Pamela Mae L.

Ucab
BSChE-3
A heat exchanger is a device used to transfer heat between two or more fluids. The
fluids can be single or two phase and, depending on the exchanger type, may be separated
or in direct contact. There are two approaches that are normally taken. The first considers
the flow configuration within the heat exchanger, while the second is based on the
classification of equipment type primarily by construction.
There are four basic flow configurations of Heat Exchangers. First, Counter Flow
heat exchangers have two fluids flow parallel to each other but in opposite directions. This
type of flow arrangement allows the largest change in temperature of both fluids and is
therefore most efficient (where efficiency is the amount of actual heat transferred compared
with the theoretical maximum amount of heat that can be transferred). The second is the
Cocurrent Flow heat exchanger. In a concurrent flow, the streams flow parallel to each other
and in the same direction. This is less efficient than countercurrent flow but does provide
more uniform wall temperatures. Third is the Crossflow heat exchangers. These are
intermediate in efficiency between countercurrent flow and parallel flow exchangers. In these
units, the streams flow at right angles to each other. The last one are the hybrids such as
Cross Counterflow and Multi Pass Flow which are a combination of crossflow/counterflow
heat exchangers and multi pass flow heat exchangers.
There are also two classification of heat exchangers by construction. One is the
Regenerative and the other is the Recuperative. Regenerative heat exchangers (Capacitive
Heat Exchangers) have a flow path normally consists of a matrix, which is heated when the
hot fluid passes through it (this is known as the "hot blow"). This heat is then released to the
cold fluid when this flows through the matrix (the "cold blow"). Meanwhile, Recuperative heat
exchangers has separate flow paths for each fluid and fluids flow simultaneously through the
exchanger exchanging heat across the wall separating the flow paths. It has a single flow
path, which the hot and cold fluids alternately pass through.
Aside from this, there are several types of heat exchangers. First, Shell and tube
heat exchangers are comprised of multiple tubes through which liquid flows. The tubes are
divided into two sets: the first set contains the liquid to be heated or cooled. The second set
contains the liquid responsible for triggering the heat exchange, and either removes heat
from the first set of tubes by absorbing and transmitting heat awayin essence, cooling the
liquidor warms the set by transmitting its own heat to the liquid inside. Second, Plate heat
exchangers consist of thin plates joined together, with a small amount of space between
each plate, typically maintained by a small rubber gasket. The surface area is large, and the
corners of each rectangular plate feature an opening through which fluid can flow between
plates, extracting heat from the plates as it flows. The fluid channels themselves alternate
hot and cold fluids, meaning that heat exchangers can effectively cool as well as heat fluid
they are often used in refrigeration applications. Third, in a regenerative heat exchanger, the
same fluid is passed along both sides of the exchanger, which can be either a plate heat
exchanger or a shell and tube heat exchanger. Because the fluid can get very hot, the exiting
fluid is used to warm the incoming fluid, maintaining a near constant temperature. Fourth is
an adiabatic wheel heat exchanger which uses an intermediate fluid is used to store heat,
which is then transferred to the opposite side of the exchanger unit. An adiabatic wheel
consists of a large wheel with threads that rotate through the fluidsboth hot and coldto
extract or transfer heat. These are some of the many types of heat exchangers. Theres also
plate and shell, plate fin, pillow plate, fluid heat, waste heat, dynamic scraped surface, phase
change, direct contact and microchannel heat exchangers.