Heat Exchanged Investigation

Ajay Krish
ME 320
April 15, 2016

Table of Contents
1.

INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................3
1.1 Objective and Utility of Heat Exchangers.............................................................................3
1.2 Assumptions, Equations and Variables..................................................................................3

2.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES.........................................................................................7
2.1 Concentric Tube Changing Temperature (Parallel Flow)...................................................7
2.2 Concentric Tube with Varying Flow Rate (Parallel Flow).....................................................7
2.3 Shell-and-tube........................................................................................................................7
2.4 Brazed Plate...........................................................................................................................8

3.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION...............................................................................................9

3.1 Heat Exchanger Analysis.......................................................................................................9
Question 1....................................................................................................................................9
Question 2..................................................................................................................................12
Question 3..................................................................................................................................15
Question 4..................................................................................................................................17

4.

CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................21
Main Points................................................................................................................................21
Recommendations......................................................................................................................21

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Objective and Utility of Heat Exchangers
The objectives of the conducted experiments are to compare the characteristics of parallel-flow
and counter-flow type concentric tube heat exchangers, and also compare concentric tube, shelland-tube and plate heat exchangers in counter-flow orientation. Furthermore, this lab investigates
the effects of varying inlet temperature and flow rate on heat exchanger effectiveness.
Heat exchangers are ubiquitous in a variety of industrial niches. They are present in aircrafts,
power plants, HVAC systems and many more. The concept of taking an input source of some
fluid and changing its temperature using another fluid is the basis for heat transfer in many of the
aforementioned applications. Being able to control heat transfer and understand the cost to
effectiveness ratio is important when implementing heat exchangers, as the exchanger that
produces the highest heat transfer rates may not be the best choice. As a result, a variety of heat
exchangers have been developed over time, each with their advantages and utility in different
regions of industry. The heat exchangers studied in this lab include concentric tube, shell-andtube and brazed plate heat exchangers.
In order to understand heat exchangers at a relatively deep level, it is important to understand the
effect of temperature on the thermal properties of fluids. This, combined with thermal system
analysis, which uses thermal circuits and energy balances, help develop an understanding for
heat exchanger operation.
1.2 Assumptions, Equations and Variables
A major assumption made during analysis in this lab is constant fluid properties during flow
through a heat exchanger. Furthermore, the pressure drop in the tubes are assumed to be
negligible, which means cold and hot fluids undergo constant-pressure heating and cooling.
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Furthermore, the conductive resistance from the thickness in heat exchanger tubes is set to zero
as the thickness is assumed to be very small.
The heat capacity rate combines the mass flow rate with the specific heat and is given by:
C j =m
j C pj
j
where m

(1)

is the mass flow rate for some fluid j, and

C pj

is the specific heat under constant

pressure for some fluid j. This is useful for calculating the heat transfer rate from hot to cold
fluid, which is given as:
h=C h (T h ,iT h ,o )
Q

(2)

where Ch is the specific heat of the hot fluid. Ideally, the heat transferred from the hot fluid is
completely absorbed by the cold fluid, which makes

h
Q

c
Q

where

c
Q

is of the same

form as Qh . The net heat transfer rate is given by:

net =min ( Q
h, Q
c)
Q

(3)

When analyzing heat exchangers, using an overall heat transfer coefficient is useful for
calculating overall heat transfer. This helps combine convective resistances of the fluids,
conductive resistance in the thickness of the tubes and potential resistance from fouling, which
can occur in heat exchangers.
The log-mean temperature difference can also be used to determine the net heat transfer rate. For
a parallel flow configuration, it is defined as:
T lm, PF =

(4)

( T h , iT c, i )( T h , oT c, o )
ln

T h ,iT c ,i
T h , oT c ,o

)
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where T h, i is the inlet temperature of the hot fluid,

T h, o is the outlet temperature of the hot

fluid, T c, i is the inlet temperature of the cold fluid and

T c, o is the outlet temperature of the

cold fluid. For a counter-flow heat exchanger, the log mean temperature is given as:
T lm, PF =

(5)

( T h , iT c, o ) ( T h , oT c ,i )
ln

T h , iT c ,o
T h , oT c ,i

The overall heat transfer rate can also be written as a function of the log mean temperature:
net =UA ( T lm)
Q

(6)

where U is the overall heat transfer coefficient and A is the cross sectional area through which
the fluid flows through in the tube.
The effectiveness of a heat exchanger, , measures the ratio of net heat transfer rate to the
maximum possible heat transfer rate. The maximum heat transfer is given by:
max =Cmin (T h ,iT c ,i )
Q

(7)

where Cmin is the minimum heat capacity rate between the hot and cold fluid.
The number of transfer units (NTU) is a dimensionless parameter that quantifies the thermal size
of the heat exchanger. It is expressed as:

NTU =

UA
C min

(8)

The effectiveness for both parallel and counter flow heat exchangers can be expressed as a
function of NTU. For parallel-flow, the effectiveness is given as:
PF =

(9)

1exp [NTU ( 1+Cr ) ]

1+C r

For counter-flow, the effectiveness correlated to the NTU with the following equation:
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CF =

(10)

1exp [NTU ( 1C r ) ]
1Cr exp [NTU ( 1C r ) ]

where Cr is the ratio between the minimum and maximum heat capacity rates.

2. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
2.1 Concentric Tube Changing Temperature (Parallel Flow)
1.
2.
3.
4.

Measure ambient temperature

Set the flow rate to 1.5 m/s for the hot and cold water
Record the temperature of the cold water at the inlet
Choose inlet temperatures from 40, 50, 60 degrees Celsius
1. Go in ascending order for successive runs
5. Wait 1 minute until heat transfer rates can be measured
6. Record intermediate and outlet temperatures for both hot and cold water flows
7. Repeat steps c-e for increasing temperature
2.2 Concentric Tube with Varying Flow Rate (Parallel Flow)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Measure ambient temperature

Set the inlet temperature of the hot water to 50 degrees Celsius
Set the cold water flow rate to 1.5 m/s
Record the temperature of the cold water at the inlet
Choose hot water flow rates from 1 m/s, 1.5 m/s and 2 m/s
1. Go in ascending order
6. Wait 1 minute until heat transfer rates can be measured
7. Record intermediate and outlet temperatures for both hot and cold water flows
8. Repeat steps d-g for increasing flow rates
2.3 Shell-and-tube
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Measure ambient temperature

Have hot water flow at 50 degrees Celsius
Record the temperature of the cold water at the inlet
Wait 1 minute until heat transfer rates can be measured
Record intermediate and outlet temperatures for both hot and cold water flows

6. Repeat steps b-f for increasing flow rates

2.4 Brazed Plate
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Measure ambient temperature

Have hot water flow at 50 degrees Celsius
Record the temperature of the cold water at the inlet
Wait 1 minute until heat transfer rates can be measured
Record intermediate and outlet temperatures for both hot and cold water flows
Repeat steps b-f for increasing flow rates

Figure 1. Flow schematic for heat exchanger set up

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Heat Exchanger Analysis
Question 1

Cold Flow at 60C

Cold Flow at 50C

Cold Flow at 40C

Hot Flow at 60C

Hot Flow at 50C

Hot Flow at 40C

Figure 2. Parallel flow concentric tube heat exchanger with varying inlet hot water
temperature

Cold Flow at 60C

Cold Flow at 50C

Cold Flow at 40C

Hot Flow at 60C

Hot Flow at 50C

Hot Flow at 40C

Figure 3. Counter-flow concentric tube heat exchanger with varying inlet hot water
temperature

Cold Flow at 1 L/min

Cold Flow at 1.5 L/min

Cold Flow at 2 L/min

Hot Flow at 1 L/min

Hot Flow at 1.5 L/min

Hot Flow at 2 L/min

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Figure 4. Parallel flow concentric tube heat exchanger with varying inlet hot water flow
rate

Cold Flow at 1 L/min

Cold Flow at 1.5 L/min

Cold Flow at 2 L/min

Hot Flow at 1 L/min

Hot Flow at 1.5 L/min

Hot Flow at 2 L/min

Figure 5. Counter-flow concentric tube heat exchanger with varying inlet hot water flow
rate
Figure 3 has one cold water flow curve that starts at a higher temperature than all the other flows
(24 degrees Celsius instead of 17 degrees Celsius). This may have been a measurement error,
however the trend for the curve, terminating at a lower heat transfer rate, makes sense in regard
to the rest of the cold flow curves represented in the same figure.
One key feature amongst the parallel and counter flow graphs is that the rate of temperature
change for the hot water remains constant for varying inlet temperature. This makes sense, as the
heat flux leaving the hot water system, which is equal to the slope of the temperature field, is
more a function of change in temperature than initial temperature.

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In all the graphs, the rate of temperature change for the cold water is constant for each case,
reflecting that the heat flux into the cold water volume remains the same regardless of varying
temperature or flow rate.
Another important feature seen in Figures 4 and 5 is that the outlet temperature for cold water
increases with flow rate. This trend is also reflected in the increased heat transfer rate that
accompanies the increase in the hot water flow rate.
In parallel flow and counter-flow, increasing the hot water flow rate decreases the slope of the
temperature field. It is important to note that in counter flow, the temperature at the inlet of the
hot water flow starts in the center of graph because that is where the heat transfer rate is the
highest. However, for parallel flow, the temperature for hot water flow starts where the cold
water flow does, on the y-axis where there is no heat transfer rate.
Question 2
Table 1. Parallel flow with varying temperature heat transfer rates and log mean
temperature difference

Braze Plate HX 40C

Braze Plate HX 50C
Braze Plate HX 60C
Concentric HX 40C
Concentric HX 50C
Concentric HX 60C
Shell and Tube HX 40C
Shell and Tube HX 50C
Shell and Tube HX 60C

Heat
Transfer
Product
(kW)
0.87
1.15
1.35
0.62
0.80
1.08
0.73
1.06
1.48

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Log mean
temperature
difference (C)
13.80
18.91
22.56
18.35
22.04
29.25
15.29
20.03
23.95

Table 2. Parallel flow with varying flow rate heat transfer rates and log mean temperature
difference

Concentric HX 1 L/min
Concentric HX 1.5 L/min
Concentric HX 2 L/min

Heat
Transfer
Product
(kW)
0.83
0.94
0.73

Log mean
temperature
difference (C)
25.72
26.37
28.85

Table 3. Counter-flow with varying temperature heat transfer rates and log mean
temperature difference

Braze Plate HX 40C

Braze Plate HX 50C
Braze Plate HX 60C
Concentric HX 40C
Concentric HX 50C
Concentric HX 60C
Shell and Tube HX 40C
Shell and Tube HX 50C
Shell and Tube HX 60C

Heat
Transfer
Product
(kW)
0.64
1.47
1.64
0.43
0.98
1.21
0.54
1.08
1.55

13

Log mean
temperature
difference (C)
NA
20.50
NA
10.49
NA
NA
NA
21.98
26.50

Table 4. Counter-flow with varying flow heat transfer rates and log mean temperature
difference
Heat
Transfer
Product
(kW)
1.45
1.47
0.86
1.00
0.98
0.62
1.24
1.08
1.16

Braze Plate HX 1 L/min

Braze Plate HX 1.5 L/min
Braze Plate HX 2 L/min
Concentric HX 1 L/min
Concentric HX 1.5 L/min
Concentric HX 2 L/min
Shell and Tube HX 1 L/min
Shell and Tube HX 1.5 L/min
Shell and Tube HX 2 L/min

Log mean
temperature
difference (C)
18.84
20.50
19.73
23.47
NA
22.99
22.94
21.98
20.40

As seen from Tables 1 and 3, increasing the inlet temperature of the hot water increases the net
heat transfer rate in the system. On the other hand, Tables 2 and 4 show that increasing flow rate
decreases the net heat transfer rate. The overall trend for increasing flow rate was decreasing log
mean temperature difference, although this was reversed for increasing temperature. However,
there were clearly sources of error, as certain log mean temperature difference resulted in a
division by zero error. This could only happen if the change in temperature across the hot and
cold water was equal (error only occurred in counter-flow setup), which is only possible in a
completely insulated system (is not the case with this experimental setup).
This error could have arisen from a lack of measurement resolution, as the thermocouple readout
only went to unitary accuracy. Furthermore, heat loss from the system may have affected
temperature readings, and variation in water temperature through the tube could have also lead to
faulty measurements. When acquiring data for the varying hot water flow rate case, the heating
unit did not have a functioning mixing tool, and thus the water had to be mixed by letting the hot
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water run through the system. As a result, the displayed water temperature may not have been
representative of the whole system. Another reason for the division by zero error could be from
setting the cold and hot water flow rates equal to one another in the varying temperature tests.
Since both flow rates were very close to 1.5 L/min, this could have caused the temperature
change across the hot and cold water to be equal, yielding a zero in the denominator when
calculating the log mean temperature difference.
Question 3
From Tables 1-4, the brazed plate heat exchanger produced the highest net heat transfer rate
averages. The efficiency of a heat exchanger can be quantified using the net heat transfer rate of
the exchanger because typical energy transfer units have efficiency measurements of work in
divided by work out which, in this case, would be the net heat transfer rate. The higher the net
heat transfer rates, the larger the temperature differences are for inlet and outlet fluid. For this
experiment, all heat exchangers had the same inlet temperature and flow rates for hot and cold
water, yet the brazed plate tube created the highest average temperature differences in each case
(Table 5-8).
Table 5. Parallel flow varying temperature average net heat transfer coefficients for each
heat exchanger
Average Heat Transfer
Rate (kW)
1.12
0.83
1.09

Heat Exchanger
Braze Plate HX
Concentric HX
Shell and Tube HX

15

Table 6. Parallel flow varying flow rate average net heat transfer coefficients for each heat
exchanger
Average Heat Transfer
Rate (kW)
0.83

Heat Exchanger
Concentric HX

Table 7. Counter flow varying temperature average net heat transfer coefficients for each
heat exchanger
Average Heat
Transfer Rate (kW)
1.25
0.87
1.06

Heat Exchanger
Braze Plate HX
Concentric HX
Shell and Tube HX

Table 8. Counter flow varying flow rate average net heat transfer coefficients for each heat
exchanger
Average Heat
Transfer Rate (kW)
1.26
0.86
1.16

Heat Exchanger
Braze Plate HX
Concentric HX
Shell and Tube HX

Note that Table 6 only has the concentric tube heat exchanger values because brazed plate and
shell and tube heat exchangers were not tested due to a faulty heating unit.

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Question 4

0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
PF 60 C
PF 50 C
PF 40
PF 1L/min
PF 1.5 L/min
PF 2 L/min

Figure 6. Parallel flow effectiveness as a function of the number of thermal units

0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
CF 40 C
CF 1 L/min
CF 2 L/min

Figure 7. Counter flow effectiveness as a function of the number of thermal units

As seen in Figure 6, a majority of the parallel flow tests fell on the

-NTU curve

corresponding to a Cr value of 1. This means that specific heat rate for both hot and cold water
were very close to one another. Since our experimental setup did not have large temperature

17

differences, the specific heat would not change much. We also maintained similar flow rates for
hot and cold water inlets, which, in combination with close specific heat values, would render the
specific heat rates very close for hot and cold water. Both 1 L/min and 2 L/min counter flow tests
fell on the curve corresponding to a Cr value of 0.75. However, Figures 7 and 8 seem to show
points that fall under the Cr =1 curve, which is impossible. This error may have occurred due to a
very close flow rate for hot and cold water, which could create discrepancies between actual
effectiveness and NTU values (as mentioned previously, the log mean temperature difference
could not be calculated in certain instances due to this error, so NTU values could not be
calculated either).
Furthermore, our system was not completely insulated, and losses to the environment may have
caused errors in effectiveness and NTU values, leading to improper correspondence on Figures 7
and 8.
Tables 9-13 show the effect of varying temperature and flow rate on the overall heat transfer
conductance and the environment heat transfer rate (heat lost to the environment). Negative
environment heat transfer signifies that heat is entering the system from the surroundings.
Table 9. Parallel flow varying temperature environment heat transfer rate and overall heat
transfer conductance
Heat Exchanger
Concentric HX 60C
Concentric HX 50C
Concentric HX 40C
Shell and Tube HX 60C
Shell and Tube HX 50C
Shell and Tube HX 40C
Braze Plate HX 60C
Braze Plate HX 50C
Braze Plate HX 40C

Environment Heat
Transfer (kW)
0.06
-0.04
0.01
0.18
0.19
0.11
-0.01
0.00
0.06
18

UA (W/m2)
0.037
0.036
0.034
0.062
0.053
0.048
0.060
0.061
0.063

Table 10. Parallel flow varying flow rate environment heat transfer rate and overall heat
transfer conductance
Heat Exchanger
Concentric HX 1 l/min
Concentric HX 1.5 l/min
Concentric HX 2 l/min

Environment Heat
Transfer (kW)
-0.01
-0.10
0.39

UA (W/m2)
0.03
0.04
0.03

Table 11. Counter flow varying temperature environment heat transfer rate and overall
heat transfer conductance
Heat Exchanger
Concentric HX 60C
Concentric HX 50C
Concentric HX 40C
Shell and Tube HX 60C
Shell and Tube HX 50C
Shell and Tube HX 40C
Braze Plate HX 60C
Braze Plate HX 50C
Braze Plate HX 40C

Environment Heat
Transfer (kW)
-0.03
-0.01
-0.12
-0.15
-0.24
-0.01
-0.06
0.02
0.01

19

UA (W/m2)
NA
NA
0.04
0.058
0.049
NA
NA
0.072
NA

Table 12. Counter flow varying flow rate environment heat transfer rate and overall heat
transfer conductance
Heat Exchanger
Concentric HX 1 l/min
Concentric HX 1.5 l/min
Concentric HX 2 l/min
Shell and Tube 1 l/min
Shell and Tube HX 1.5 l/min
Shell and Tube HX 2 l/min
Braze Plate HX 1 l/min
Braze Plate HX 1.5 l/min
Braze Plate HX 2 l/min

Environment Heat
Transfer (kW)
-0.12
-0.01
-0.06
0.01
-0.24
-0.13
0.30
0.02
-0.23

20

UA (W/m2)
0.03
NA
0.04
0.057
0.049
0.054
0.043
0.072
0.077

4. CONCLUSION
Main Points
1. Counter-flow heat exchangers work better than parallel flow heat exchangers because
higher temperature differences are maintained throughout the fluid flow.
2. The heat transfer product increased with increasing temperature, decreasing with
increasing flow rate. LMTD increased with increasing temperature and decreased with
increasing flow rate (in general).
3. The brazed plate heat exchanger yielded the highest net heat transfer rates, and as a
result, lead to was determined to be the most efficient heat exchanger.
4. Most heat exchanger tests yielded Cr values of around 1, however error could have arisen
from having similar flow rates for hot and cold water during temperature tests.
Recommendations
In order to improve this experiment, acquiring a module that has better digital resolution would
help prevent calculation errors. This may allow for similar hot and cold flow rates to produce
sensible values for the LMTD and NTU. Furthermore, running multiple fluids through the heat
exchangers would help determine the effect of fluid properties on heat transfer rates. This would
help deepen the scope of heat exchangers with respect to how fluid properties affect thermal
analysis.

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