Investigation of heat leakage and mass flow on performance of a 2 K superfluid laminated-finned heat exchanger for the CiADS project

Introduction The 2 K laminated-finned heat exchanger (Lf-HX) enhances the efficiency of 2 K superfluid helium production, a pivotal equipment in the cryogenic system of the China Initiative Accelerator Driven System (CiADS).
Materials and Methods This study utilizes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and experimental methods to investigate the impact of environmental heat leaks, ranging from 0 to 15 W, and flow rates from 1 to 5 g/s on the Lf-HX’s performance.
Conclusion The results show that the heat exchanger’s effectiveness declines with increased flow rates under low heat leakage conditions, but this trend inverts under higher heat leakage scenarios. CFD and experimental data reveal that the axial heat leakage of the Lf-HX is 10 W/m2, and higher heat leakage reduces Lf-HX’s robustness. This study provides valuable data for the design and optimization of similar 2 K heat exchangers.