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NPTEL::ChemicalEngineeringHeatTransfer

Thefig.8.11showsanimportantparameter,mcp,theproductofmassflowrate(m)andthespecificheat,cp,ofthefluids.
Theproductmcpiscalledtherateofheatcapacity.
Theoverallenergybalanceoftheheatexchangergivesthetotalheattransferbetweenthefluids,q,expressedbyeq.8.5,
(8.5)

Thefig.8.11showstherelativevariationofthetwofluidtemperaturesthroughtheheatexchanger,whichisinfluencedby
whether
isgreaterorlessthan
.
In particular, for counter flow, examination of the sketches in fig.8.11 shows that limiting condition for maximum heat
transferisdeterminebywhether
isgreaterorlessthan
. When,
>
the maximum possible
heattransferisdeterminedbythefactthatthehotfluidcanbecooledtothetemperatureofthecoldfluidinlet.Thus,for
>

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16/07/2016

NPTEL::ChemicalEngineeringHeatTransfer

Fig.8.11:Temperatureprofilesof(a)parallelflow,and(b)counterflow,fordifferent

inequalities

Fortheothercasewhenthelimitisdeterminedasthecoldfluidisheatedtotheinlettemperatureofthehotfluid:
For,

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