Open Access

ARTICLE

Thermodynamic and Flow Distribution Characteristics of Plate Heat Exchangers with Diversion Grooves Structures

Zeli Wang¹, Bo Zhao^1,2,*, Youliang Chen¹, Ling Tao^3,*

1 Hubei Key Laboratory for Efficient Utilization and Agglomeration of Metallurgic Mineral Resources, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
2 Industrial Safety Engineering Technology Research Center of Hubei Province, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
3 School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Wuhan Technology and Business University, 3 Huangjiahu West Road, Wuhan, China

* Corresponding Authors: Bo Zhao. Email: ; Ling Tao. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Heat Exchanger Design, Performance, and Applications)

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer 2026, 24(3), 12 https://doi.org/10.32604/fhmt.2026.078641

Received 05 January 2026; Accepted 23 March 2026; Issue published 29 June 2026

Abstract

Plate heat exchangers are extensively utilized in thermal management. The heat transfer efficiency is significantly constrained by structural parameters and the non-uniformity of flow distribution across the plates. To address this, this study proposes the integration of diversion grooves onto the heat transfer plates to optimize the flow field. Numerical simulations conducted using ANSYS FLUENT demonstrate that the introduction of diversion grooves effectively reduces the fluid distribution uneven coefficient by 6.9%. To identify the optimal configuration, a series of plate models were developed and analyzed, investigating the impact of varying diversion groove lengths (ranging from 0 to 3/4 of the heat transfer zone width), numbers (0, 3, 4, 5, and 6), and corrugated angles (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 75°). The results indicate that the optimal performance is achieved when the diversion groove length accounts for 2/3 of the main heat transfer zone with a quantity of four grooves. Compared to the baseline structure without diversion grooves, this configuration yields a 26.2% increase in the comprehensive performance coefficient and a 4.6% reduction in the fluid distribution uneven coefficient. Furthermore, under identical diversion groove configurations, the plate with a 60° corrugated angle exhibits superior performance, surpassing other angles by at least 1.4% in the comprehensive performance coefficient, while maintaining the fluid distribution uneven coefficient within 0.5% of the minimum observed value. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the structural optimization of high-efficiency plate heat exchangers.

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