Cairo University Faculty of Engineering Chemical Engineering Department

Heat Exchangers,
Types and Applications
Submitted to:
Dr. Osama Abdel-Bary
Chemical Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering, University of Cairo Prep
ared by: Moataz Said Eissa Sec.: 4 B.N.: 8
March, 2009
1. Introduction
A heat exchanger is a device that is used for transfer of thermal energy (enthal
py) between two or more fluids, between a solid surface and a fluid, or between
solid particulates and a fluid, at differing temperatures and in thermal contact
, usually without external heat and work interactions. The fluids may be single
compounds or mixtures. Typical applications involve heating or cooling of a flui
d stream of concern, evaporation or condensation of a single or multicomponent f
luid stream, and heat recovery or heat rejection from a system. In other applica
tions, the objective may be to sterilize, pasteurize, fractionate, distill, conc
entrate, crystallize, or control process fluid. In some heat exchangers, the flu
ids exchanging heat are in direct contact. In other heat exchangers, heat transf
er between fluids takes place through a separating wall or into and out of a wal
l in a transient manner. In most heat exchangers, the fluids are separated by a
heat transfer surface, and ideally they do not mix. Such exchangers are referred
to as the direct transfer type, or simply recuperators. In contrast, exchangers
in which there is an intermittent heat exchange between the hot and cold fluids
via thermal energy storage and rejection through the exchanger surface or matri
x—are referred to as the indirect transfer type or storage type, or simply regener
ators. Such exchangers usually have leakage and fluid carryover from one stream
to the other. Heat exchangers may be classified according to transfer process, c
onstruction, flow arrangement, surface compactness, number of fluids and heat tr
ansfer mechanisms or according to process functions.
2. Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers
2.1. Overview
Shell-and-tube heat exchangers are fabricated with round tubes mounted in cylind
rical shells with their axes coaxial with the shell axis. The differences betwee
n the many variations of this basic type of heat exchanger lie mainly in their c
onstruction features and the provisions made for handling differential thermal e
xpansion between tubes and shell [1]. There are various design considerations to
be taken into account such as routing of fluids (shell or tube), pressure drop
especially in the case of increasing number of baffles and tube diameter and adj
usting the area with the suitability of the exchanger to conduct the heat requir
ed to heat or cool a fluid with another one.
2.2. Illustration
Figure 1, shell-and-tube heat exchanger with baffles [2].
1. Shell. 2. Floating Head Flange. 3. Shell Channel. 4. Shell Cover End Flange.
5. Shell Nozzle. 6. Floating Tube Sheet. 7. Floating Head.
8. Floating Head Flange. 9. Channel Partition 10. Stationary Tube Sheet. 11. Cha
nnel. 12. Channel Cover. 13. Channel Nozzles. 14. Tie Rods and Spacers
15. Transverse Baffles. 16. Impingement Baffle. 17. Vent Connection. 18. Drain C
onnection. 19. Test Connection. 20. Support Saddles. 21. Lifting Ring.
Figure 2, actual footage of a tube bundle.
Figure 3, actual footage of baffle arrangement.
2.3. Applications
They are extensively used as process heat exchangers in the petroleum-refining a
nd chemical industries; as steam generators, condensers, boiler feed water heate
rs and oil coolers in power plants; as condensers and evaporators in some air-co
nditioning and refrigeration applications; in waste heat recovery applications w
ith heat recovery from liquids and condensing fluids; and in environmental contr
ol.
3. Double Pipe Heat Exchangers
3.1. Overview
A typical double-pipe heat exchanger is shown in Figure 4. Essentially, it consi
sts of one pipe placed concentrically inside another one of larger diameter, wit
h appropriate end fittings on each pipe to guide the fluids from one section to
the next. The inner pipe may have external longitudinal fins welded to it either
internally or externally to increase the heat transfer area for the fluid with
the lower heat transfer coefficient. The double-pipe sections can be connected i
n various series or parallel arrangements for either fluid to meet pressure-drop
limitations and LMTD requirements [3]. 3.2. Illustration
Figure 4, double pipe heat exchanger (one hair-pin) [1].
Figure 5, actual footage of 7 hair-pins arrangement.
3.3. Applications
The major use of double-pipe exchangers is for sensible heating or cooling of th
e process fluid where small heat transfer areas (typically up to 50 m.) are requ
ired. They may also be used for small amounts of boiling or condensation on the
process fluid side. The advantages of the double-pipe exchanger are largely in t
he flexibility of application and piping arrangement, plus the fact that they ca
n be erected quickly from standard components by maintenance crews [3].
4. Compact Heat Exchangers
4.1. Overview
One variation of the fundamental compact exchanger element, the core, is shown i
n Figure 5. The core consists of a pair of parallel plates with connecting metal
members that are bonded to the plates. The arrangement of plates and bonded mem
bers provides both a fluid-flow channel and prime and extended surface. It is ob
served that if a plane were drawn midway between the two plates, each half of th
e connecting metal members could be considered as longitudinal fins [1]. Compact
heat exchangers may be classified by the kinds of compact elements that they em
ploy. The compact elements usually fall into five classes: a. Circular and flatt
ened circular tubes. b. Tubular surfaces. c. Surfaces with flow normal to banks
of smooth tubes. d. Plate fin surfaces. e. Finned-tube surfaces.
4.2. Illustration
Figure 6, the core of a compact heat exchanger [1].
1. Plates. 2. Side Bars. 3. Corrugated fins stamped from a strip of metal.
Figure 7, Two-fluid compact heat exchanger with headers removed [1].
Figure 8, actual footage of a cut-section in a compact heat exchanger.
4.3.
Applications
Compact or plate-fin heat exchangers have a wide range of applications that incl
ude [4]: • Natural gas liquefaction. • Cryogenic air separation. • Ammonia production.
• Offshore processing. • Nuclear engineering. • Syngas production.
5. Plate and Frame Heat Exchanger
5.1. Overview
These exchangers are usually built of thin plates (all prime surfaces). The plat
es are either smooth or have some form of corrugations, and they are either flat
or wound in an exchanger. Generally, these exchangers cannot accommodate very h
igh pressures, temperatures, and pressure and temperature differentials. These e
xchangers may be further classified as plate, spiral plate, lamella, and plate c
oil exchangers, as shown in Figure 9 the plate heat exchanger, being the most im
portant of these, is described next.
5.2. Illustration
Figure 9, Plate and Frame heat exchangers [2].
Figure 10, actual footage of a plate and frame heat exchanger.
5.3. Applications
These exchangers are relatively compact and lightweight heat transfer surfaces,
making them attractive for use in confined or weight-sensitive locations such as
on board ships and oil production platforms. Pressures and temperatures are lim
ited to comparatively low values because of the gasket materials and the constru
ction. They are typically used for exchanging heat between two liquid streams in
turbulent flow. They are occasionally used as condensers for fairly dense vapor
s (e.g., ammonia) or as vaporizers as for a reboiler. They are used in the food
processing industry because they can be disassembled for cleaning and sterilizat
ion.
6. Spiral Heat Exchangers
6.1. Overview
Several different versions of the spiral plate exchanger are available. This exc
hanger is formed by rolling two long, parallel plates into a spiral using a mand
rel and then suitably welding the alternate edges of adjacent plates to form the
channels. The plates are held apart by raised bosses on one of the plates. The
open sides of the channels are sealed off against bypassing by cover plates (wit
h gaskets) held in place by the bolted clamps around the periphery [3]. Connecti
ons are made at the center of the coil to each channel to act as inlet in one ca
se and outlet in the other. Similar connections are made at the outer end of eac
h channel. The spiral exchanger can be enclosed in a pressure vessel, or the out
er panel can be incorporated to form the outside of the unit. The exchanger is c
losed top and bottom with covers bolted to the outer shell of the exchanger.
6.2. Illustration
Figure 10, top and side sections of a spiral heat exchanger.
Figure 12, actual footage of a spiral heat exchanger.
6.3. Applications
By virtue of the removable top and bottom covers, this exchanger is easily clean
ed and is therefore ideal for applications involving a high degree of fouling. I
ndeed, it is widely used for the heating and cooling of slurries [3].
7. Regenerative Heat Exchangers
7.1. Overview
The regenerator represents a class of heat exchangers in which heat is alternate
ly stored and removed from a surface. This heat transfer surface is usually refe
rred to as the matrix of the regenerator. For continuous operation, the matrix m
ust be moved into and out of the fixed hot and cold fluid streams. In this case,
the regenerator is called a rotary regenerator. If, on the other hand, the hot
and cold fluid streams are switched into and out of the matrix, the regenerator
is refer referred to as a fixed matrix regenerator. In both cases the regenerato
r suffers from leakage and fluid entrainment problems, which must be considered
during the design process [1].
7.2. Illustration
Figure 11, Regenerators: (a) rotary, (b) fixed-matrix, and (c) rotating hoods. m
atrix,
Figure 13, typical rotary regenerators or heat wheels. .
7.3. Applications
Rotary regenerators are used extensively in electrical power generating stations
for air preheating. They are also used in vehicular gas turbine power plants, i
n cryogenic refrigeration units, and in the food dehydration industry. Fixed bed
or fixed matrix regenerators are used extensively in the metallurgical, glassma
king, and chemical processing industries.
8. Scrapped Surface Heat Exchangers
8.1. Overview
In cases where a process fluid is likely to crystallize on cooling or the degree
of fouling is very high or indeed the fluid is of very high viscosity, use is o
ften made of scrapedsurface heat exchangers in which a rotating element has spri
ng-loaded scraper blades which wipe the inside surface of a tube which may typic
ally be 0.15 m in diameter. Doublepipe construction is often employed with a jac
ket; say 0.20 m in diameter, and one common arrangement is to connect several se
ctions in series or to install several pipes within a common shell. Scraped- sur
face units of this type are used in paraffin- wax plants and for evaporating vis
cous or heat-sensitive materials under high vacuum.
8.2. Illustration
Figure 14, Scraper blade of scraped-surface exchanger [6].
Figure 15, actual footage of a scraper-surface heat exchanger.
8.3. Applications
The range of applications covers a number of industries, including food, chemica
l, petrochemical and pharmaceutical. The DSSHEs are appropriate whenever product
s are prone to fouling, very viscous, particulate, heat sensitive or crystallizi
ng.
9. Transverse High-Finned Exchangers
9.1. Overview
Pipes, tubes, and cast tubular sections with external transverse high fins have
been used extensively for heating, cooling, and dehumidifying air and other gase
s. The fins are preferably called transverse rather than radial because they nee
d not be circular, as the latter term implies, and are often helical. The air-fi
n cooler is a device in which hot-process fluids, usually liquids, flow inside e
xtended surface tubes and atmospheric air is circulated outside the tubes by for
ced or induced draft over the extended surface. High-fin tubes can also be extru
ded directly from the tube-wall metal, as in the case of integral low-fin tubing
. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to extrude a high fin from ferrous
alloys as hard as those required for high-temperature services, which are often
amenable to work hardening while the fin is being formed. Whether fins are attac
hed by arc welding or resistance welding, the fin-to-tube attachment for all pra
ctical design considerations introduces a neglible bond or contact resistance.
9.2. Illustration
Figure 16, typical high-finned tube used in air-cooled heat exchangers [3].
Figure 17, actual footage of various shapes of finned tubes.
9.3. Applications
The large majority of applications are for transferring heat to atmospheric air.
Finned tubes may be used in: water cooling of product, and air cooling of produ
ct, oil – air exchangers and oil, industrial and residential air heaters using bur
ned gas heat, steam, hot water or resistance heating elements rolled inside finn
ed tube, cooling and food processing industry and automotive industry.
10. Conclusion
Heat Exchangers have numerous different types and applications as discussed in t
he report. Each type selection can only be determined by the application the dev
ice will be used for. The general design process can be summarized in the calcul
ation of the required area to transfer heat from one fluid to another by that th
e designer can determine the actual mechanical design parameters knowing the phy
sical and chemical behavior of the fluids to be used. The report discussed the m
ost famous types of industrially used heat exchangers such as Shell-and-Tube hea
t exchangers, which are the most commonly used ones, that can withstand high pre
ssures with moderate area to volume ratio and Double-Pipe heat exchangers which
are the simplest type in design and maintenance but they have relatively low are
a of heat transfer. Compact heat exchangers which are famous of their capability
to use different phases of fluids and Plate-and-Frame type that has very high a
rea to volume ratio in addition to Spiral, Regenerative or Matrix, Scraped-Surfa
ce and High and Lowfinned types. General design considerations are routing of fl
uids and the suitability of the calculated area of heat transfer according to fo
uling factor and other important parameters like baffles arrangement to meet wit
h the maximum pressure loss requirement in shell-antube heat exchanger.
References
[1] A. Bejan and A. D. Kraus, “Heat Transfer Handbook”, 2003. [2] Stanly M. Wallas, “C
hemical Process Equipment, Selection and Design”, 1990. [3] Ernst U. Schltinder, “He
at Exchanger Design Handbook”, 1983. [4] Donald Q. Kern, “Heat Transfer”, 1982. [5] Wa
rren M. Rohsenow, “Handbook of Heat Transfer”, 3rd Edition 1998. [6] Don W. Green an
d Robert H. Perry, “Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook”, 8th Edition 2007. [7] Wikiped
ia.org, Cited in March 2009.