Regenerative Heat exchangers

A regenerative heat exchanger, or more commonly a regenerator, is a type of

heat exchanger where heat from the hot fluid is intermittently stored in a
thermal storage medium before it is transferred to the cold fluid. To
accomplish this the hot fluid is brought into contact with the heat storage
medium, then the fluid is displaced with the cold fluid, which absorbs the heat.

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In a regenerative heat exchanger, the hot fluid comes into contact with the heat
storage medium, and then the fluid is displaced with the cold fluid, which takes in the
heat. Both fluids pass alternately over storage material.

Regenerative heat exchangers can improve energy efficiency in high temperature

processes and can be used in heat recovery systems. They typically use the fluid from
a different area of the same system for both the hot and cold fluids.

Working Principles of a Regenerator

Inside the regenerator;

1. The hot fluid is brought into contact with the heat storage medium, where it heats
up the
medium or stores the heat.
2. For a time period ranging from a few seconds to several minutes (dependent on the
design), the hot fluid flows through the porous material, heating it up.
3. Then the flow is halted (the heat is entrained in the heat exchange medium).
4. The hot fluid is displaced with the cold fluid which absorbs the heat that has been
given
to the heat storage medium.
5. The chiller flow is allowed to flow in the opposite direction, becoming heated until
most
of the heat is extracted from the porous material.

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6. This sequence is repeated in each chamber.
7. It is important to note that there is no mixing of the fluid streams. This is because
of the
intermittent nature of the flows through the same heat storage medium.
8. In semi-continuous processes, there are axial flow channels that ensure heat
storage
occurs side by side with heat exchange without any fluid mixing with short switching
times.
9. In regenerators, the hot and cold fluids can be the same fluid type e.g. hot exhaust
air and
cold supply air or hot waste water and cold process water.

Invention and Historical Usage of Regenerators

Regenerative heating was an important technology developed during the
Industrial Revolution. It was used in the hot blast process on blast furnaces.
The Stirling engine was a heat engine invented by Robert Stirling in 1816, with the
potential to be much more efficient than a gasoline or diesel engine.
o A regenerator is a key component in the highly efficient form of power called the
Stirling engine, where a piston pushes trapped gas back and forth between a heat
source (a place where heat is generated e.g. fire or furnace) and a heat sink (a
place where heat is lost e.g. ice that has to be melted).
Later on it evolved into various industrial applications, and now it is used in the;
glass and steel making industry, to increase the efficiency of open hearth
furnaces, in high pressure boilers, in the chemical and petrochemical industries
and for numerous other applications.

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Components of a Regenerator

Inside a regenerator;
There are several heat-exchanging chambers or segments to facilitate intermittent
heat transfer from the hot fluid to the cold fluid.

Each heat-exchange chamber incorporates two rotary gas valves.

oEach valve is connected to the hot gas flow and the cold compressed flow. The
valves are meant to sequence the flows around the chambers in a way such that
the regenerator materials are alternately heated and cooled.

The heat exchanging chambers are sealed using ceramic/rubber seals that are;
osingle sealing, double sealing or triple sealing which serve the purpose of
preventing cross-contamination, a major issue in regenerator application.

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