A thermodynamic method for the comparison of plate-fin heat exchanger performance

Analysis of the performance of various plate-fin heat exchangers reveals that the thermodynamic performance depends largely on operating conditions, such as heat transfer duty and mass flow rate. The performance of various plate-fin surfaces have been related to their reversibility level, while heat transfer and fluid flow exergy losses have also been taken into account. The analysis assumes that heat transfer duty, mass flow rate, and heat exchanger length and width remain fixed.