Jorge H.

Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Chapter 4

Heat Transfer Equipment:

Heat Exchangers
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Introduction
Heat exchangers are devices used to heat exchange between two fluids at different
temperatures and separated by a solid wall. Specific applications may be found in space
heating and air-conditioning, power production, waste heat recovery, and chemical
processing.
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Heat exchanger types

Heat exchanger are typically classified according to flow arrangement and type of
construction.

• Concentric-Tube Heat Exchangers

Parallel flow Counterflow

 Simplest configuration.
 Superior performance associated with counter flow.
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Heat exchanger types

• Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers

 Baffles are used to establish a cross-flow and to induce turbulent mixing of the shell-side fluid,
both of which enhance convection.
 The number of tube and shell passes may be varied, e.g.:

One Shell Pass, Two Tube Passes

Two Shell Passes, Four Tube Passes
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Overall heat transfer coefficient

• An essential requirement for heat exchanger design or performance calculations.
• Contributing factors include convection and conduction associated with the two fluids and the
intermediate solid, as well as the potential effects of time-dependent surface fouling.
• With subscripts o and i used to designate the outer and inner surface, respectively, the expression
for the overall coefficient is given by:

1  1  1
UA UA o UA i

1 Rf ,o Rf ,i
   Rw   1
ho Ao Ao Ai hi Ai
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Overall heat transfer coefficient

 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Overall heat transfer coefficient

The coefficient which includes the dirt resistance is called the design or fouled overall
coefficient Uf , and that one obtained without consider the dirt resistance is called the
clean overall coefficient Uc.

The value of A corresponding to Uf rather than Uc provides the basis on which equipment
is ultimately built.

1 1
  Rf ,i  Rf ,o
U f Uc
Rf

Uc U f
Rf 
U cU f

When 𝑅𝑓 (deposited) > 𝑅𝑓 (allowed), as after a period of service, the apparatus no longer
delivers a quantity of heat equal to the process requirements and must be cleaned.
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Heat exchanger analysis: LMTD method

It is useful, when considering parallel or counterflow single-pass heat exchangers, to
draw a simple sketch depicting the general temperature variation experienced by each
fluid stream.
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Heat exchanger analysis: LMTD method

• A form of Newton’s Law of Cooling may be applied to heat exchangers by using a log-mean value
of the temperature difference between the two fluids:

Evaluation of T1 and T2 depends on the heat

q  UA Tlm exchanger type.
 T1   T2
Tlm 
1n   T1 /  T2 

• Counter-Flow Heat Exchanger:

 T1  Th ,out  Tc ,in
 T2  Th ,in  Tc ,out

• Parallel-Flow Heat Exchanger:

 T1  Th ,in  Tc ,in
 T2  Th ,out  Tc ,out
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Example
Light lubricating oil (cp = 2090 J/kgK) is cooled by allowing it to exchange
energy with water in a small heat exchanger. The oil enters and leaves the heat
exchanger at 375 and 350 K, respectively, and flows at a rate of 0.5 kg/s. Water
at 280 K is available in sufficient quantity to allow 0.201 kg/s to be used for
cooling purposes. Determine the required heat-transfer area for (a) counterflow
and (b) parallel-flow operations. The overall heat-transfer coefficient may be
taken as 250 W/m2K.
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Heat exchanger analysis: LMTD method

• Shell-and-Tube and Cross-Flow Heat Exchangers:

q  UA  F Tlm 
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Example
A shell-and-tube heat exchanger must be designed to heat 2.5 kg/s of water from 15 to
85°C. The heating is to be accomplished by passing hot engine oil, which is available at
160°C, through the shell side of the exchanger. The oil is known to provide an average
convection coefficient of ho = 400 W/m2K on the outside of the tubes. Ten tubes pass the
water through the shell. Each tube is thin walled, of diameter D = 25 mm, and makes
eight passes through the shell. If the oil leaves the exchanger at 100°C, what is its flow
rate? How long must the tubes be to accomplish the desired heating?
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Example
A shell and tube heat exchanger (2-4) is used to exchange energy between two pressurized water
streams. The operating conditions for the clean exchanger are given by:

1200 kg/h, 200°C

Uc = 300 W/m2K
2500 kg/h, 25°C 100°C

It is observed that after a long period of operation, the cold stream is heated to 85°C for the same
conditions of flow and inlet temperatures of both streams. Determine the fouling factor for these
new conditions.
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Heat exchanger analysis: Effectiveness-NTU method

• Computational Features/Limitations of the LMTD Method:

 The LMTD method may be applied to design problems for which the fluid
flow rates and inlet temperatures, as well as a desired outlet temperature, are
prescribed. For a specified heat exchanger type, the required size (surface area),
as well as the other outlet temperature, are readily determined.

 If the LMTD method is used in performance calculations for which both

outlet temperatures must be determined from knowledge of the inlet
temperatures, the solution procedure is iterative.

 For both design and performance calculations, the effectiveness-NTU method

may be used without iteration.
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

• Heat exchanger effectiveness,  :

Definitions
q
 0   1
qmax

• Maximum possible heat rate:

Ch if Ch  Cc

qmax  Cmin Th,i  Tc ,i   Cmin  or
C if C  C
 c c h

 The fluid characterized by Cmin will experience the largest possible temperature change
in transit through the heat exchanger

• Number of Transfer Units, NTU

T min change in T
NTU  UA  NTU  
Cmin Tlm driving force
 A dimensionless parameter whose magnitude influences heat exchanger performance:
q  with  NTU
 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Effectiveness – NTU relations

 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Effectiveness – NTU relations

 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Effectiveness – NTU relations

 Jorge H. Sánchez y Zulamita Zapata

Example
The condenser of a large steam power plant is a heat exchanger in which steam is condensed to liquid water.
Assume the condenser to be a shell and tube heat exchanger consisting of a single shell and 30,000 tubes, each
executing two passes. The tubes are of thin wall construction with D = 25 mm, and steam condenses on their outer
surface with an associated convection coefficient of ho = 11,000 W/m2K. The heat transfer rate that must be effected
by the exchanger is q = 2109 W, and this is accomplished by passing cooling water through the tubes at a rate of
3104 kg/s. The water enters at 20°C, while the steam condenses at 50°C. What is the temperature of the cooling
water emerging from the condenser? What is the required tube length L per pass?