May 11, 2026
Limiting capabilities and conceptual design of heat transfer systems
This study estimates minimal entropy production, the corresponding distribution of heat exchange surfaces and contact temperatures for heat exchange systems with given total heat load and heat transfer coefficient. The analysis proves that an optimal heat exchange system requires constancy of the temperature ratio for the contact flows and equal heat flows’ output temperatures. The requirement that the entropy production in the system be greater than the minimum entropy generation marks the boundary of the reachable set of heat exchange systems.