HEAT EXCHANGER

By Sabharish Murali

WHY DO WE NEED HEAT EXCHANGERS?

To evaporate liquids

To condense vapors
Recover heat and save energy
To get the fluid stream at the required operating temperature
To drive power cycle

CLASSIFICATION

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON FLOW

Flow
Counter

Cross

Parallel

Heat Exchangers

TYPES

Recuperative

Regenerative

Shell and
Tube
Tubular

Spiral Tube
Double
Pipe

In-Direct Type
Extended
Surface

Finned
Tube
Finned
Plate

Recuperative

Plate
Direct Type

Gasketed
plate
Spiral plate
Lamella

Rotary
regenerator

Disk Type

Drum Type
Regenerative

Fixed-Matrix
Regenerator

CLASSIFICATION
Shell and Tube HX

Fixed-tube bundle
Removable tube bundle
Floating-head Exchanger
U-tube Exchanger

SHELL AND TUBE EXCHANGER TYPES

STHE Type

TEMA Codes

Advantages

Disadvantages

Selection Criteria

SELECTION OF HEAT EXCHANGERS

CRITERIAS TO BE CONSIDERED
Materials of construction

Operating conditions(Temperature ,Pressure)

Flow rates
Flow arrangements
Performance parameters
Fouling
Fluid involved

CRITERIAS TO BE CONSIDERED
Maintenance, inspection, cleaning, extension

Overall economy
Fabrication techniques
Intended Applications

MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION
Should have a well defined corrosion rate in the service
environment
Strength to withstand pressure and temperature
Compact heat exchangers with extended surfaces need material
from any metal thats malleable, drawability and formability.

Example Materials: Titanium, zirconium, tantalum , glass etc

Plate type exchangers need a material that can be pressed &
welded

OPERATING CONDITIONS
Pressure

Determines the thickness of pressure retaining comp.

pressure

Thickness

Advantageous to put the higher pressure fluid on tubeside

FLOW RATES
Determines the flow area

Higher flow area is necessary to limit the flow velocity through

the conduits and flow passages
Higher velocity is limited by pressure drop, erosion, impingement
and in S&T HX, the flow induced shell-side vibrations

Sometimes a minimum flow velocity is reqd. to improve heat

transfer.

FLOW ARRANGEMENTS
The choice of a particular flow arrangement is dependent on

Exchanger effectiveness
Construction type
Upstream and downstream ducting
Packaging envelope

PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS
Thermal effectiveness

For high performace applications requiring high thermal

effectiveness use
Brazed plate-fin exchanger
Regenerators (Ex. Gas-turbine )
For slightly less thermal effectiveness use tube-fin exchangers
For low thermal effectiveness use shell and tube heat
exchangers

PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS
Pressure drop

Very important parameter in HX design

Pressure drop limitation is imposed by pumping cost or
process limitation
HX must be designed such that Unproductive pressure drop is
avoided to the maximum extent in areas like inlet, outlet
bends, nozzles and manifolds.

FOULING
Formation of undesirable deposits that impede heat transfer and
increase resistance to fluid flow is called fouling
Thermo-hydraulic performance decreases with time.
Affects the energy consumption of industrial processes and
decides the extra material required to compensate fouling.
Compact heat exchangers dont handle fouling well and is
preferred for non-fouling applications.
In shell and tube heat exchangers the fluid with fouling tendency
is put on the tube side.

FOULING
Plate heat exchangers and spiral plate exchangers are better for
fouling applications.
In spiral units, the scrubbing action of fluids on the curved
surfaces minimizes fouling.

OVERALL ECONOMY
2 major costs involved

Operating costs (includes maintenance costs)

Construction costs
Construction costs depend on
Heat transfer area required
Complexity of design

OVERALL ECONOMY
Operating costs

Pumping costs
Maintenance costs like repairs, costs due to fouling/corrosion
Design needs to balance between thermal sizing and pressure
drop.

FABRICATION TECHNIQUES
Very important in selection of heat transfer surface matrix or core

Major factor in
Initial costs
Service life
Ease of maintenance
Integrity

FABRICATION TECHNIQUES
Example

Shell and tube units are fabricated by welding.

Plate heat exchangers are fabricated by brazing
Soldering, mechanical assembling etc. are the different
fabrication techniques used depending on the heat exchanger.

APPLICATIONS
Application

Remarks

Low viscosity fluid to low viscosity fluid

For high T/P use STHE,

Low viscosity to steam

For non-corrosive , use STHE. For more

demanding duties, where steam pressures
are moderate use PHE

Medium-viscosity fluid

Use PHE. In the event of high solids content,

gasket problem SHTE

High-Viscosity fluid

PHE is preferred, but for extreme viscosity

use SHTE

Fouling liquids

Use SHTE with removable tube bundle.

PHE can also be used

APPLICATIONS
Application

Remarks

Slurries, suspension and pulps

Use STEH

Heat sensitive liquids

Use PHE, STHE can also be used

Air cooling

Use extended surface

Gas or air under pressure

STHE with extended surface on gas side

Brazed-fin plate exchanger for high thermal
effectiveness

Cryogenic

Use Brazed aluminum plate-fin exchanger

Vapor condensation

Use STHE

Vapor/gas partial condensation

Use STHE type 3