Design and Analysis of Heat

Exchangers
Analysis of Heat Exchangers
The analysis of heat exchangers can be greatly simplify by making the
following assumptions, which are closely approximated in practice:
steady-flow,
kinetic and potential energy changes are negligible,
the specific heat of a fluid is constant,
axial heat conduction along the tube is negligible,
the outer surface of the heat exchanger is perfectly insulated.
The first law of thermodynamics requires that the rate of heat transfer
from the hot fluid be equal to the rate of heat transfer to the cold one.
Analysis of Heat Exchangers
There are two types of problems encountered when considering
heat exchangers in a thermal energy system:
a design problem and an analysis problem.
In a design problem, the heat exchanger has not yet been
selected. It is being designed to meet a specific need.
In analysis, the heat exchanger exists (e.g., from a vendor), and
the analysis predicts its thermal performance.
Analysis of Heat Exchangers
1) Design problem: Specified;
- the temperature change in a fluid stream, and
- the mass flow rate.
Required:
- the designer needs to select a heat exchanger.
2) Analysis problem: Specified;
- the heat exchanger type and size,
- fluid mass flow rate,
- inlet temperatures.
Required:
- the designer needs to predict the outlet temperatures
and heat transfer rate.
Heat Exchanger Design Problem
The type of heat exchanger is not important at this point.
Consider the design problem where the mass flow rates and inlet
temperatures of the hot and cold fluids are known.
The design problem
The design problem is to determine the total heat transfer area
required and the cold-fluid outlet temperature.
Applying the conservation of energy equation to the system boundary
surrounding

Using the thermal capacity rate

the outlet temperature of the cold fluid.

The design problem
the parameter of interest is the area of the heat exchanger required
to affect the hot- and cold-fluid temperature changes at the given
flow rates.
There is no indication of the area required in the thermodynamic
analysis.
Heat Exchanger Analysis Problem
A typical analysis problem would be to predict the outlet fluid
temperatures, knowing the mass flow rates and inlet temperatures of
each fluid.
The thermodynamic analysis is the same as developed earlier.
the heat exchange area is known.
the outlet temperature of the cold fluid.
Double-Pipe Heat Exchanger Design
Considerations (DPHX)
The following list is by no means allinclusive. However, the major
design considerations are summarized.
The pressure drop through either side of the heat exchanger (tube
or annulus) should be no more than 10 psi (70 kPa). This will help
minimize the cost of moving the fluid through the heat exchanger.
An optimum DPHX design is one where the fluids in the tube and
annulus are within the recommended economic velocity range shown
in Table 4.11 or calculated using a reasonable range of economic
parameters for the specific application.
Double-Pipe Heat Exchanger Design
Considerations (DPHX)
Fluid placement should be based on either the hydraulic criterion
(minimizing the pressure drop) or the fouling criterion (easy
mechanical cleaning of the heat exchanger).
The inner tube in a DPHX should be of high thermal conductivity
(copper is a good choice). In cases where copper cannot be used, an
economically feasible material can be chosen. If the material does not
have a large thermal conductivity, the thermal resistance of the
material should be included in the calculation of the overall heat
transfer coefficients (clean and fouled).
Double-Pipe Heat Exchanger Design
Considerations (DPHX)
The material for the outer tube of the DPHX does not need to be made of
an expensive material such as copper. In fact, a low thermal conductivity
material is more desirable for the outer tube.
The outer tube of the DPHX should be insulated to avoid stray heat losses
to the environment surrounding the heat exchanger.
When different materials are used for the inner and outer tubes, the
absolute roughness values may be different. When calculating the friction
factor in the annulus, using the highest value for the absolute roughness
will tend to overestimate the pressure drop and lead to a more
conservative design. Using the average absolute roughness between the
inner and outer tube may give a more reasonable estimate of the pressure
drop.
Double-Pipe Heat Exchanger Design
Considerations (DPHX)
The flow direction (parallel or counter) is an important
consideration. The counterflow DPHX has the advantage of being
smaller than the parallel-flow configuration for the same thermal
performance. However, in a counterflow heat exchanger, it is possible
for the outlet fluid temperatures to cross. That is, it is possible for the
cold-fluid outlet temperature to be hotter than the hot-fluid outlet
temperature. In cases where this is not desirable, a parallel-flow heat
exchanger should be used.
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Design and
Analysis (STHX)
the heat transfer equation in the LMTD model becomes

For a STHX with 1-shell pass and an even number of tube passes, F is
given by

if F is less than 0.75, the heat exchanger is operating inefficiently

Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Design
Considerations
Higher flow rates through the tubes result in higher heat transfer
rates. However, the downside is that the pressure drop across the
tubes will increase.
Multiple tube passes will increase the heat transfer rate between
the fluids. However, the pressure drop will increase faster than the
heat transfer rate. There is a tradeoff between heat transfer
enhancement and increased pumping power that must be
considered.
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Design
Considerations (Shell-Side Considerations)
The optimum baffle spacing is somewhere between 0.4 and 0.6 of
the shell diameter. Keeping the baffle spacing in this range makes the
shell fluid flow in more of a cross-flow pattern across the tubes. This
increases the heat transfer rate between the two fluids.
The heat transfer rate can be increased by increasing the number of
baffles. However, the drawback is that the pressure drop increases
faster than the heat transfer rate. Higher heat transfer rates are
desirable. However, the higher pressure drop means more pumping
power is required to move the fluid through the shell side.
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Design
Considerations
As with the DPHX, there are two criteria for fluid placement:
hydraulic and fouling. It may be more desirable to place the fluid with
the higher fouling factor through the tubes. The reason for this is that
the tubes are easy to clean mechanically. If the fluids foul about the
same, then use the hydraulic criterion and route the higher mass flow
rate fluid through the side with the larger flow area.
In a design problem, the heat exchanger should be kept as small as
possible while maintaining the desired performance. This is an
economic issue, both from capital cost and operating cost
perspectives.
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Design
Considerations
The economics of the heat exchanger are somewhat reflected in the
value of the LMTD correction factor, F. This value should be greater
than or equal to 0.75.
It is desirable to keep the velocity in the tubes in the economic
range.
The heat exchanger should deliver the required heat transfer rate
when completely fouled. Recall that the fouling factors represent
fouling after 1 year of service.
The pressure drop on each side of the heat exchanger should not
exceed 10 psi (70 kPa).
Figure 9.10
Basic logic structure for process heat exchanger design. (Based on Bell, K. J., Heat Exchangers:
Thermal-Hydraulic Fundamentals and Design, Taylor and Francis, Washington, D.C., 1981.)