Are the heat transfer coefficients for the heat exchanger for the fluid or the pipe?

The Simscape block "Heat Exchanger (G-TL)" has parameters called "Gas-wall heat transfer coefficient" and "Liquid-wall heat transfer coefficient" under its settings for Gas 1 and Thermal Liquid 2 respectively. The unit is (W/m^2 *K). Is this meant to be a property of the pipes holding the fluids or the fluids themselves? The help page didn't seem to have the answer.

Answer 1

[Shanmukha Voggu]

Hi Claud,

Heat transfer coefficient depends on both the thermal properties of a medium, the hydrodynamic characteristics of its flow, and the hydrodynamic and thermal boundary conditions and Heat transfer coefficient is not a thermo-physical property for the fluid as it is dependent on the temp gradient at the solid-fluid interface.

Refer this for more information.

[Claud Boyd]

Great, thanks!