LAPSE:2026.0310v1
Published Article
LAPSE:2026.0310v1
Modelling Pressure Effects in Boiling Brazed Aluminum Heat Exchangers: A Software Comparison
June 12, 2026
Abstract
Brazed aluminum heat exchangers (BAHX) are key cryogenic equipment, but their simulation is sensitive to phase change modelling. This work benchmarks ProSec, CO-ProSec Reaction, and Aspen EDR on an ethylene-chiller BAHX using ethane in thermosiphon mode. ProSec's interpolation scheme of tabulated data is validated against CO-ProSec Reaction's approach that employs a thermodynamic model for the evaluation of thermodynamic and physical properties; an initial 25% pressure drop gap is traced to different void-fraction models (slip vs homogeneous). Against Aspen EDR, default duty/quality are ~15% higher; differences are mainly due to nucleate-boiling treatment and distributor pressure drop modelling. Harmonizing options reduces duty mismatch to ~5%.
Brazed aluminum heat exchangers (BAHX) are key cryogenic equipment, but their simulation is sensitive to phase change modelling. This work benchmarks ProSec, CO-ProSec Reaction, and Aspen EDR on an ethylene-chiller BAHX using ethane in thermosiphon mode. ProSec's interpolation scheme of tabulated data is validated against CO-ProSec Reaction's approach that employs a thermodynamic model for the evaluation of thermodynamic and physical properties; an initial 25% pressure drop gap is traced to different void-fraction models (slip vs homogeneous). Against Aspen EDR, default duty/quality are ~15% higher; differences are mainly due to nucleate-boiling treatment and distributor pressure drop modelling. Harmonizing options reduces duty mismatch to ~5%.
Record ID
Keywords
Brazed Aluminum Heat Exchanger, Cryogenics, Energy, Modelling and Simulations
Subject
Suggested Citation
Karim H, Khodr R, Sardeing R, Becker G. Modelling Pressure Effects in Boiling Brazed Aluminum Heat Exchangers: A Software Comparison. Systems and Control Transactions 5:861-869 (2026) https://doi.org/10.69997/sct.132708
Author Affiliations
Karim H: Alfa Laval Golbey, 25 bis rue du Fort, 88190 Golbey, France
Khodr R: Alfa Laval Golbey, 25 bis rue du Fort, 88190 Golbey, France
Sardeing R: Fives ProSim, 51 rue Ampère, Immeuble Stratège A, 31670 Labège, France
Becker G: Alfa Laval Golbey, 25 bis rue du Fort, 88190 Golbey, France
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Khodr R: Alfa Laval Golbey, 25 bis rue du Fort, 88190 Golbey, France
Sardeing R: Fives ProSim, 51 rue Ampère, Immeuble Stratège A, 31670 Labège, France
Becker G: Alfa Laval Golbey, 25 bis rue du Fort, 88190 Golbey, France
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Journal Name
Systems and Control Transactions
Volume
5
First Page
861
Last Page
869
Year
2026
Publication Date
2026-06-12
Version Comments
Original Submission
Other Meta
PII: 0861-0869-29-SCT-5-2026, Publication Type: Journal Article
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Published Article
LAPSE:2026.0310v1
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https://doi.org/10.69997/sct.132708
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Jun 12, 2026
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Links to Related Works
References Cited
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