A computational method of pressure drop loss of cross-wavy primary surface recuperator for SOFC-MGT

¹ School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, TaiZhou University, Jiangsu, 225300, China
² School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Heilongjiang 150006, China

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Published online: 13 April 2026

Abstract

The rapid development of SOFC-MGT system, as an important component of decarbonization in the aviation industry, has led to the annular cross-wavy primary surface recuperator (CWPSR) becoming a key area of research for many scientists due to its high efficiency, lightweight, and high compactness. However, accurately calculating pressure drop loss is difficult due to the complex curved channels, wall interfaces, and airflow direction. In this work, a mathematical model was developed for the heat exchange cell of the annular cross-wavy primary surface recuperator based on segmented air and gas channels. In order to facilitate engineering applications, this study has been summarized the distribution of pressure loss coefficient with Reynolds number for each part through three-dimensional numerical simulation technology. The results were validated using a fluid-solid heat coupling numerical model and test data, showing good consistency between the computational method and the numerical simulation. The maximum deviations between calculation results and numerical simulation data for the air channel were 10.425%, 10.354%, and 10.954% for inclination angles of α=30°, 45°, and 60°, respectively. For the gas channel, the maximum deviation was 7.151%.