| This thesis presents a study conducted to improve the efficiency of residential gas fireplaces with a heat exchanger. An experimental prototype was designed and tested to measure potential performance of a fireplace heat exchanger. Experimental results were compared to a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to facilitate future heat extractor designs and predict design performance.;Various measurements provided useful insight into thermal performance of a prototype under various operating conditions. Measurements included temperature, velocity, combustion analysis, and air psychometry. The prototype was tested with twisted tape inserts to measure potential impact. Experimental tests increased the efficiency of the tested fireplace by 24.9 percent without twisted tape inserts. |
