NUST College of Electrical and

Mechanical Engineering

HMT Lab Project

Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger

Group Members: Syndicate: B

Abdullah Amin Mufti 341527
Junaid Ahmed 344947
Muhammad Haseem Khan 341281
Sarim Farqaleet Khan 342496

Submitted to: Engineer Muhammad Inshal

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Abstract:
The shell and tube heat exchanger is a widely used type of heat exchanger in various industries due to its
robust design and high heat transfer capabilities. Designing an efficient shell and tube heat exchanger involves
considering several factors such as the process fluid properties, flow rates, pressure drops, and temperature
requirements. This paper aims to provide an overview of the methodology involved in designing a shell and
tube heat exchanger. The paper begins with a brief introduction to the working principle and construction of
a shell and tube heat exchanger. The methodology section covers the process of selecting appropriate tube and
shell diameters, calculating the heat transfer area, determining the tube layout, and designing the baffle
configuration. Finally, the paper discusses the results obtained from the design process and provides
recommendations for optimizing the design. Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive guide to designing
a shell and tube heat exchanger for efficient and reliable operation.

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 Contents

Abstract: .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction: ................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Heat Exchanger: ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
Shell and Tube Type: .................................................................................................................................................... 5
Advantages:................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Disadvantages: .............................................................................................................................................................. 5
Components: ................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Working: ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Methodology: ................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Results: ........................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Thermal Design:.......................................................................................................................................................... 10
Pressure readings: ....................................................................................................................................................... 10
Mechanical Results: .................................................................................................................................................... 11
Duty: ........................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Discussion and Conclusions: ........................................................................................................................................ 12
References:..................................................................................................................................................................... 13

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 List of Figures
Figure 1: Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger 5
Figure 2: Components of Shell and Tube 6
Figure 3: Shell and Tubes 6
Figure 4&5: Water pathway External (Left) and Internal (Right) 6
Figure 6: Duty vs Temperature Profile Graph

List of Tables
Table 1: Duty vs Temperature

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Introduction:
Our report will be focusing on the designing process of shell and tube heat exchanger.
Among the many types of heat exchangers, shell and tube is most commonly used in industries for processes
like waste heat recovery, flow of in-line heating, cooling etc. Our purpose is to use software that is in our
case S&T Hex.

Heat Exchanger:
A heat exchanger is used to transfer heat from high temperature fluid to the lower
temperature fluid and vice versa. A heat exchanger is also used for heating and cooling process. In the heat
exchanger fluids don’t mix, this is done by the separating wall. There are many types of heat exchanger but
we’re focusing only on shell and tube type heat exchanger.

Figure 1: Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Shell and Tube Type:

Shell and tube heat exchanger is a device where two working fluids exchange
heat by thermal contact using tubes housed within a cylindrical shell. The fluid temperature inside the shell
and tube are different and this temperature difference is the driving force for temperature exchange. Used for
wide temperature and pressure range, Shell and tube heat exchangers are compact in design, easy in
construction and maintenance and provide excellent heat exchange.
Advantages:
♦ They have a steady design.
♦ They are flexible and resist thermal shocks.
♦ They can be designed without any dimensional limit.
♦ They are designed to handle high temperatures and pressure.
Disadvantages:
♦ They are less efficient than some other heat exchangers.
♦ They can often take up a lot of space.
♦ Due to tubing and pipes, the cleaning process is very difficult and time taking.

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 Figure 2: Components of Shell and Tube

Components:
By looking at the name we can say that the two main components of a shell and tube type are
a series of tubes enclosed in a cylindrical shell. The collection of tubes is called “tube nest”. The tubes pass
through baffles and tube sheets to keep them in place. One of the tube sheets is not fixed in order to
compensate in case of any thermal expansion.

Figure 3: Shell and Tubes

The fluid in tubes is called “Tube side” medium and in the shell is called “Shell side” medium.
Working:
The working of shell and tube type heat exchanger is very simple. There are two inlets and two
outlets. One is for hot fluid and cold fluid. As shown in figure 4 & 5, we can see how the fluid flows through
the shell and tube of the heat exchanger. The cold fluid flows through the tubes and the hot fluid through the
shield. Baffles are added in between the path of the hot fluid so it must cover a long path, in this way, more
heat is transferred between the working fluids.

Figure 4&5: Water pathway External (Left) and Internal (Right)

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Methodology:
We have used the software S & T Hex for our calculations. We followed the given
procedure.

• Firstly, we needed to select a shell side and tube side medium and specify the Inlet and outlet
temperature for both, which were based on our CMS IDs.

• Next, we will select the fluids in the software menu and assume a value for overall heat transfer
coefficient (this value will be changed via iteration process to make our design more efficient).

• We will be taking fixed-tube plate heat exchanger, and the no. of passes to be 1 for both shell and
tube. Initially, we kept them at 2,4 but the results were not accurate, same is the case with OD and
other tube parameters, all these parameters are selected through repeated iterative process. We have
taken co current flow, because heat transfer was much greater than the counter current one.

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• Based on our tube parameters, we will find out the number of tubes and the shell outer diameter
using the tube calculator.

• By inserting the no. of tubes and outer diameter of the shell, we can calculate the following
properties using the software.

• With the help of Nusselt No., we will calculate the shell & tube side heat transfer coeeficient.

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• Finally, we will make the calculations for shell side and the baffles.

• Material of construction, usually is mild steel for steam water heat exchangers but we didn’t have it
in the software, so we used carbon steel. We also calculate effectiveness and dirt factor which is
basically the fouling factor for our heast exchanger.

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Results:

The green sentence above tells us that the overall heat transfer coefficient that is calculated for our
design is within accurate range for the suitable design. Also, the over design factor is very less,
which tells us that our designing process was acceptable. The over surface percentage has been kept
at 30 % because if it is to be increased then the Value of overall heat transfer coefficient and the over
design percentage will be disturbed. The software results are given below

Thermal Design:

Pressure readings:
As we can see that the pressure values are within the allowable range.

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Mechanical Results:

Duty:
The amount of heat that is needed to be transferred from hot to cold side in a unit of time.

Table 1: Duty vs Temperature

Figure 6: Duty vs Temperature Profile Graph

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Discussion and Conclusions:
The use of S&T Hex software greatly simplifies the design process for shell and tube heat exchangers. The
software is capable of accurately predicting the heat transfer rate, pressure drop, and other important design
parameters based on the physical properties of the fluids, tube layout, and shell size. The results of the
design calculations using S&T Hex software show that a heat exchanger with a heat transfer rate of
2798.25kw can be achieved with 1840 tubes, each having an area of 2.49E-01 m2 and tube side volumetric
flow to be maintained as 3.08E-02 m3/s. The shell internal diameter is 990.6mm with an area of cross flow
(As) as 1.13E-01m^2.

Furthermore, the software allows for the selection of appropriate materials based on the compatibility with
the fluids being used and operating conditions. [1] This is a critical aspect of heat exchanger design, as the
materials must be able to withstand the corrosive or abrasive effects of the fluids while maintaining optimal
heat transfer efficiency. [2]

In conclusion, the use of S&T Hex software streamlines the design process for shell and tube heat
exchangers and enables the design of efficient and effective heat transfer systems for a wide range of
industrial applications. [3]

Final Drawing:

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References:

[1] A. Bejan, "General criterion for rating heat-exchanger performance," International Journal of Heat and Mass
Transfer, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 655-658, 1978.

[2] S. Sanaye and H. Hajabdollahi, "Multi-objective optimization of shell and tube heat exchangers," Applied
Thermal Engineering, vol. 30, no. 14-15, pp. 1937-1945, 2010.

[3] R. Mukherjee, "Effectively design shell-and-tube heat exchangers," Chemical Engineering Progress, vol. 94, no. 2,
pp. 21-37, 1998.

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