| The present master’s thesis focuses on conducting experimental investigations to compare the heat transfer performance of cross flow plate type heat exchangers featuring circular and oval twisted flow paths. Through simulations, the flow parameters of the experiment were defined, refining the size, layout, and configuration of the test sections. The experimental facility was successfully designed and constructed to meet the desired experimental requirements. Uncertainty analysis revealed the measurement uncertainties of wattage, Nusselt number, and heat transfer coefficient are all less than 5%. The experimental data obtained showcases that the oval twisted design outperforms the circular counterpart in terms of overall heat transfer coefficient, Nusselt number, and wattage. Moreover, improvements were observed in both balanced and imbalanced flow conditions. The oval twisted design demonstrates superior heat transfer efficiency and lower entropy generation compared to the circular design. The relationship between effectiveness and the number of transfer units was also investigated, indicating significant enhancements in effectiveness and NTU for the oval twisted design. While further work is needed to improve the accuracy of numerically generated data, this study provides valuable insights into the heat transfer performance of cross flow plate type heat exchangers with novel flow paths. |