Three-dimensions numerical simulation of flow and thermal performance in heat pipe air pre-heater

The method of numerical simulation and FLUENT software were combined to implement the three-dimensional numerical simulation of the heat pipe air pre-heater. The fluid flow and thermal performance of the heat pipe air pre-heater in the furnace surplus heat recovery system were studied. According to the structure and heat transfer characteristic of the heat pipe air pre-heater, the three-dimensional physical model of fluid flowing and the heat transfer in heat pipe air pre-heater was established; the non-structural mesh, the k-ε turbulence model, and the coupling heat transfer law were used to study flow field and the temperature field distribution in the heat pipe air pre-heater. The calculation results essentially coincided with the engineering case and provided the theoretical basis for the heat pipe air pre-heater´s further theoretic research and spread application.