HEAT EXCHANGERS

Dr. Ali K. Abdel-Rahman

Mechanical Engineering Department
Faculty of Engineering
Assiut University
 OUTLINE
Definition & classification of heat exchangers

Heat exchangers according to construction

• Plate heat exchangers
• Extended surface heat exchangers
• Tubular heat exchangers

Heat exchangers according to phase change

• Condensers
• Evaporators
 WHAT IS A HEAT EXCHANGER?

They are devices specially designed for the efficient

transfer of heat from one fluid to another fluid over
a solid surface.
 WHAT ARE HEAT EXCHANGERS
USED FOR?
 They have the function to transfer heat as
efficiently as possible. Heat exchangers
are widely used in :
I. refrigeration
II. air conditioning
III. space heating
IV. electricity generation
V. chemical processing
 CLASSIFICATION OF HEAT
EXCHANGERS

Heat exchangers may be classified

according to the following main criteria:
• Recuperators and regenerators
• Transfer processes: direct contact and indirect
contact
• Geometry of constructions: tubes, plates and
extended surfaces
• Phase change mechanisms: condensers and
evaporators
• Flow arrangements: parallel, counter and cross flow
 RECUPERATORS

• The conventional heat exchangers with heat

transfer between two fluids.
• Hot stream A recovers some of the heat from
stream B.
 REGENERATORS

• Storage type heat exchangers.

The same flow passage (matrix) is alternately
occupied by one of the two fluids.
• Thermal energy is not transfered through the wall.
 TRANSFER PROCESSES
1. Direct contact type heat exchangers:

• Heat transfer
between the cold
and hot fluids
through a direct
contact between
these fluids.
• Examples: Spray and
tray condensers,
cooling towers.
2. Indirect contact type heat exchangers :

• Heat energy is
exchanged between
hot and cold fluids
through a heat
transfer surface.

• The fluids are not

mixed.
 FLOW ARRANGEMENTS

1. Paralel Flow Heat Exchangers:

• Two fluid streams enter together at one end,

flow through in the same direction, and leave
through at the other end.
 2. Counter Flow Heat Exchangers:

• Two fluid streams flow in opposite directions.

 3. Cross Flow Heat Exchangers:

• The direction of fluids are perpendicular to each

other.
 BASIC CRITERIAS FOR THE
SELECTION OF HEAT EXCHANGERS

Process specifications
Service conditions of the plant environment,
resistance to corrosion by the process
Maintenance, permission to cleaning and
replacement of components
Cost- Effectiveness
Site requirements, lifting, servicing,
capabilities
 PLATE HEAT
EXCHANCERS

– GASKETED PLATE
– SPIRAL PLATE
– LAMELLA
• Limited to below 25 bar
and 250ºC.
• Plate heat exchangers
have three main types :
gasketed, spiral heat
exchangers and lamella.
• The most common of the
plate-type heat
exchangers is the
gasketed plate heat
exchanger.
 GASKETED PLATE HEAT
EXCHANGER
• The most common of
the plate-type heat
exchangers is the
gasketed plate heat
exchanger.
 SPIRAL PLATE HEAT
EXCHANGER

• Ideal flow conditions and the smallest

possible heating surface.
 LAMELLA

• Consisting of cylindrical
shell surrounding a number
of heat transfering lamellas.
• Similar to tubular heat
exchanger.
 ADVANTAGES
• Plate heat exchangers yield heat transfer rates
three to five times greater than other types of heat
exchangers.
• The design of the plate heat exchanger allows to
add or remove plates to optimize performance, or
to allow for cleaning, service, or maintenance
with a minimum of downtime.
• Plate exchangers offer the highest efficiency
mechanism for heat transfer available in industry.
 DISADVANTAGES
• Plate exchangers are limited when high
pressures, high temperatures, or aggressive
fluids are present.

• Because of this problem these type of heat

exchangers have only been used in small, low
pressure applications such as on oil coolers for
engines.
 2. EXTENDED SURFACE
HEAT EXCHANGERS

- PLATE FIN HEAT EXCHANGER

- TUBE FIN HEAT EXCHANGER
 PLATE FIN HEAT
EXCHANGER
• For gas to gas
applications.
• Widely used in
cryogenic, energy
recovery, process
industry, refrigeration
and air coditioning
systems.
 TUBE FIN HEAT
EXCAHNGER
• For gas to liquid heat
exchangers.
• Used as condersers in
electric power plant, as
oil coolers in propulsive
power plants, as ir
cooled exchangers in
process and power
industires.
TUBULAR HEAT EXCHANGERS
• They are so widely used because the
technology is well established for making
precision metal tubes capable of containing
high pressures in a variety of materials.

 There is no limit to the range of pressures

and temperatures that can be accommodated.
TUBULAR HEAT EXCHANGERS

SHELL AND TUBE

DOUBLE-PIPE
SHELL AND TUBE HEAT
EXCHANGERS
SHELL AND TUBE HEAT
EXCHANGERS
• Are the most commonly
used heat exchangers in oil
refineries and other large
chemical processes.
• Are used when a process
requires large amounts of
fluid to be heated or
cooled.
SHELL AND TUBE HEAT
EXCHANGERS

• Provide transfer of heat

efficiently.
• Use baffles on the shell-
side fluid to accomplished
mixing or turbulence.
 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT
EXCHANGERS
• Tube: strong, thermally APPLICATIONS:
conductive, corrosion • Oil refining,
resistant, high quality. • Vapor recovery
• Outer shell: durable, systems,
highly strong. • Permanent engines,
• Industrial paint
• Inner tube: having systems.
effective combination
of durability, corrosion
resistant and thermally
conductive.
SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

U - TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

FIXED TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

FLOATING HEAD HEAT EXCHANGERS

 U - TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
• Heat exchanger systems consisting of straight
length tubes bent into a U-shape surrounded
by a shell.
 U - TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

• Both initial and maintenance costs are reduced

by reducing the number of joints.

• They have drawbacks like inability to replace

individual tubes except in the outer row and
inability to clean around the bend.
 U - TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
• Examples: reboilers, evaporators and Kettle
type.
• They have enlarged shell sections for vapor-
liquid separation.
 FIXED TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

• Have straight tubes that are secured at both

ends to tube sheets welded to the shell.
FIXED TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

• They are the most economical type design.

• They have very popular version as the heads
can be removed to clean the inside of the
tubes.
• Cleaning the outside surface of the tubes is
impossible as these are inside the fixed part.
• Chemical cleaning can be used.
FLOATING HEAD HEAT EXCHANGER

• One tube is free to float within the shell and the

other is fixed relative to the shell.
FLOATING HEAD HEAT EXCHANGERS

• A floating head is excellent for applications

where the difference in temperature between the
hot and cold fluid causes unacceptable stresses in
the axial direction of the shell and tubes.
• The floating head can move, so it provides the
possibility to expand in the axial direction.
• Design allows for bundle to be removed for
inspection, cleaning or maintenance.
FLOATING HEAD HEAT EXCHANGERS

• Examples : kettle boilers which have dirty

heating medium.
• They have the most highest construction cost of
all exchanger types.
 DOUBLE-PIPE HEAT EXCHANGERS

• They consist of one pipe

concentrically located
inside a second, larger one.
• Cold and hot liquid
respectively flows in the
gap of inner pipe and sleeve
pipe.
• Structure is simple and heat
transmission is large.
DOUBLE-PIPE HEAT EXCHANGERS

• Utilize true counter-current flow which

maximizes the temperature differences
between the shell side and tube side fluids.
 DOUBLE-PIPE HEAT EXCHANGERS

• When the process calls

for a temperature cross,
it is the most efficient
design and will result in
fewer sections and less
surface area.
 DOUBLE-PIPE HEAT EXCHANGERS
ADVANTAGES

• Operates in true counter current flow permitting

extreme temperature cross.
• Economically adaptable to service differentials.
• Ideal for wide temperature ranges and
differentials.
• Provides shorter deliveries than shell and tube
due to standardization of design and
construction.
 PHASE CHANGE HEAT
EXCHANGERS

1.Reboilers 2.Condensers
(Evaporaters)
1)REBOILER
to generate vapor to drive fractional distillation
separation

Most Common Reboiler’s Types

Kettle Reboilers
Forced Recirculation Reboilers
Thermosiphon Reboiler
Kettle Reboilers
Major factors influence reboiler type
selection:

 Plot space available

 Total duty required
 Fraction of tower liquid traffic vaporized
 Fouling tendency
 Temperature approach available
 Temperature approach required
 Kettle Reboilers
Advantages Disadvantages
 Insensitive to  All the dirt collects and
hydrodynamics non volatiles
 High heat fluxes are accumulate
possible  Shell side is difficult to
 Can handle high clean
vaporization  Difficult to determine
 Simple piping the degree of mixing
 Unlimited area  Oversize shell is
expensive
Thermosiphon Reboiler
Thermosiphon Reboiler

operate using natural circulation with process

flow on the shell side
process flow on the tube or shell side in
vertical units.
not require a pump for recirculation
have sensible heat transfer followed by
nucleate boiling.
Forced Recirculation Reboilers
 Forced Recirculation Reboilers
• These reboiler types have two mechanisms
of heat transfer: sensible heat transfer
followed by nucleate boiling.

• Process flow is typically on the tube side of

a standard exchanger in the vertical
position.
 2)CONDENSERS

a) Water-Cooled b) Air- Cooled

Condensensers Condensers
 Horizontal shell and Phases:
tube 1) de-super-heating
 Vertical shell and 2) Condensing
tube 3) Subcooling
 Shell and coil
 Double pipe
Single-Pass Condenser
 SELECT AN WATER-COOLED
CONDENSER
…IF:

1. Adequate water supplies are available from tower, city or well sources.
2. Water supply is of good quality.
3. Heat recovery is not practical or unimportant.
4. Plant ambient temperatures consistently exceed 95°F.
5. Ambient air is polluted with large dust and dirt particles.

ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGES

1. Offer lower capital investment.

2. Operates more efficiently on hot summer days.
3. Easier to operate.
4. Does not offer summer ventilation.
 SELECT AN AIR-COOLED
CONDENSER
...WHEN:

1. Adequate water supply not available from tower or well sources.

2. Water supply is not of good quality.
3. Heat recovery is practical and important.
4. Plant ambient temperature will not consistently exceed 95°F.
5. Ambient air is not polluted with large dust and dirt particles.

ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGES

1. Somewhat more costly to purchase and operate.

2. Gives less cooling on hot summer days.
3. Consumes more electricity.
4. Offers summer ventilation and winter supplement heating.
 OUTLINE
Definition & classification of heat exchangers

Heat exchangers according to construction

•Plate heat exchangers
•Extended surface heat exchangers
•Tubular heat exchangers

Heat exchangers according to phase change

•Condensers
•Evaporators
REFERENCES
 Andreone, C.F., Tubular heat exchanger inspection, maintenance, and repair,
McGraw-Hill, NY, 1998
 Couper JR,Penry W.R., Fair J.R., Walas S.M., Chemical Process Equipment,
Elsevier Inc, 2005
 Incropera,F.P.,Dewitt D.P., Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, 5th ed.,John
Wiley & Sons Inc., NY,2000
 Kakaç, S. Heat exchangers, CRC Press, Fla, 1998
 Shah, R.K.,Psekulis D., Fundamental of Heat Exchanger Design, John Wiley
&Sons Inc., NY,1999
 http://chentserver.uwaterloo.ca/courses/Che025Lab/perry/Chap11.pdf
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_exchanger#Flow_arrangement
 http://www.advantageengineering.com/fyi/110/advantageFYI110.php
 http://www.buildingdesign.co.uk/mech/guntner/dry-air-coolers.htm
 http://www.engineeringpage.com/heat_exchangers/tema.html
 http://www.martechsystems.com/downloads/tech_managingreboilerops.pdf
 http://www.me.wustl.edu/ME/labs/thermal/me372b5.htm
 http://www.pacificconsultant.net/compact_heat_exchanger.htm
 http://www.rwholland.com/hairpin.htm
 http://www.taftan.com/thermodynamics/EXCHANGE.HTM
 http://www.thomasnet.com/about/exchangers-heat-shell-tube-26641001.html
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING...