Printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is a kind of compact and high efficiency heat transfer device with many merits. It has been successfully used in many fields such as solar energy, liquified natural gas and so on. In the residual heat removal field of nuclear industry, there is an increasing demand for compact and economic heat exchangers. To investigate the heat transfer performance a PCHE residual heat removal system, an experimental residual heat removal system based on PCHE was established. The dimensions of the PCHE are 650 mm × 460 mm × 60 mm. Heat transfer performance of the system under different conditions was tested. Experimental results reveal that the heat transfer capacity of the PCHE is related to both flow rate and fluid temperature. The maximum heat transfer capacity is 1 336 kW. Three empirical correlations were developed to predict the Nusselt number and frictional pressure drop on both the hot and cold sides. The mean absolute error (MAE) of the Nusselt number correlation is 10.44%. The MAEs of the frictional factor at cold and hot side are 6.71% and 7.13%, respectively. The study is expected to be useful for the design and application of PCHE in residual heat removal of nuclear power industry. The PCHE is an effective way to meet the requirement of residual heat removal in nuclear industry.