• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.60-64
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• 2012

In this paper, an investigation of a room temperature active magnetic regenerative refrigerator is carried out. Experimental apparatus includes two active magnetic regenerators containing 186 g of Gd spheres. Four E-type thermocouples are installed inside the Active magnetic regenerator(AMR) to observe the instantaneous temperature variation of AMR. Both warm and cold heat exchangers are designed for large temperature span. The cold heat exchanger, which separates the two AMRs, employs a copper tube with length of 80 mm and diameter of 6.35 mm. In order to minimize dead volume between the warm heat exchanger and AMRs, the warm heat exchangers are located close to the AMRs. The deionized water is used as a heat transfer fluid, and maximum 1.4 T magnetic field is supplied by Halbach array of permanent magnets. The AMR plate, which contains the warm and the cold heat exchangers and the AMRs, has reciprocating motion using a linear actuator and each AMR is alternatively magnetized and demagnetized by a Halbach array of permanent magnet. Since the gap of the Halbach array of permanent magnets is 25 mm and two warm heat exchangers have the motion through it, a compact printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is used as a warm heat exchanger. A maximum no-load temperature span of 26.8 K and a maximum cooling power of 33 W are obtained from the fabricated Active Magnetic Regenerative Refrigerator (AMRR).

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.40 no.11
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• pp.737-744
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• 2016

The printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is regarded as a promising candidate for advanced heat exchangers for the next-generation supercritical $CO_2$ power generation owing to its high compactness and rigid structure. In this study, an innovative type of PCHE, in which the channel sizes for the heat source fluid and heat sink fluid are different, is considered for analysis. The thermal performance of the PCHE, with supercritical $CO_2$ as the working fluid, is numerically analyzed. The results have shown that the thermal performance of the PCHE decreases monotonically when the channel size of either the heat source channel or the heat sink channel, because of the decreased flow velocity. On the other hand, the thermal performance of the PCHE is found to be almost independent of the spacing between the channels. In addition, it was found that the channel cross sectional shape has little effect on the thermal performance when the hydraulic diameter of the channel remains constant.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.408-418
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• 2017

Supercritical carbon dioxide ($sCO_2$) power system is emerging technology because of its high cycle efficiency and compactness. Meanwhile, PCHE (Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger) is gaining attention in $sCO_2$ power system technology because PCHE with high pressure-resistance and larger heat transfer surface per unit volume is fundamentally needed. Thermo-fluidic characteristics of $sCO_2$ in the micro channel of PCHE should be investigated. In this study, heat transfer characteristics of $sCO_2$ of various inlet conditions and cross-sectional shapes of single micro channel were investigated experimentally. Experiment was conducted at supercritical state of higher than critical temperature and pressure. Test sections were made of copper and hydraulic diameter was 1 mm. Convective heat transfer coefficients were measured according to each interval of the channel and pressure drop was also measured. Convective heat transfer coefficients from experimental data were compared with existing correlation. In this study, using measured data, a new empirical correlation to predict near critical region heat transfer coefficient is developed and suggested. Test results of single channel will be used for design of PCHE.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.1421-1426
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• 2014

To improve the inherent safety of the sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), the supercritical $CO_2$ ($S-CO_2$) Brayton cycle is being considered as an alternative power conversion system to steam the Rankine cycle. In the $S-CO_2$ system, a PCHE (printed circuit heat exchanger) is being considered. In this type of heat exchangers, diffusion bonding is used for joining the thin plates. In this study, the diffusion bonding characteristics of various austenitic alloys were evaluated. The tensile properties were measured at temperatures starting from the room temperature up to $650^{\circ}C$. For the 316H and 347H types of stainless steel, the tensile ductility was well maintained up to $550^{\circ}C$. However, the Incoloy 800HT showed lower strength and ductility at all temperatures. The microstructure near the bond line was examined to understand the reason for the loss of ductility at high temperatures.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.39 no.10
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• pp.779-786
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• 2015

The objective of this study is to propose a new channel shape that improves thermal-hydraulic performance. The existing Zigzag channel has high pressure loss due to flow separation and reverse flow. To improve this disadvantage, partial straight channel is inserted into bended points. Also, the effects of straight channel's length change on heat transfer and pressure loss are analyzed. Thermal-hydraulic performance of the new shape and existing Zigzag channel are quantitatively compared in terms of Goodness Factor. Mass flow rate was changed from $1.41{\times}10^{-4}$ to $2.48{\times}10^{-4}kg/s$. The average volume goodness factor of 1mm straight channel shape was increased by 25% compared to the Zigzag channel.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2018

A compact heat exchanger is one of critical components in a very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR). Alloy 617 (Ni-Cr-Co-Mo) is considered as one of leading candidates for this application due to its excellent thermal stability and strengths in anticipated operating conditions. On the basis of current ASME code requirements, sixty sheets of this alloy are prepared for diffusion welding, which is the key technology to have a reliable compact heat exchanger. Optical microscopic analysis show that there are no cracks, incomplete bond, and porosity at/near the interface of diffusion weldment, but Cr-rich carbides and Al-rich oxides are identified through high resolution electron microscopic analysis. In high-temperature tensile testing, superior yield strengths of the diffusion weldment compared to the code requirement are obtained up to 1223 K ($950^{\circ}C$). However, both tensile strength and ductility drop rapidly at higher temperature due to the insufficient grain boundary migration across the interface of diffusion weldment. Best fit curves for minimum yield strength and average tensile strength are drawn from the experimental tensile results of this study.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.1499-1506
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• 2011

The IHX (intermediate heat exchanger) is a key component of nuclear hydrogen systems for the production of massive amounts hydrogen. The IHX transfers the $950^{\circ}C$ heat generated by the VHTR (very high temperature reactor) to a hydrogen production plant. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute established a small-scale gas loop to test the performance of key VHTR components and manufactured a small-scale PCHE (printed circuit heat exchanger) prototype, which is being considered as a candidate for the IHX, for testing in the small-scale gas loop. In this study, as a part of the high-temperature structural integrity evaluation of the small-scale PCHE prototype, we carried out high-temperature structural analysis modeling and macroscopic thermal and structural analysis for the small-scale PCHE prototype under the small-scale gas loop test conditions. This analysis serves as a precedent study to scheduled PCHE performance test in the small-scale gas loop. The results obtained in this study will be compared with the test results for the small-scale PCHE and then used to design the medium-scale PCHE prototype.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 2011

The performance of microchannel PCHE (Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger) is superior to that of other existing commercial heat exchangers. Further, it is also more efficient than other heat exchangers. Various microchannels, whose shapes are straight (I), Wavy, Beehive, Surf, I-Wavy, I-Beehive, or I-Surf, are computationally modeled in this study. The counter-flow arrangement is used, and the flow characteristics, heat transfer, and pressure drop in the microchannels under various mass flow rate conditions are investigated. The results for I microchannel is chosen as the benchmarks and is compared with those of newly proposed microchannels. It is found that the surf-shaped microchannel is most efficient in improving the overall performance of a PCHE.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2010

An experimental investigation was carried out to examine the evaporative heat transfer characteristics of R-134a in a micro-channel heat exchanger. The micro-channel heat exchanger used in this study was a sort of plate heat exchanger. Micro-channels were fabricated on the SUS304 plate by the photo-etching process: 13 sheets of plates were stacked and bonded by the diffusion bonding process. The effects of the evaporating temperature, mass flux of R-134a, and inlet temperature of water were examined. As the difference between the inlet temperatures of R-134a and water increased, the heat transfer rate increased. The evaporative heat transfer coefficients obtained in this study range from 0.67 to 6.23 kW/$m^2{\cdot}^{\circ}C$. The experimental correlation for the Nusselt number as a function of the Reynold number and $\Theta$ was suggested for the micro-channel heat exchanger.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.46-53
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• 2016

Effect of heating rate on microstructure of brazed joints with STS 304 Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger (PCHE),which was manufactured as large-scale($1170(L){\times}520(W)){\times}100(T)$, mm), have been studied to compare bonding phenomenon. The specimens using MBF 20 was bonded at $1080^{\circ}C$ for 1hr with $0.38^{\circ}C/min$ and $20^{\circ}C/min$ heating rate, respectively. In case of a heating rate of $20^{\circ}C/min$, overflow of filler metal was observed at the edge of a brazed joints showing the height of filler metal was decreased from $100{\mu}m$ to $68{\mu}m$. At the center of the joints, CrB and high Ni contents of ${\gamma}$-Ni was existed. For the joints brazed at a heating rate of $0.38^{\circ}C/min$, the height of filler was decreased from $100{\mu}m$ to $86{\mu}m$ showing the overflow of filler was not appeared. At the center of the joints, only ${\gamma}$-Ni was detected gradating the Ni contents from center. This phenomenon was driven from a diffusion amount of Boron in filler metal. With a fast heating rate $20^{\circ}C/min$, diffusion amount of B was so small that liquid state of filler metal and base metal were reacted. But, for a slow heating rate $0.38^{\circ}C/min$, solid state of filler metal due to low diffusion amount of B reacted with base metal as a solid diffusion bonding.