat flow provided the thermodynamic properties of both heat-carrying media are known. There will be no requirement to separately simulate each part of the system or introduce boundaries within the heat exchanger if one or both heat-carrying media undergo a phase change. The model can be used at the pre-design stage, when the parameters of the heat exchangers may not be known, i.e., to carry out an assessment of a complex energy scheme such as a steam power plant. One such application of this model is in thermal simulation exercises within the TRNSYS modeling environment.