Experimental Study on External Heat Transfer Performance of Natural Gas Liquefaction Refrigerant Tube under Sloshing Condition

Spiral wound heat exchangers are the core equipment for natural gas liquefaction. Their heat transfer performance significantly affects the liquefaction process. This research investigates how varying sloshing amplitudes and periods affect the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of a spiral-wound heat exchanger subjected to yawing, heaving, and inclination. The UA value (where U represents the heat transfer coefficient in W·(m²·K)^-1 and A denotes the heat exchange area in m²) exhibits an initial increase followed by a decrease as the yawing sloshing amplitude increases. The UA value at a yaw of 3° is 6.23% higher than the static value, while the UA value at a yaw of 9° is 19.53% lower. The fluctuation in the UA value decreases with an increase in the yawing sloshing period. When the sloshing period is 6 s, the UA value decreases by 16.46% compared to the static value. In contrast, when the sloshing period is 20 s, the UA value slowly increases by 4.19%. The UA value decreases with an increase in the amplitude of heaving sloshing. When the inclination starts, the UA value suddenly increases and then gradually decreases with time. Based on these observations, a mathematical model of heat transfer under yawing conditions is established. The heat transfer performance of spiral-wound heat exchanger under sloshing conditions is systematically studied, and the influence mechanism of sloshing on heat transfer efficiency of heat exchanger is revealed, which provides a new research perspective and experimental data for related fields.