DETAILS OF

ENGINEERING DESIGN
AND SELECTION OF HEAT
EXCHANGER
Introduction
A heat exchanger is a device in which two fluid streams,
one hot and another cold, are brought into thermal contact
in order to effect transfer of heat from the hot fluid stream
to the cold.
It provides relatively large area of heat transfer for a given
volume of the equipment.
The driving force for the operation of a heat exchanger is
the temperature difference between the fluids.
The mechanical design of a heat exchanger depends on
the operating pressure and temperature .
Classification of heat exchangers

Contacting
technique

Flow
arrangeme
Basis of Constructi
nt classification on

Surface
compactne
ss
 Contacting technique Indirect contact

Direct contact

Tubular [double-pipe, shell and tube, spiral tube]

Plate [plate and frame (gasketed and welded plate),

spiral plate]
Heat Construction
H
exchangers Extended surface [plate-fin, tube-fin]

Regenerative

Single pass [parallel flow, counter-flow, cross flow]

Flow arrangement
Multi-pass [parallel flow, counter-flow, split-flow,
divided flow]

Non-compact [surface area density < 700 m2/m3]

Surface compactness

Compact [surface area density > 700 m2/m3]

Fig: Classification of heat exchangers

Based on flow arrangements
Parallel flow

Counter flow

Cross flow
Based on construction
Tubular
Double pipe heat exchanger

Shell and tube heat exchangers

Spiral heat exchangers

Plate-type
Plate and frame heat exchangers

Spiral plate heat exchangers

Extended Surface
Plate-fin exchanger

Tube-fin exchanger
Based on transfer
process
Indirect Contact Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers

Direct Contact Cooling Towers

Based on phase of fluids

Gas-Liquid exchangers

Liquid-Liquid exchangers

Gas-Gas heat exchangers

SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER
Thermal Design Considerations
Heat Transfer Area
Number Of Tubes
Tube Length And Diameter
Tube Layout
Number Of Shell And Tube Passes
Type Of Heat Exchanger
Tube Pitch
Number Of Baffles, Its Type And Size
Shell And Tube Side Pressure Drop
 Shell
Shell is the container for the shell fluid
Tube bundle is placed inside the shell
The shell thickness of 3/8 inch for the shell ID
of 12-24 inch can be satisfactorily used up to
300 psi of operating pressure.
The selection of the material depends upon the
corrosiveness of the fluid and the working
temperature and pressure
Carbon steel is a common material for the shell
under moderate working conditions.
 Tube
Tubes of 19mm and 25mm diameter are
more commonly used
The tube thickness should be enough to
withstand the internal pressure
The tube thickness is expressed in terms of
BWG (Birmingham Wire Gauge) and OD
Increase in number of tubes increases
turbulence
The tube length of 6, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24
ft are preferably used
StainlessSteel, copper-nickel Alloy, Brass
Tube pitch, tube-layout &tube-count
Tube pitch is the shortest centre to centre
distance between the adjacent tubes
The number of tubes that can be
accommodated in a given shell ID is called
tube count.
Arrangements of tubes in a shell is called
tube layout
TUBE LAYOUT
 Tube sheet
The tube sheets are circular, thick metal
plates which hold the tubes at the ends.
The arrangement of tubes on a tube sheet
in a suitable pitch is called tube-sheet
layout.
Mostly circular with uniform pattern of
drilled holes are used
The tubes are attached to tube sheet by tube
rolling
The tube sheet thickness should be
greater than the tube outside diameter
 Tube passes
The tube passes vary from 1 to 16
The tube passes of 1, 2 and 4 are common in
application.
 Baffles
A baffle is a metal plate usually in the form of
the segment of a circle having holes to
accommodate tubes.
Segmental baffle is the most popular type
of baffle
The distance between adjacent baffles is called
baffle-spacing.
The baffle spacing of 0.2 to 1 times of the
ID is commonly used
A baffle cut of 20 to 25% provide a good heat-
transfer with the reasonable pressure drop.
 Shellside Flow
In

Tubeside Flow
Out
Shell

Tube Bundle

Shellside Flow
Out

Tubeside Flow
In

SINGLE SEGMENTAL BAFFLES - Horizontal

 Shell Outlet

Channel Inlet

Channel
Outlet

Shell Outlet

SINGLE SEGMENTAL BAFFLES - Vertical

DOUGHNUT AND DISC TYPE
BAFFLES
 Fouling Considerations
The most of the process fluids in the
exchanger foul the heat transfer surface.
Deposition of solid material on the surface of
shell&tube
Decreases heat transfer
Decreases flow rate
Lead to corrosion
High velocity fluids reduces fouling
 FLUID ALLOCATION
Shell Side Tube Side

Fluids which are prone to

fouling
Corrosive fluids
Toxic fluids to increase
containment
Viscous Fluids High pressure streams,
Lower Flow Rates since tubes are less
Cleaner Fluids expensive to build strong
Streams with low allowable
pressure drop
 APPLICATION OF HEAT
EXCHANGERS

Heat exchangers are used in many industries,

some of
which include:
Waste water treatment,
Refrigeration systems,
Wine-brewery industry,
Petroleum industry,
In aircraft industry to make the aircraft cool
during the flights.
THANK YOU