HEAT EXCHANGERS

1. For conservative estimate set F = 0.9 for shell and tube exchangers with no phase changes, q =
UAFdeltaTlm. When deltaT at exchanger ends differ greatly then check F, reconfigure if F is
less than 0.85.

2. Take true countercurrent flow in a shell-and-tube exchanger as a basis.

3. Standard tubes are 19.0 mm (3/4 in.) outer diameter (OD), 25.4 mm (1 in.) triangular spacing,
4.9 m (16 ft) long. A shell of 300 mm (1 ft) diameter accommodates 9.3 m2 (100 ft2 ); 600 mm
(2 ft) diameter accommodates 37.2 m2 400 ft2 ; 900 mm (3 ft) diameter accommodates 102 m2
(1100 ft2 ).

4. Tube side is for corrosive, fouling, scaling, and high-pressure fluids.

5. Shell side is for viscous and condensing fluids.

6. Pressure drops are 0.1 bar (1.5 psi) for boiling and 0.20.62 bar (39 psi) for other services.

7. Minimum temperature approach is

10

C20

F for fluids and 5 oC 10 oF) for refrigerants.

8. Cooling water inlet temperature is

30

C
90

F), maximum outlet temperature 49o C 120o F).

9. Heat-transfer coefficients for estimating purposes, W/m 2 C (Btu/h-ft2-o F): water to liquid,
850 (150); condensers, 850 (150); liquid to liquid, 280 (50); liquid to gas, 60 (10); gas to gas, 30
(5); and reboiler 1140 (200). Maximum flux in reboiler is 31.5 kW/m 2 (10,000 Btu/h-ft2 ).
When phase changes occur, use a zoned analysis with appropriate coefficients for each zone.

10. Double-pipe exchanger is competitive at duties requiring 9.318.6 m2 (100200 ft2 ).

11. Compact (plate and fin) exchangers have 1150 m2 /m3 350 ft2 /ft3 ), and about 4 times the
heat transfer per cut of shell-and-tube units.

12. Plate and frame exchangers are suited to high sanitation services and are 2550% cheaper in
stainless steel construction than shell-and-tube units.

13. Air coolers: Tubes are 0.751.00 in. OD., total finned surface 1520 ft2 /ft2 bare surface, U =
450570W/m 2 C (80100 Btu/hr-ft2 (bare surface)-

F). Minimum approach temperature =

22

C
40

F. Fan input power = 1.43.6 kW/ MJ/h 25 hp/1000 Btu/h

14. Fired heaters: radiant rate, 376 kW/m 2 (12,000 Btu/h-ft2 ), convection rate, 125 kW/m 2
(4000 Btu/h-ft2 ); cold oil tube velocity = 1.8 m/s (6 ft/s); approximately equal heat transfer in
the two sections; thermal efficiency, 7075%; flue gas temperature, 140
195

C (250
350

F) above feed inlet; and stack gas temperature, 345

510

C 650
950

F).

Lecture 2: Thermal Design Considerations

The flow rates of both hot and cold streams, their terminal temperatures and fluid properties are the
primary inputs of thermal design of heat exchangers. 1.2. Thermal design considerations Thermal design
of a shell and tube heat exchanger typically includes the determination of heat transfer area, number of
tubes, tube length and diameter, tube layout, number of shell and tube passes, type of heat exchanger
(fixed tube sheet, removable tube bundle etc), tube pitch, number of baffles, its type and size, shell and
tube side pressure drop etc. 1.2.1. Shell Shell is the container for the shell fluid and the tube bundle is
placed inside the shell. Shell diameter should be selected in such a way to give a close fit of the tube
bundle. The clearance between the tube bundle and inner shell wall depends on the type of exchanger
([2]; page 647). Shells are usually fabricated from standard steel pipe with satisfactory corrosion
allowance. The shell thickness of 3/8 inch for the shell ID of 12-24 inch can be satisfactorily used up to
300 psi of operating pressure. 1.2.2. Tube Tube OD of and 1 are very common to design a compact
heat exchanger. The most efficient condition for heat transfer is to have the maximum number of tubes
in the shell to increase turbulence. The tube thickness should be enough to withstand the internal
pressure along with the adequate corrosion allowance. The tube thickness is expressed in terms of BWG
(Birmingham Wire Gauge) and true outside diameter (OD). The tube length of 6, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 ft
are preferably used. Longer tube reduces shell diameter at the expense of higher shell pressure drop.
Finned tubes are also used when fluid with low heat transfer coefficient flows in the shell side. Stainless
steel, admiralty brass, copper, bronze and alloys of copper-nickel are the commonly used tube
materials: NPTEL Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering Design - II Joint initiative of IITs and IISc
Funded by MHRD Page 9 of 41 1.2.3. Tube pitch, tube-layout and tube-count Tube pitch is the shortest
centre to centre distance between the adjacent tubes. The tubes are generally placed in square or
triangular patterns (pitch) as shown in the Figure 1.5. The widely used tube layouts are illustrated in
Table 1.2. The number of tubes that can be accommodated in a given shell ID is called tube count. The
tube count depends on the factors like shell ID, OD of tube, tube pitch, tube layout, number of tube
passes, type of heat exchanger and design pressure. 1.2.4. Tube passes The number of passes is chosen
to get the required tube side fluid velocity to obtain greater heat transfer co-efficient and also to reduce
scale formation. The tube passes vary from 1 to 16. The tube passes of 1, 2 and 4 are common in
application. The partition built into exchanger head known as partition plate (also called pass partition)
is used to direct the tube side flow.

1.2.5. Tube sheet The tubes are fixed with tube sheet that form the barrier between the tube and shell
fluids. The tubes can be fixed with the tube sheet using ferrule and a soft metal packing ring. The tubes
are attached to tube sheet with two or more grooves in the tube sheet wall by tube rolling. The tube
metal is forced to move into the grooves forming an excellent tight seal. This is the most common type
of fixing arrangement in large industrial exchangers. The tube sheet thickness should be greater than the
tube outside diameter to make a good seal. The recommended standards (IS:4503 or TEMA) should be
followed to select the minimum tube sheet thickness

1.2.6. Baffles Baffles are used to increase the fluid velocity by diverting the flow across the tube bundle
to obtain higher transfer co-efficient. The distance between adjacent baffles is called baffle-spacing. The
baffle spacing of 0.2 to 1 times of the inside shell diameter is commonly used. Baffles are held in
positioned by means of baffle spacers. Closer baffle spacing gives greater transfer co-efficient by
inducing higher turbulence. The pressure drop is more with closer baffle spacing. The various types of
baffles are shown in Figure 1.6. In case of cut-segmental baffle, a segment (called baffle cut) is removed
to form the baffle expressed as a percentage of the baffle diameter. Baffle cuts from 15 to 45% are
normally used. A baffle cut of 20 to 25% provide a good heat-transfer with the reasonable pressure
drop. The % cut for segmental baffle refers to the cut away height from its diameter. Figure 1.6 also
shows two other types of baffles.

1.2.7. Fouling Considerations The most of the process fluids in the exchanger foul the heat transfer
surface. The material deposited reduces the effective heat transfer rate due to relatively low thermal
conductivity. Therefore, net heat transfer with clean surface should be higher to compensate the
reduction in performance during operation. Fouling of exchanger increases the cost of (i) construction
due to oversizing, (ii) additional energy due to poor exchanger performance and (iii) cleaning to remove
deposited materials. A spare exchanger may be considered in design for uninterrupted services to allow
cleaning of exchanger. The effect of fouling is considered in heat exchanger design by including the tube
side and shell side fouling resistances. Typical values for the fouling coefficients and resistances are
summarized in Table 1.3. The fouling resistance (fouling factor) for petroleum fractions are available in
the text book ([3]; page 845)

1.2.8. Selection of fluids for tube and the shell side The routing of the shell side and tube side fluids has
considerable effects on the heat exchanger design. Some general guidelines for positioning the fluids are
given in Table 1.4. It should be understood that these guidelines are not ironclad rules and the optimal
fluid placement depends on many factors that are service specific.

Heat Exchangers:
1. HYSYS by itself does not design heat exchangers to the extent required by CAPCOST (it does not
provide the surface area required). Some exchangers can be sized in HYSYS sufficient for use by
CAPCOST.
2. However, you first need ask yourself the question, "do I have all the heat exchangers?" For instance,
do you need a heat exchanger to start-up or shut down the process that isn't necessary for steady
state. Do you need an exchanger to cool or heat the final product before its sent off site or put into
storage tanks? Do you need an exchanger in the storage tank(s) to keep the material from freezing?
3. Refer to Turton Table 9.11 for Heat exchanger Heuristics.
4. For a conservative estimate set F=0.9 for shell and tube exchangers with no phase changes. Where
F is the LMTD correction factor for non-countercurrent flow. Q=U*A*F*LMTD
5. Standard tubes are 3/4 in OD, on a 1 in triangle spacing, 16 ft long
6. Tube side is for corrosive, fouling, scaling, and high pressure fluids Shell side is for viscous and
condensing fluids
7. Pressure drops are 0.1bar (1.5 psi) for boiling and 0.2 - 0.62 (3-9 psi) for other services. Typical
liquid exchangers allow 10 psi pressure differential. The condensing side of an exchanger can be
considered to have no pressure drop.
8. Minimum temperature approach is 5C for refrigerants, 10C for others .
9. The selection of utility stream should consider upset conditions such that cooling water or steam
doesnt freeze when used in a process operating at low temperatures. Use glycol or similar heat
transfer media to avoid this problem.
10. Conditions which involve high temperatures may exceed reasonable steam pressures (> 41 bar ~ 250
deg C) the use of Dowtherm A (or equivalent) heat transfer fluid or a fired heater may be required or
more economical to achieve these process conditions.
11. Approximate overall heat transfer coefficients

Hot Fluid Cold Fluid Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient (including fouling
factor), "U value"

BTU/hr ft2 F kW / m2 C

Coolers / Condensers

Water Water 500 2.84

Methanol Water 500 2.84

Light Organics Water 150 0.85

(viscosities < 0.5 cp , i.e.
benzene, toluene,
acetone, ethanol,
gasoline, light kerosene,
and naptha)

Gases Water 30 0.17

Heaters / Reboilers

Steam Water 700 3.97

Steam Methanol 700 3.97

Steam Light Organics 200 1.14

Steam Medium Organics 100 0.568

Steam Gases 40 0.227

Process Exchangers (No Phase Change)

Water Water 200 1.14

Light Organics Light Organics 75 0.43

Water Gas (100 psi) 40 0.23

Water Gas (1000 psi) 90 0.51

Adapted from Peters and Timmerhaus "Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers" ,
and Kern "Heat Transfer", and the Gas Processors Suppliers Association Handbook (GPSA)
1. For conservative estimate set F = 0.9 for shell and tube exchangers with no phase changes, q
= UAFTlm. When T at exchanger ends differ greatly then check F, reconfigure if F is less
than 0.85.

2. Take true countercurrent flow in a shell-and-tube exchanger as a basis.

3. Standard tubes are 19.0 mm (3/4 in.) outer diameter (OD), 25.4 mm (1 in.) triangular
spacing, 4.9 m (16 ft) long. A shell of 300 mm (1 ft) diameter accommodates 9.3 m2 (100
ft2); 600 mm (2 ft) diameter accommodates 37.2 m2 (400 ft2); 900 mm (3 ft) diameter
accommodates 102 m2 (1100 ft2).

4. Tube side is for corrosive, fouling, scaling, and high pressure fluids.

5. Shell side is for viscous and condensing fluids.

6. Pressure drops are 0.1 bar (1.5psi) for boiling and 0.2-0.62 bar (3-9psi) for other services.

7. Minimum temperature approach is 10o C (20o F) for fluids and 5o C (10o F) for refrigerants.

8. Cooling water inlet temperature is 30o C (90F), maximum outlet temperature 49o C (120
F).

9. Heat-transfer coefficients for estimating purposes, W/m2 oC (Btu/h-ft2-_ F): water to liquid,
850 (150); condensers, 850 (150); liquid to liquid, 280 (50); liquid to gas, 60 (10); gas togas,
30 (5); and reboiler 1140 (200). Maximum flux in reboiler is 31.5 kW/m2 (10,000 Btu/h-ft2).
When phase changes occur, use a zoned analysis with appropriate coefficients for each zone.

10. Double-pipe exchanger is competitive at duties requiring 9.3-18.6 m2 (100-200ft2)

11. Compact (plate and fin) exchangers have 1150m2/m3 (350ft2/ft3), and about 4 times the heat
transfer per cut of shell-and-tube units.

12. Plate and frame exchangers are suited to high sanitation services, and are 25-50% cheaper in
stainless construction than shell-and-tube units.

13. Air coolers: Tubes are 0.75-1.00in. OD., total finned surface 15-20 ft2/ft2 bare surface, U =
450570W/m2 oC (80-100 Btu/hr-ft2 (bare surface)-o F). Minimum approach temperature =
22oC (40oF). Fan input power = 1.4-3.6 kW/(Mj/h) [2-5 hp/(1000Btu/h)] approach 50oF or
more.
14. Fired heaters: radiant rate, 37.6 kW/m2 (12,000 Btu/(h-ft2), convection rate, 12.5 kW/m2
(4000Btu/h-ft2); cold oil tube velocity = 1.8m/s (6ft/s); approximately equal transfers of heat
in the two sections; thermal efficiency, 70-75%; flue gas temperature 140-195C (250-350oF)
above feed inlet; stack gas temperature, 345-510oC (650-950oF).