Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) is an ideal heat transfer medium in energy and industrial applications due to its exceptional thermophysical properties near its critical point. However, experimental studies and numerical modeling of sCO2 face significant challenges, such as high-pressure environments and accurate temperature measurements. This work addresses these challenges by examining the influence of reference temperatures on numerical model accuracy and investigating the effects of adiabatic and thermal entrance lengths on sCO2 heat transfer in horizontal tubes. The findings highlight that the choice of reference temperatures significantly impacts model validation, necessitating transparency in experimental methods. Specifying the critical adiabatic entrance length ensures accurate numerical validation and avoids hydraulic flow development inaccuracies. Additionally, the thermal entrance length, influenced by the inlet temperature relative to the pseudocritical temperature, is crucial for optimizing heat exchanger performance with sCO2.
","abstract_html":"<p>Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO<sub>2</sub>) is an ideal heat transfer medium in energy and industrial applications due to its exceptional thermophysical properties near its critical point. However, experimental studies and numerical modeling of sCO<sub>2</sub> face significant challenges, such as high-pressure environments and accurate temperature measurements. This work addresses these challenges by examining the influence of reference temperatures on numerical model accuracy and investigating the effects of adiabatic and thermal entrance lengths on sCO<sub>2</sub> heat transfer in horizontal tubes. The findings highlight that the choice of reference temperatures significantly impacts model validation, necessitating transparency in experimental methods. Specifying the critical adiabatic entrance length ensures accurate numerical validation and avoids hydraulic flow development inaccuracies. Additionally, the thermal entrance length, influenced by the inlet temperature relative to the pseudocritical temperature, is crucial for optimizing heat exchanger performance with sCO<sub>2</sub>.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Chao, Yang"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering","degree_level":"Dissertation - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Mechanical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-07-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-07-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:52Z","subjects":["Temperature","Flow Development","Entrance Length","Turbulence","Heat Transfer, Combustion"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/edt/827","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Chao, Yang"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2029-05-10T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Temperature","Flow Development","Entrance Length","Turbulence","Heat Transfer, Combustion"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/827"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) is an ideal heat transfer medium in energy and industrial applications due to its exceptional thermophysical properties near its critical point. However, experimental studies and numerical modeling of sCO2 face significant challenges, such as high-pressure environments and accurate temperature measurements. This work addresses these challenges by examining the influence of reference temperatures on numerical model accuracy and investigating the effects of adiabatic and thermal entrance lengths on sCO2 heat transfer in horizontal tubes. The findings highlight that the choice of reference temperatures significantly impacts model validation, necessitating transparency in experimental methods. Specifying the critical adiabatic entrance length ensures accurate numerical validation and avoids hydraulic flow development inaccuracies. Additionally, the thermal entrance length, influenced by the inlet temperature relative to the pseudocritical temperature, is crucial for optimizing heat exchanger performance with sCO2.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Comprehensive Numerical Investigation of Heat Transfer Dynamics in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Cooling"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Chao, Yang"],"dc:date.available":["2029-05-10T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) is an ideal heat transfer medium in energy and industrial applications due to its exceptional thermophysical properties near its critical point. However, experimental studies and numerical modeling of sCO2 face significant challenges, such as high-pressure environments and accurate temperature measurements. This work addresses these challenges by examining the influence of reference temperatures on numerical model accuracy and investigating the effects of adiabatic and thermal entrance lengths on sCO2 heat transfer in horizontal tubes. The findings highlight that the choice of reference temperatures significantly impacts model validation, necessitating transparency in experimental methods. Specifying the critical adiabatic entrance length ensures accurate numerical validation and avoids hydraulic flow development inaccuracies. Additionally, the thermal entrance length, influenced by the inlet temperature relative to the pseudocritical temperature, is crucial for optimizing heat exchanger performance with sCO2.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/827"],"dc:subject":["Temperature","Flow Development","Entrance Length","Turbulence","Heat Transfer, Combustion"],"dc:title":["A Comprehensive Numerical Investigation of Heat Transfer Dynamics in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Cooling"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mechanical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:52Z"}