Influence and Analysis of a Viscosity-Velocity Combined Prediction Model on the Dynamic Thermodynamic Performance of Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers in Offshore/Coastal Marine Energy Systems

ABSTRACT: To address the lack of dynamic prediction methods for heat exchangers operating under variable-viscosity and fluctuating-flow conditions in marine integrated energy systems, this study develops a dynamic wall-temperature prediction model for a shell-and-tube heat exchanger under combined viscosity-flow conditions. The model is established over flow velocities of 0.8–1.5 m/s and kinematic viscosities of 1.45 × 10⁻⁶–1.45 × 10⁻⁵ m²/s, representing fouling-prone operating conditions relevant to seawater/sewage-source heat pump applications. The main novelty of the study lies in linking viscosity-flow combined with wall-temperature dynamics in a unified prediction framework and in quantifying the nonlinear thermal response over a practically relevant operating range. The results show that a quartic polynomial relationship with flow velocity and viscosity can describe wall temperature. A distinct dynamic response pattern is observed: under low-viscosity conditions, wall temperature exhibits pronounced multi-peak fluctuations, whereas under high-viscosity conditions, it shifts to a more stable single-peak or gently declining trend. This behavior helps clarify the physical mechanism governing wall-temperature evolution under combined transport effects. In addition, the sewage-side heat transfer coefficient increases by up to 41.3%, while the overall heat transfer coefficient increases by 18.2–20.6% over the investigated range. These findings provide a dynamic prediction tool for heat exchanger performance in seawater-source heat pump systems integrated with intermittent marine renewable energy (such as offshore wind and wave power), and further indicate that the proposed model can offer useful mechanism-level insight into the dynamic thermal behavior of fouling-prone heat exchangers, thereby supporting the design and operation of seawater/sewage-source heat pump systems integrated with intermittent marine renewable energy sources such as offshore wind power.