EVALUATION OF REYNOLDS NUMBER FOR SHELL AND TUBE

HEAT EXCHANGER

Abstract
The experiment seeks to learn the principles of a shell and tube heat exchanger, and
evaluating for the Reynolds number for the flow.
Introduction
Heat transfer is the interchange of thermal energy between two
systems. There are three modes of heat transfer and these are the
conduction, convection, and radiation. As thermal energy is interchanged
between two bodies due to its temperature gradient, the systems also
change their internal energy. The direction of heat transfer always flow
from a body of a higher temperature to a lower temperature based on
the second law of thermodynamics. Heat transfer has a broad
application in the industry of engineers whereas this process is
thoroughly studied for insulating for some applications, such as thermal
insulators, and conducting for some applications, such as with a heat exchanger.
A heat exchanger is a device used to transfer heat between
one or more fluids, may it be liquid or gas. This fluids are typically
separated using a solid wall to prevent mixing or being in direct
contact. A specific and widely used type of heat exchanger is the shell
and tube heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is widely used in oil
refineries and other large chemical processes with high pressure
applications due to its ability to avoid the direct contact of the fluids.
One fluid flows through the shell and the other through the tube
conducting the thermal energy. Baffles are place to increase the
turbulence of the fluids increasing the heat transfer capability.
The simple yet intuitive design of the shell and tube heat
exchanger makes it ideal for cooling solution of hydraulic fuel in
engines. This design also makes it possible for the shell and tube to be
made of two different types of materials for improvement in the
corrosion resistance of the heat exchanger.
Reynolds number is a dimensionless number calculated for use in
predicting flow patterns in various situations. It is defined as the ratio of
inertial forces to viscous forces, and are used for determining the flow
regime of the fluid, such as laminar or turbulent flow. Laminar flow occurs
at low Reynolds number whereas Turbulent flow occurs at high Reynolds
number. Reynolds number doesnt perfectly describe the actual flow
characteristics but are known to be the important guides and are used
widely.
Objectives

Studying hot water flow influence in the heat transfer in the exchanger.
Calculate the velocity and Reynolds number associated to the motion of the fluid.

Methodology
Materials/Equipment/Apparatuses
Edibon TICTB Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger
Edibon TIUSB Base Service Unit
TICB. Heat Exchanger Training System
Hydraulic Bench

Procedure
1. Check that the valves are opened and that we have a counter-current flow configuration.
2. Check that the heating tank is filled with water above the level switch.
3. Switch on the pump and the resistor (equipment supply).
4. Set the tank temperature at 60 C (ST16).
5. Fix the hot water flow in 1.6 l/min approx. (SC1) and adjust the cold water flow until
reaching stationary operation conditions are met maintaining the temperature set for the
tank constant.
6. Write down temperature and flow measurement on the experimental sheet.
7. Reduce the hot water flow to 1.45 l/min approx. keeping the cold water flow constant.
8. Once the system is stable, write down temperature and flow measures on the experiment
sheet.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for 1.2 l/min and 1.1 l/min hot water flow rate.
10. Calculate the heat transferred by the fluid, the heat gained by the cold fluid and determine
the losses. Determine the logarithmic temperature mean difference, the global heat transfer
coefficient and the Reynolds number.

Safety Precautions
Make sure the wire is always unplugged when the apparatus is not in use.
Do not horseplay with the valves and fittings in the apparatus.
Dont wear any dangling accessories as it might interfere between the apparatus and the
user.
Make sure before flowing the water, the valves are in the correct position.
Stay away from the Water Heater and tubes because they might be hot and cause serious
burns.
Data and Results

Table 1. Raw Data

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4
ST-16 (OC) 45 50 55 60
ST-1 (OC) 42 45 51 53
ST-2 (OC) 38 39 42 44
ST-3 (OC) 37 37 42 43
ST-4 (OC) 36 37 40 42
ST-5 (OC) 36 36 39 41
ST-6 (OC) 35 35 38 40
ST-7 (OC) 35 34 37 38
SC-1 (l/min) 2 2 2 2
SC-2 (l/min) 1.6 1.45 1.2 1.1

Table 2. Processed Data

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4
qh (w) -545.59 -816.17 -1218.94 -1217.82
qc (w) 511.30 563.77 188.68 374.72
qL (w) 34.29 252.41 1030.25 843.10
Tlm (k) 3.92 6.38 6.81 7.83
U (w/m2k) 11.06 10.15 14.22 12.34
h (m/s) 0.002646 0.002646 0.002646 0.002646
c (m/s) 0.002116 0.001918 0.001587 0.001455
Reh 32173.04 33120.2 36140.85 37373.29
Rec 440837.3 388402.1 346825.5 329822.3

Schematic Diagrams
 Trial 1
46

44

42
Temperature(oC)

40

38

36

34
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Length(m)

Hot Water Cold Water

Trial 2
51

49

47
Temperature(oC)

45

43

41

39

37

35
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Length(m)

Hot Water Cold Water

 Trial 3

55

50
Temperature(oC)

45

40

35
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Length(m)

Hot Water Cold Water

Trial 4

59
Temperature(oC)

54

49

44

39
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Length(m)

Hot Water Cold Water

Results & Discussion
Four trials were performed each with a different hot water tank temperature with a
corresponding to different flowrates for cold water intake, but the same flowrates for hot water
intake. Heat transfer deviance increased between Trial 1 to Trial 4 due to the increase in water
leakage of the heat exchanger. Values for different stages of heat exchanger chambers recorded
and places in a table. The data was processed and the log mean temperature difference was
recorded. Corresponding with the previous experiment, increasing the hot storage tank temperature
increased the log mean temperature difference which means that it conducted heat more effectively
compared to those which had low differences.
The corresponding value for the U, the heat transfer coefficient was also calculated and
showed value in the range of 10 to 14, which is the bracket for an average value of U of a typical
shell and tube heat exchanger which is U=13.
Reynolds number was then calculated for both cold and hot water flow for each of the
Trials. Reynolds number for hot water flow was increasing with increasing hot water storage tank
temperature which means that the flow was becoming more turbulent. On the other hand the
Reynolds number for cold water flow was decreasing with increasing hot water storage tank
temperature because of the simultaneous decrease in cold water flow rate. Reynolds number for
cold water was nearly 10 times as much turbulent, than hot water. One of the reasons for this could
be that the cold water was flowing through baffles increasing its turbulence while hot water was
flowing through straight pipes.

Accuracy
Many things affected the results of the experiment including the leak in the shell and tube
heat exchanger. Because of this, many heat was lost making the heat transfer lower than expected.
One factor that might have affected the results was the ambient temperature of the room. The
condition of the room must also be taken into account because it also provides heat transfer making
the value deviate to the real value. Lastly, the condition of the water must be taken into account.
The water must be purely distilled and free from sediments that can also affect the heat transfer
efficiency.
Supplementary Data

The Reynolds number is defined as,

Where:
v is the maximum velocity of the object relative to the fluid (SI units: m/s)
L is a characteristic linear dimension, (travelled length of the fluid; hydraulic
diameter when dealing with river systems) (m)
is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid (Pas or Ns/m2 or kg/(ms))
(nu) is the kinematic viscosity ( = /) (m2/s)
is the density of the fluid (kg/m3).

Appendices

Figure 1. TICTB. Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Figure 2. TIUSB. Base Service Unit

 Figure 3. TICB. Heat Exchanger Training System

Reference/s

Holman, J.P. (1999). Heat Transfer, 8th ed. McGrawHill, Inc.

Kaka, S. & Liu, H. (2002). Heat Exchangers: Selection, Rating and Thermal Design, 2nd ed. CRC
Press.
Stokes, George (1851). On the Effect of the Internal Friction of Fluids on the Motion of
Pendulums. Transaction of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
Study of the heat transfer in countercurrent and parallel flow conditions. Edibon International.
(June 2010)

TICB. Heat Exchanger Training Systems. Edibon International. (November 2014)

Tipler, P. & Mosca, G. (2008). Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Vol. 1 6th ed. New York,
NY. Worth Publisher
 ME142L-A38

EXPERIMENT #9

EVALUATION OF REYNOLDS NUMBER FOR SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER

JIERDH, HANISH
3
August 09, 2016

August 15, 2016

ENGR. TEDDY CASACOP