• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.157-164
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• 2016

In this study, researchers performed preliminary design and numerical analysis for a pilot-scale helium heating system intended to support full-scale construction for a sulfur-iodine (SI) cycle. The helium heat exchanger used a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) combustor. Exhaust gas velocity at the heat exchanger outlet was approximately 40 m/s based on computational thermal and flow analysis. The maximum gas temperature was reached with six baffles in the design; lower gas temperatures were observed with four baffles. The amount of heat transfer was also higher with six baffles. Installation of additional baffles may reduce fuel costs because of the reduced LPG exhausted to the heat exchanger. However, additional baffles may also increase the pressure difference between the exchanger's inlet and outlet. Therefore, it is important to find the optimum number of baffles. Structural analysis, followed by thermal and flow analysis, indicated a 3.86 mm thermal expansion at the middle of the shell and tube type heat exchanger when both ends were supported. Structural analysis conditions included a helium flow rate of 3.729 mol/s and a helium outlet temperature of $910^{\circ}C$. An exhaust gas temperature of $1300^{\circ}C$ and an exhaust gas rate of 52 g/s were confirmed to achieve the helium outlet temperature of $910^{\circ}C$ with an exchanger inlet temperature of $135^{\circ}C$ in an LPG-fueled helium heating system.