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Limiting capabilities and conceptual design of heat transfer systems
Anatoly Tsirlin
Ivan Sukin
Alexander Mazikov
Thermal Science and Engineering 2026, 9(1), 5782; https://doi.org/10.24294/tse5782
Submitted:12 Apr 2024
Accepted:03 Apr 2026
Published:11 May 2026
Abstract
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.
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