Efficient thermal management of high-temperature synthesis gas produced during underground coal gasification (UCG) remains a major challenge in advanced energy systems. Conventional heat exchanger manufacturing techniques impose limitations on geometric complexity, which restricts the potential for heat transfer enhancement. Recent advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) technologies offer new possibilities for fabricating complex heat exchanger geometries with improved thermal performance.
The present study investigates the design and thermal performance of additively manufactured membrane helical coil heat exchangers for high temperature syngas cooling applications. A novel heat exchanger configuration incorporating internal micro-fins and optimized coil curvature was developed using computer-aided design and manufactured through Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using ANSYS Fluent to analyze heat transfer characteristics, pressure drop behavior, and entropy generation under high-temperature syngas flow conditions. The performance of the additively manufactured heat exchanger was compared with a conventionally manufactured membrane helical coil heat exchanger.
The results indicate that the integration of internal micro-fins and optimized coil geometry significantly enhances heat transfer performance. The Nusselt number increased by approximately 35%, while the overall thermal performance factor improved by nearly 1.35 compared with conventional designs. Although the advanced geometry resulted in a slight increase in pressure drop, the overall thermo hydraulic performance remained favorable.
The findings demonstrate that additive manufacturing enables the development of highly efficient heat exchanger structures capable of operating under extreme temperature and pressure conditions. The proposed design offers promising applications in underground coal gasification, hydrogen production systems, and high-temperature energy conversion technologies.