Heat exchanger:

A heat exchanger is a device that allows heat from a fluid (a

liquid or a gas) to pass to a second fluid (another liquid or gas) without the two fluids
having to mix together or come into direct contact.

Types of heat exchangers

There are four types of heat exchangers as discussed below:
1. Coil type heat exchanger: These types of heat exchanger are a coil made of
specially corrugated tubes, which make it possible to enhance the intensity of the
heat transfer. These are also known as Coil-wound heat exchangers and are
compact and reliable with a broad temperature and pressure range and suitable
for single phase as well as two phase streams.

2. Shell type heat exchanger: These types of heat exchanger consist of a shell (a
large pressure vessel) with a bundle of tubes inside it. One fluid runs through the
tubes, and another fluid flows over the tubes (through the shell) to transfer heat
between the two fluids. It is suited for higher pressure application.

3. Concentric tube heat exchanger: These types of heat exchanger are also
known as double pipe heat exchanger in which one pipe is placed inside another.
The cold fluid flows through the inner tube and the warm fluid flows through the
annular space between the outer and the inner tube.

4. Plate heat exchanger: These types of heat exchanger that uses metal plates to
transfer heat between two fluids. This has a major advantage over a conventional
heat exchanger in that fluids are exposed to a much larger surface area because
the fluids spread out over the plates.

Types of flows:
a) Co current flow: In this type of flow cold water and hot water moves in the
same direction parallel to each other.

a) Counter flow: In this type of flow cold water and hot water moves in opposite
direction to each other.
 A. Shell type heat exchanger:

Co current flow:

Flow 1 Flow 2 T1 (°C) T2 (°C) T3 (°C) T4 (°C)

(LPM) (LPM) Hot in Hot out Cold out Cold in
5 8 62 53 37 30
5 4 60 56 46 31

Counter current flow:

Flow 1 Flow 2 T1 (°C) T2 (°C) T3 (°C) T4 (°C)

(LPM) (LPM) Hot in Hot out Cold out Cold in

5 8 63 53 38 29
5 4 63 57 49 30
Comments:
Shell type heat exchanger with co current flow manages to transfer less heat as
compared with counter flow.
Co current flow efficiency= 77%
Counter flow efficiency= 80%

B. Concentric type heat exchanger

Co current flow:

Flow 1 Flow 2 T1 (°C) T2 (°C) T3 (°C) T4 (°C)

(LPM) (LPM) Hot in Hot out Cold out Cold in

5 8 66 61 38 34
5 4 67 64 45 35
 Counter current flow:

Flow 1 Flow 2 T1 (°C) T2 (°C) T3 (°C) T4 (°C)

(LPM) (LPM) Hot in Hot out Cold out Cold in

5 8 69 64 37 32
5 4 69 65 42 33

Comments:
Concentric type heat exchanger with co-current flow manages to transfer less heat as
compared with counter flow.
Co current flow efficiency= 80%
Counter flow efficiency= 100%

C. Plate heat exchanger:

Co current flow:

Flow 1 Flow 2 T1 (°C) T2 (°C) T3 (°C) T4 (°C)

(LPM) (LPM) Hot in Hot out Cold out Cold in

5 8 67 57 58 45
5 4 67 60 62 46

Counter flow:

Flow 1 Flow 2 T1 (°C) T2 (°C) T3 (°C) T4 (°C)

(LPM) (LPM) Hot in Hot out Cold out Cold in

5 8 66 51 61 42
5 4 64 55 64 43

Comments:
Plate type heat exchanger with co current flow manages to transfer less heat as
compared with counter flow.
Co current flow efficiency= 90%
Counter flow efficiency= 100%

Conclusion:
By observing above heat exchanger readings,
Plate type heat exchanger and concentric heat exchanger manages to transfer more
heat as compared to shell type heat exchanger.

Applications:
Coil type heat exchanger:
1. Coil type heat exchanger is being used in electric filament bulb.
2. It is also being used in sample cooling, analyzer pre-cooling, seal coolers,
condensers,.
3. It is also being used in cryogenic vaporizers, compressor inter and after coolers.
Shell type heat exchanger:
1. Shell type heat exchanger is being used in refinery and other large chemical
processes.
2. It is suited for higher pressure applications.
3. It is also being used in power plant and steam engines.

Concentric type heat exchanger:

1. Concentric type heat exchanger is being used in various industries such as
material processing, food preparation.
2. It is also used in air conditioning processes.
3. It also used in food preparation.
Plate heat exchanger:
1. Plate heat exchanger is also used in food and beverage.
2. It also used in petroleum and chemical processing and polymers.
3. It is also used in pharmaceuticals industry.
4. It is also being used in air conditioning and marines.