Heat exchangers

Shell and tube heat exchanger

Components of STE:
• shell;
• shell cover;
• tubes;
• channel;
• channel cover;
• tubesheet
• Baffles and nozzles
 Fixed tube sheet

• The principal advantage of the fixed tubesheet construction is

its low cost because of its simple construction.
• Tubes can be cleaned mechanically after removal of bonnet.
• Limitation on shell side cleaning.
• At large differential temperature b/n the tubes and a shell, the
tube sheets cannot withstand the differential stress.
• U tube:
• Requires large shell diameter to incorporate the U-tube.
• The advantage of a U-tube heat exchanger is that because one end is free,
the bundle can expand or contract in response to stress differentials.
• The outsides of the tubes can be cleaned, as the tube bundle can be
removed.
• Limitation with dirty fluid inside as tubes cannot be cleaned effectively.
• Floating head
• Can be used for dirty fluids both on shell side and tubeside.
• Relatively costly.
• Generally used for high duties.
 Construction
• Bundle of tubes in large cylindrical shell
• Baffles used both to support the tubes and to direct into
multiple cross flow
• Gaps or clearances must be left between the baffle and the
shell and between the tubes and the baffle to enable
assembly
Shell

Tubes

Baffle
Shell-side flow
Tubes Dimensions

Tube diameters in the range 5/8 in. (16 mm) to 2 in. (50 mm) are used. The
smaller diameters /to 1 in. (16 to 25 mm) are preferred for most duties, as they
will give more compact, and therefore cheaper, exchangers. Larger tubes are
easier to clean by mechanical methods and would be selected for heavily
fouling fluids.

The preferred lengths of tubes for heat exchangers are: 6 ft. (1.83 m), 8 ft (2.44
m), 12 ft (3.66 m), 16 ft (4.88 m) 20 ft (6.10 m), 24 ft (7.32 m).

The optimum tube length to shell diameter will usually fall within the range of 5
to 10.
 Tube layouts

pitch
Triangular Rotated Rotated
Square square
30o triangular 90o
60o 45o

• Tube pitch is defined as the shortest distance between two adjacent tubes.
• Typically, 1” tubes on a 1.25” pitch or 0.75” tubes on a 1” pitch
• recommended minimum clearance between the tubes is 0.25 in. (6.4 mm)
for square pitch
• Triangular layouts give more tubes in a given shellthe
• Square layouts give cleaning lanes with close pitch
 TEMA terminology

Rear
Front end Shell end
stationary head head
type type

• Letters given for the front end, shell and rear end types
• Exchanger given three letter designation
• Above is AEL
 Front head type
• A-type is standard for dirty tube side
• B-type for clean tube side duties. Use if possible - cheap and
simple.

A B

Channel and removable cover Bonnet (integral cover)

 Shell type

• E-type shell commonly used for simple operations

• F shell gives pure counter-current flow with two tube
passes (avoids very long exchangers)

E F Longitudinal baffle

One-pass shell Two-pass shell

Note: longitudinal baffles are difficult to seal with

the shell especially when reinserting the shell after maintenance
 • G and H shells normally only used for horizontal
thermosyphon reboilers
• J and X shells if allowable pressure drop can not be
achieved in an E shell

G H
Longitudinal
Split flow baffles Double split flow

J X

Divided flow Cross flow

 Rear head type

These fall into three general types

• fixed tube sheet (L, M, N)
• U-tube
• floating head (P, S, T, W)
Use fixed tube sheet if ▲T below 50oC, otherwise use other
types to allow for differential thermal expansion
bellows in shell are used to allow for expansion but these are
special items which have pressure limitations (max. 35 bar)
Baffles
• Baffle cut can vary between 15% and 45% of the shell
inside diameter.
 Allocation of fluids
• Put dirty stream on the tube side - easier to clean inside the tubes

• Put high pressure stream in the tubes to avoid thick, expensive shell

• When special materials required for one stream, put that one in the tubes to
avoid expensive shell

• Cross flow gives higher coefficients than in plane tubes, hence put fluid
with lowest coefficient on the shell side

• If no obvious benefit, try streams both ways and see which gives best
design
 Debutaniser overhead condenser

Hot side Cold side

Fluid Light hydrocarbon Cooling water

Corrosive No No
Pressure(bar) 4.9 5.0
Temp. In/Out (oC) 46 / 42 20 / 30
Vap. fract. In/Out 1/0 0/0
Fouling res. (m2K/W) 0.00009 0.00018
Shell and tubes can handle fouling but it can be reduced by

• keeping velocities sufficiently high to avoid deposits

• avoiding stagnant regions where dirt will collect

• avoiding hot spots where coking or scaling might occur

• avoiding cold spots where liquids might freeze or where corrosive produ
may condense for gases
• Shell and tube fluid velocities

• High velocities will give high heat-transfer coefficients but

also a high-pressure drop.

• The velocity must be high enough to prevent any suspended

solids settling, but not so high as to cause erosion. High
velocities will reduce fouling.

• Plastic inserts are sometimes used to reduce erosion at the tube

inlet. Typical design velocities are given below:
• Liquids

• Tube-side, process fluids velocity:

1 to 2 m/s,
maximum 4 m/s if required to reduce fouling
water: 1.5 to 2.5 m/s.
Shell-side: 0.3 to 1 m/s.

• Vapours
• The velocity used will depend on the operating pressure and fluid
density;

• the lower values in the ranges given below will apply to high
molecular weight materials.

Vacuum 50 to 70 m/s
Atmospheric pressure 10 to 30 m/s
High pressure 5 to 10 m/s
• Kerns method:
Shell side:
1) Calculate the area for cross-flow As

Pt= tube pitch

do= tube outer diameter
Ds= shell diameter
lB= baffle spacing

2) Calculate the shell side mass velocity Gs and linear velocity ‘Us’

Ws fluid flow rate on the shell side, kg/sec

ρ = shell-side fluid density, kg/m³
3) Calculate the shell equivalent diameter
For a square pitch arrangement:

For a triangular pitch:

4) Calculate the shell side reynolds number:

Nre= GsDe/µ
5) Calculate the Nu number

6) Calculate the shell side pressure drop:

 Design an exchanger to sub-cool condensate from a methanol condenser
from 95 °C to40°C. Flow-rate of methanol 100,000 kg/h. Brackish water
will be used as the coolant, with a temperature rise from 25° to 40°C.
Heat capacity methanol = 2.84 kJ/kg ºC
Heat capacity water = 4.2 kJ/kg ºC
• As brackish water is more corrosive it is preferred on tube side.
Heat load: mcp(∆T)= (10000/3600)*2.84*55= 4340 KW
Mass flow rate of water = 4340/(4.2*(40-25))= 68.9 kg/s
 
 
∆Tln=  (95  40)  (40  25)  = 31ºC
  55  
 ln   
  15  
True temperature difference = 31*Ft= 31*0.85= 26 ºC
U = 600 W/m² ºC
Provisional area A = Q/U*∆Tln = 278 m²

Tube dimensions:
5/8 inch to 2 inch tubes are most often used
5/8 to 1 inch is preferred as they have small diameter, more compact and
therefore cheaper exchangers
But for highly fouling fluid larger tubes are preferred

Take a tube of 5/8 inch ID, and OD of 20 mm

Preferred lengths of tubes for heat exchangers are:
6ft, 8ft, 12ft,16feet.

Therefore take L= 16 feet = 4.83 mts

Area of one tube= π*do*L= 0.303 m²

Number of tubes = Total area/surf. Area of one tube = 278/0.303 = 918

As shell side fluid is non-corrosive, take a triangular pitch

Pt=1.25 (OD of tube)
Calculation of bundle diameter:

826 mm
• Bundle diameter clearance:
• Shell diameter = Ds= 826+68 mm = 894mm

Tube side coefficient:

Mean water temperature: 33ºC

Properties of water at that temperature,

Viscocity= 0.8 *10ˉ³ . Kf = 0.59 W/mºC
Density = 995 kg/m³
Tubes per pass= 918/2=459
Total flow area= 459* C.S area= 459*(π/4*0.016²) = 0.092 m²
Mass flux or water mass velocity = 68.9/0.092 = 749 kg/s-m²
calculate reynolds number: NRe14925
Calculate prandtl number : 5.7
L/di = 302
• Correlated eqn. for Nu is
• From figure,
jh = 3.9*10ˉ³
Therefore hi = 3812 W/m² C

Shell side coefficient :

choose baffle spacing lB = Ds/5= 894/5 = 178mm or (Ds x 0.2 = 894 x 0.2)
Tube pitch = 1.25*20 = 25 mm
Cross-flow area = (25-20)/25 *0.894*0.178= 0.032 m²
Mass velocity, Gs = 100000/3600*(1/0.032) = 868 kg/s m²

Equivalent diameter = 1.1

20
 
252  0.917  20 2 = 14.4 mm

Mean shell side temperature = (95+40)/2 = 67.5 C

Density of methanol = 750 kg/m³

Viscocity = 0.34 mNs/m², Kf = 0.19 W/mºC, Cp= 2.84 KJ/kgºC

Reynolds number = Gs*De/µ = 36762, Prandtl number = 5.1 Choose
25% baffle cut
• jh= 3.3 *10ˉ³

therefore, hs = 2740 W/m²C

Calculate overall heat transfer coefficient:

• U = 738 W/m² C
Well above assumed value

Pressure drop:
On tube side: jf= 0.0043s

On shell side:
jf = 0.04
• ∆Ps = 272 kPa (very high)

• Reduce the velocity to half the previous velocity on shell side:

• Calculate ∆Ps and overall heat transfer coefficient.
• 1.2 kg/sec of an organic liquid is to be cooled from 45ºC to 20ºC. The
organic liq. Is cooled by chilled water supplied from a refrigeration unit at a
temperature of 5ºC. and can be heated upto 10ºC
Fouling resistance for org.liq.= 0.0002
Fouling resistance for water = 0.0004
K of steel tube = 45 W/mK

Organic liquid water

Cp J/kgK 2150 4180
Viscocity N.s/ m2 0.00025 0.0008
Density (kg/m³) 716 1000
Kf W/mK 0.133 0.61