Ch.E.

305 Process Heat transfer

Lecture Notes
Lecture 1 (21-01-2019):
Course Outline:
 Importance of industrial heat transfer
 Heat transfer equipment for process industries
 Selection and Performance evaluation criterion
 Process and mechanical design of concentric tube
 Shell and tube heat exchangers
 Air Coolers
 Compact and finned heat exchangers
 Design of heat exchangers with phase change
 Condensers
 Evaporators
 Boilers and Re-boilers
 Fundamentals of furnace design
 Introduction to pinch technology
 Computer applications in design if heat transfer fundamentals
Books:
 Process Heat transfer by D.Q kern, McGraw Hill, 1950 (Available)
 Process heat transfer, principles, applications and rules of thumb by Serth and
Elsiever, 6th edition, USA 2014
 Heat transfer in Process engineering by Cuo, McGraw Hill USA 2010.
 Introduction to process engineering and design by Thakare and Bhatt
 Heat exchanger design by Nistche and Butterworth, UK 2016
Basic Lecture:
Temperature profile: It shows variation of temperature of a stream(fluid) along
length(surface) of an exchanger or heat transfer equipment.
Ohms law dictates rate of exchange of conserved quantity which is equal to the ratio of
driving force (state function) and resistance (Path function).
Three critical conditions are important to consider
 Approach temp
 Meeting temp
 Cross temp
Flow Arrangements:
 Co-current or parallel
 Counter current
 Cross current
  Multi-pass
Where hot terminal end corresponds to inlet of hot fluid and cold terminal end corresponds to
outlet of cold fluid.
Temperature profile (Continued):
Slope of the tangent line to the temp. profile along length of exchanger shows temp. gradient
which is maximum rate of change of temp. with respect to distance normal to the direction of
the flow. Accordingly, flux is maximum and resistance is minimized corresponding to the
shortest path.
Gradient is +/- for the col/hot stream. Co-current is best for slurry, viscous fluids which need
high temperature difference for breakage. Counter-current resists mixing. More area, more
will be mixing.

Momentum transfer is inversely proportional to the heat transfer. Fins improve surface area
for heat transfer. Rate controlling resistance is maximum resistance. Others have negligible
resistances as compared to controlling.
NB: When a number of resistances are connected in series/parallel and an individual
resistance contributes lion’s share (major share)/minor fraction towards overall heat transfer
operation, then this highest/lowest resistance corresponding to slowest/fastest step acts as a
rate controlling, governing, limiting or rate determining step.
In a conductor, heat resistance is negligible in walls, generally tube walls.
When two or more resistances are in series, it contributes major fraction towards overall
resistance., then both should be considered.
If heat transfer takes place across tube walls, then following thermal resistances may exist:
1. Resistances offered by fluid film at inner surface of the tube.
2. Resistances offered by scale at inner surface of the tube.
3. Resistances offered by tube wall at inner surface of the tube.
4. Resistances offered by scale at outer surface of the tube.
5. Resistances offered by fluid film at outer surface of the tube.
Conventionally, all resistances based on the exterior surface of tube/pipe. Usually, tube walls
resistance is negligible as heat transfer is to be conducted across it’s wall (or along the
surface). The base radius we might choose is inner or original radius excluding scale that is
formed. Same is for outer radius.