Heat Exchangers

Tony Palazzolo
English 202c, Section 004
Audience and Scope

This document’s main audience is targeted toward engineering minded students that have an
interest in heat exchanger design but have not had formal instruction. It is meant to serve as a
brief but concise introduction to the governing principles and design of heat exchangers.

Introduction

Heat exchangers are found everywhere in our daily lives.

For example, the radiator in a car is a heat exchanger
that cools the engine; a water heater is a heat exchanger
that boils water; and a microchip is a heat exchanger that
cools a computer’s processer.

Heat exchange is a simple process governed by basic

laws of heat transfer.

Governing Principles

The underlying principle of heat exchangers is the inherent desire of all things to reach energy
equilibrium with its surroundings. In heat exchangers, the components are looking to reach an
equilibrium with respect to thermal energy within the system. Thermal energy is the amount of
energy contained in a molecule which is contributed by the temperature of the system. As the
temperature increases, more energy is added to the molecule and is stored by the molecule in
vibrational, rotational, or translational movement as shown in Figure 1.

When two or more components with differing thermal

energies are placed adjacent to one another, heat transfer
occurs. In a heat exchanger, these two components are
represented by hot and cold fluid streams.

This transfer of energy can be quantified as variable Q (J/s)

in the equation,

(Equation 1)

where m (kg/s) is the mass flow rate, Cp (J/kg*K) is the

specific heat of material i, Tin,i (K) is the inlet temperature of
i, and Tout,i (K) is the outlet temperature of i. Using this
equation, we see that the greater the mass flow or the greater
the temperature difference (gradient) in the system, the
greater the heat transfer. By altering these parameters during
the operation of a heat exchanger, the overall heat transfer
Figure 1. Vibrational, Rotational, and
of the system can be controlled.
Translational of a molecule from
thermal energy
The overall heat transfer coefficient is the total thermal resistance to heat transfer between the
two fluids. Essentially, it is how easy it is for thermal energy to be transferred from the hot fluid
to the cold fluid and is determined using the heat transfer coefficients (h) of each individual
stream.
(Equation 2)

If the individual heat transfer coefficients are unknown, the overall heat transfer coefficient can
be determined using the amount of heat transferred derived from Equation 1.

(Equation 3)

In the above equation, Q (J/s) is the amount of heat transferred, A (m2) is the surface area of the
heat exchanger, and ΔTlm (K) is the log mean temperature difference of the hot and cold fluids.
The log mean temperature difference is determined using the equation,

(Equation 4)

where ΔT1 and ΔT2 represent temperature differences in the inlet and outlet temperatures of the
hot and cold fluids and are dependent on the heat exchanger orientation.

The dependence of area on the amount of heat transferred is also quantified using this equation.
It follows that increasing the amount of surface area in the heat exchanger will increase the
amount of heat transferred in the system.

Orientation

There are two main orientations for heat exchangers: countercurrent and parallel flow. When the
hot and cold fluids flow through the exchanger in the same direction, it is considered parallel
flow. When the fluids flow in opposite direction, it is considered countercurrent flow. The
orientation type affects the amount and rate of heat transfer within the heat exchanger. In a
parallel flow heat exchanger, the temperature gradient between the hot and cold fluids decreases
as the components move through the exchanger. In a countercurrent heat exchanger, the
temperature gradient is maintained, allowing for a maximum rate of heat exchange throughout
the exchanger. These temperature gradients can be seen in the temperature profiles for each
orientation in Figure 2 and Figure 3.

Figure 2. Temperature profile of parallel Figure 3. Temperature profile of

flow heat exchanger. countercurrent flow heat exchanger.
In these profiles, Thi and Tho represent the inlet and outlet temperatures of the hot fluid
respectively, and Tci and Tco represent the inlet and outlet temperatures of the cold fluid
respectively.

The temperature gradients of each orientation affect the determination of the log mean
temperature difference, defining ΔT1 and ΔT2 as shown in Table 1.

Parallel Countercurrent
Table 1. ΔT1 and ΔT2 defined for parallel and
ΔT1 Th,i - Tc,i Th,i - Tc,o countercurrent flow orientations.
ΔT2 Th,o - Tc,o Th,o - Tc,i

These definitions result in a log mean temperature difference that is greater for the
countercurrent flow orientation than for the parallel flow orientation. When comparing the two
orientations with the use of Equation 4, it is found that the area required for the same amount of
heat transfer is much less for the countercurrent flow exchanger than for the parallel flow
exchanger.

In many cases, achieving the required heat exchange can be difficult to accomplish in a compact
and cost efficient manner. Using the countercurrent flow orientation is one way to accomplish
this because it requires less surface area in the exchanger. Another way of accomplishing a
compact and cost efficient process is through the use of efficient process design.

Design

When designing a heat exchanger, it is important to fully understand the contributing factors
within the process. The necessary factors include the inlet flow rates and temperatures of both
the hot and cold fluids the desired outlet temperatures of both fluids. This knowledge allows for
more accurate determination of the size and type of heat exchanger needed to achieve the desired
heat exchange. From these parameters, the total amount of heat transfer (Q) can be determined
using Equation 1. The area required for the heat exchanger can then be determined from
Equation 4.

Once the required area of the exchanger is determined, there are a few basic heat exchanger
designs that can be chosen to facilitate the heat transfer process.

Shell and Tube – Consists of a tube or series of tubes contained within a larger tube shell
(Figure 4). One fluid flows through the tube side and the other on the shell side,
allowing the heat to be exchanged through the tube walls. These exchangers are
commonly used in industrial processes to control feed and product temperatures.

Fin – Consists of a series of thin fins extending from the exchanger designed to increase
the heat transfer surface area (Figure 5). Heat is exchanged through the fins of the
exchanger. These exchangers are commonly found on computer chips to remove
heat from processing.
 Plate – Consists of a series of aligned plates with voids between each plate (Figure 6).
One fluid fills the voids between every other plate while the other fluid fills the
remaining voids. Heat is then exchanged through the plates. These exchangers are
commonly found in HVAC systems to control heating and cooling to a building.

Figure 4. Shell and Tube heat exchanger. Figure 5. Fin heat exchanger. Figure 6. Plate heat exchanger.

Conclusion

The final design of a heat exchanger will ultimately be determined by the application. A shell
and tube design allows for a compact, efficient manner of heat exchange in high pressure, high
flow applications. A fin design allows for a compact, light weight manner of heat exchange in
delicate, micro-scale applications. And finally, a plate design allows for a slow, controlled heat
exchange in low impact, low flow applications. These designs, as well as their derivative
designs, provide a diverse amount of options for matching the process parameters to the
application.
 Works Cited

Plate Exchanger: "Food Processing Equipment, Stainless Steel Tanks, Shell and Tube Heat
Exchangers, by Genemco, Inc." Used Food Processing Equipment, APV Evaporators,
Freon and Ammonia Refrigeration, Waukesha Pumps. 2006. Web. 20 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.genemco.com/aloe/plate.html>.

Information: Incropera, Frank P. "Heat Exchangers." Introduction to Heat Transfer. 5th

ed. Hobokenm NJ: Wiley, 2007. 631-68. Print.

Introduction: "Severe-wx / Droughts and Heat Waves." Severe-wx / FrontPage. Web.

15 Oct. 2010. <http://severe-wx.pbworks.com/Droughts-and-Heat-Waves>.

Fin Exchanger: "Slim Films Alphabetical Listing." Slim Films Home. Web. 19 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.slimfilms.com/slimalpha.htm>.

Shell and Tube: "Specifying a Liquid-Liquid Heat Exchanger." Chemical Engineering,

The Chemical Engineers'Resource Page, Distillation, Heat Transer, Design, Spreadsheet
Solutions, Departments, Chemistry. 2008. Web. 16 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.cheresources.com/shell_tube_heat_exchanger_1.shtml>.

Cover Picture: Wade Industrial. "Flowsheet Drawing Symbols." Wade Industrial - Steam,
Valve & Pipeline Specialists. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.wadeindustrial.co.za/steam_flowsheet_drawing_symbols.htm>.

Molecular Motion: "Wprin." Faculty of Land and Food Systems | UBC |. Web. 16 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/courses/fnh/301/water/wprin.htm>.