ME421 HEAT EXCHANGER AND STEAM GENERATOR DESIGN

MT 2 QUESTION 7 SOLUTION
SPRING 2006

Question 7 (35 pts): An air-to-water compact heat exchanger is to be designed to serve as an intercooler in a
gas turbine plant. The geometrical details of the proposed surface, 9.68-0.870-R for the air side is given in Figure
9.8 and in Table 9.1. Hot air with a flow rate 20 kg/s at 2 atm and 380 K with Re=104 enters the matrix and exits
at 320 K. Water enters at 17 C and with a flow rate of 50 kg/s flows inside the flat tubes. Water side geometric
details are Dh=0.373 cm, w=0.129, w=138 m2/m3.
a)
Obtain air side heat transfer coefficient (ha)
b)
Calculate fin efficiency (f) and overall surface efficiency (o) for the air side with the fins made ou
of Aluminum (kAl=250 W/mK). Here you may assume fins as flat rectangular cross-section fins.
c)
Find the free flow area (Aff,a) and frontal area (Afr,a) for the air side
d)
By taking the frontal area of water side same as the air side frontal area (Afr,w=Afr,a), calculate water side
heat transfer coefficient (hw) using Gnielinski correlation.
e)
By neglecting wall resistance and fouling, calculate the overall heat transfer coefficient based on air side
surface (Ua)
f)
Using -NTU method, obtain air side heat transfer area (Aa) and the heat exchanger length.
g)
BONUS: Calculate the air side pressure drop (pa).
Properties of air at 2 atm and Tf=(320+380)/2=350 K:
a=20.8x10-6 N.s/m2
cp,a=1009 J/kg.K
Pra=0.708
Properties of water at 17 C:
w=10.84x10-4 N.s/m2
cp,w=4184 J/kg.K
Prw=7.65
kg/m3

a=2.0 kg/m3
w=999

kw=0.594 W/m.K

Solution :
J
cpa := 1009
kg K

Pra := 0.708

J
cpw := 4184
kg K

Prw := 7.65

6 N s

a := 20.8 10

a := 2

4 N s

w := 10.84 10

kg

W
kw := 0.594
m K

kg

w := 999

Water side geometry:

Dhw := 0.373cm

w := 0.129

w := 138

m
From the core geometry (Fig 9.8 and Table 9.1 for surface 9.68-0.870-R:
t := 0.0102cm
Fin length :

Lf :=

kg
ma := 20
s
a)

Af_to_At_ratio := 0.795
( 0.436 0.120)
2

Th1 := 380K

Rea := 10

Ga :=

Ga cpa
2

Pra

a := 0.697

a := 751.3

m
3

Lf = 4.013 10

in
kg
mw := 50
s

Th2 := 320K
Rea a

Ga = 69.403

Dha

From fig 9.7 for Re=10^4 :

ha := j

Dha := 0.2997cm

kg
2

m s
j := 0.0039

ha = 343.803

W
2

m K

fa := 0.018

Tc1 := ( 17 + 273)K

b)

W
kAl := 250
m K

2 ha

mf :=

kAl t

o := 1 Af_to_At_ratio 1 f
c)

d)

mf = 164.21

ma
Affa :=
Ga

Affa = 0.288 m

Afrw := Afra

Gw :=

f :=

tanh mf Lf

mf Lf

f = 0.877

o = 0.902

Affa

Afra :=

mw

Gw = 937.475

w Afrw

Afra = 0.413 m
kg

Rew :=

m s

Gw Dhw
w

Rew = 3.226 10

Using Gnielinski correlation:

fw := 1.58 ln Rew 3.28

fw = 0.011

fw
( Rew 1000) Prw
2
Nuw :=
2
fw
3
1 + 12.7
Prw 1

2
e)
Aw_to_Aa_ratio :=

Ua :=

f)

Nuw = 25.378

1
1 +

Aw_to_Aa_ratio

h
w
o a

Q := ma cpa Th1 Th2

Ua = 218.721

W
2

m K

Q = 1.211 10 W

Tc2 = 295.788 K
2
5 kg m

Cw = 2.092 10

2
4 kg m

Ca := ma cpa

Cr :=

Ca = 2.018 10

Cr = 0.096

Cmax

:=

Cmin Th1 Tc1

unmixed - unmixed cross flow heat exchanger: from Fig 2.15 (c) :
Aa :=

NTU C min

Volume :

V :=

= 0.667

NTU := 1.25

Aa = 115.33 m

Ua
Aa
a

g ) assuming incompressible:

V = 0.154 m

pa := fa

Ga

s K

Cmin := Ca

C min

L :=

V
Afra

L = 0.371 m

4L

2 a Dha

m K

s K
Cmax := Cw

3 W

Q
Tc2 := Tc1 +
mw cpw
Cw := mw cpw

hw = 4.041 10

Dhw

Aw_to_Aa_ratio = 0.184

kw Nuw

hw :=

pa = 1.074 10 Pa