Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Shell and Tube Condenser Design

(BXS)

Atiqul Islam Ahad (1510040)

Emdadul Hoque Chowdhury (1510043)
Md. Shajedul Hoque Thakur (1510045)
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 4
Chapter 2 PROBLEM STATEMENT .......................................................... 7
Chapter 3 OBJECTIVES............................................................................ 9
Chapter 4 DESIGN STRATEGY .............................................................. 10
Chapter 5 DESIGN FACTORS ................................................................ 11
Choosing the TEMA type ..................................................................... 11
Process requirements ......................................................................... 12
Dimensions, Passes and Number of tubes and shell ........................ 12
Pumping power requirement............................................................... 13
Chapter 6 DESIGN DRAWINGS .............................................................. 14
Isolated view of some major components: ........................................ 15
Chapter 7 FABRICATION OF A SCALE-DOWN PROTOTYPE .............. 18
Chapter 8 Economic Calculation ........................................................... 22
Chapter 9 CALCULATION....................................................................... 23

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Our team would like to take this opportunity and convey our
heartiest gratitude towards Dr. Md. Ashiqur Rahman,
whose constant support and enthusiasm has driven us to
successfully complete this project. Also, we would like to
thank Musanna Galib, who has constantly motivated us
through his words and made us complete the project in due
time.

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 ABSTRACT

The condenser at the turbine outlet of a vapor power cycle

in a 1 MW power plant is to be designed to condense the
spent steam of the turbine outlet into water that is to be fed
as feed water into the boiler. The saturated steam, which is
at a very low pressure, is cooled using readily available
water at room temperature. A Shell and Tube heat
exchanger (TEMA BXS) has been designed to meet the
process parameters while maximizing performance and
minimizing cost. The design consists of 2 tube passes and
cross flow between the two fluids, while the rear end
consists of a floating head.

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 Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

A Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger (STHX) is a class of

heat exchanger designs that consists of a shell (a large
pressure vessel) with a bundle of tubes inside it. Two fluids,
one hot and the other cold, flow through the heat
exchanger. One flows through the tubes (the tube side) and
the other flows outside the tubes, i.e. inside the shell (the
shell side). Heat is transferred from the hot fluid to the cold
primarily by convection in both the tube side fluid and the
shell side fluid. Heat is also transferred through the tube
walls by conduction.

Shell and tube condensers are the most commonly used

heat exchangers in process industries because of their
relatively simple manufacturing and their adaptability to
different operating conditions. This condenser type
distinguishes itself by low-pressure drops with high flow
velocities. Optimization of shell and tube condenser design
involves analysis of both thermo-hydraulic performance as
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well as capital and operating costs from an economic point
of view, those which gain importance because of the current
and future share of the market of this condenser type in
various industries.

The design and choice of the types and dimensions of the

STHX components for this project was done following the
standards presented by the Tubular Exchanger
Manufacturing Association (TEMA).

FIGURE 1. Schematic diagram showing the 2 tube passes and the cross
flow of fluids inside the STHX.

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Based on the best of our knowledge and literature review,
a shell and tube heat exchanger of TEMA type BXS has
been chosen to be appropriate as the condenser of the
power plant in consideration.

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 Chapter 2
PROBLEM STATEMENT

The proposed plan was to design a Shell and Tube Heat

Exchanger that will serve as a condenser to convert
saturated steam into water for a steam turbine in a 1MW
power plant vapor power cycle.
The fluid at the turbine exit is saturated vapor at 37.7oC
and it is to be cooled by the condenser to liquid water at
36.5oC. Cooling water is available at 23oC.

TABLE 1. Process Parameters

Hot Fluid (shell): Steam Cold Fluid (tubes): Water

𝑚̇ℎ = 3 ton / hr = 0.833 kg/s 𝑚̇𝑐 = 96 kg/s

Thi = 37.7oC (saturated
TCi = 23oC
vapor)
Tho = 36.5oC (condensed
TCo = 28oC
liquid)
Nearly constant -94.8 kPaG Inlet Pressure: 160 kPaG
(Psat) Allowable drop: 50 kPaG

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A schematic showing the process parameters and the
calculated appropriate flow rate of the cold fluid required is
shown below.

FIGURE 2. Process parameters at the power plant and the calculated

appropriate flow of cold fluid.

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 Chapter 3
OBJECTIVES
1. To design a heat transfer equipment that will carry out
the required process while meeting the following
requirements:

✓ maximum thermo-hydraulic performance

✓ minimum cost

✓ appropriate dimensions

✓ long term usability

✓ adequate mechanical strength

2. To construct a scaled-down prototype of the original

design.

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 Chapter 4
DESIGN STRATEGY
The given problem statement was carefully analyzed and it
was decided which type of heat exchanger would serve the
purpose best. A Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger was found
to be best suited for the process in question.
Energy balance has been performed using the shell side
mass flow rate, state change, and the tube side
temperature change, to determine the tube side mass flow
rate of cold fluid required.
A preliminary design was then drafted using the methods
learnt during the course and using references from different
text books and design handbooks to make rational
assumptions for the unknown dimensions using
recommended standards, such as ¾’’ BWG 18 tubes.
Based on the preliminary design, inputs were given to the
Heat Transfer Research, Inc. (HTRI) Xchanger suite
software which was used to iterate and optimize the design
variables to meet the design requirements of heat transfer
as well as pressure drops.
3D-Drawings and sectional views of the project were
designed and generated using the 3D CAD design software
SolidWorks.

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 Chapter 5
DESIGN FACTORS
Shell and Tube heat exchangers are generally made of
various combinations of front head, shell and rear head as
recommended by the Tubular Exchanger Manufacturing
Association (TEMA) and are referred to as the TEMA types
of the HTXs.

Choosing the TEMA type

Front head type

It has been observed in previous studies
that the B type front head is cheap and simple,
and it is also appropriate for clean tube side
duties and hence applicable in our case.

Type of shell
Cross flow has been found to be
most suitable for condensers where
the shell side fluid is condensing and
the tube side fluid is a single-phase
cooling liquid. Hence, the X type shell
has been chosen.

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Rear head type
The floating-head, i.e. S type, has
been chosen as it permits free
expansion/contraction.

Process requirements
The process requirements as specified in the problem
statement has been taken from the practical data of a
typical powerplant.
The steam saturation temperature & pressure, water inlet,
outlet temperatures and pressure drop has been taken from
the real data of a powerplant in Bangladesh.
However, the mass flow rate of steam supply varies with the
power output of the plant, and therefore the mass flow of
steam required for unit MW power production has been
used as the process mass flow rate.
Dimensions, Passes and Number of tubes and shell
The tube dimensions have been chosen as ¾ BWG 18
tubes, i.e. following the Birmingham Wire Gauge standard.
This tube has been chosen since it is one of the most
common in industrial applications like this and class 18 to
keep pressure drops minimal.
The shell diameter has been iterated to accommodate the
number of tubes required in order to provide the required
cold fluid mass flow rate (as calculated from energy
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balance) while keeping the pressure drop within its
maximum allowed value.
During optimization, design constraint has been set that the
velocity of cold fluid must be within 1.4 m/s to 3.00 m/s,
which is the economic flow velocity of water.
Two tube passes have been chosen in order to provide the
required overall heat transfer coefficient, and hence the
required heat duty, while keeping the length of the heat
exchanger reasonable. 4 or 8 passes have not been used
as that would result in too large an increase in pressure
drop for only a small increase in heat transfer coefficient.
Besides these, the Pitch ratio has been chosen as 1.33,
i.e. a 1-inch square pitch has been chosen, for easy
mechanical cleaning. No baffle plates are required for cross
flow in X type shell, however 6 supporting plates has been
provided so that the distance between the supports would
not be greater than 80 percent of the TEMA maximum
permitted unsupported span length.
Pumping power requirement
The pumping power required is the power required to
overcome the pressure drop in the tube side. More pumping
power is required by the ejector vacuum system in order to
create the low pressure for the condensation of steam in the
shell. Based on the pumping powers available at the plants,
the pressure drop design criteria has been chosen.

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 Chapter 6
DESIGN DRAWINGS

(a)

(b)

FIGURE 3. (a) Total assembly of the components and

(b) with the shell made transparent to view the inner
arrangement of tube and tie rods.

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Isolated view of some major components:

FIGURE 4. Head: TEMA type B.

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FIGURE 5. Shell: TEMA type X.
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FIGURE 6. Rear End: TEMA type S (floating head).

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 Chapter 7
FABRICATION OF A SCALE-
DOWN PROTOTYPE
After the final design of the heat exchanger was ready, it
was scaled down to a size which was feasible and
affordable to manufacture practically within the limited time
available. We contracted with Saad Engineering Works,
Jatrabari, to help us build the prototype.

A list of raw materials required to manufacture the product

and corresponding price estimate was provided by the
proprietor of the workshop. The raw materials were
chosen based on availability, price and quality. The
options available were Stainless steel, Mild Steel and Cast
Iron.
Stainless Steel was too expensive. Moreover, the
prototype was intended to be used for testing purposes
only. So, it was not essential for the prototype to last for a
long time. Therefore, Stainless Steel was discarded.
Cast Iron was the cheapest of the lot but it was the
poorest in terms of quality. Furthermore, it was difficult to
weld cast iron parts. That being the case, Cast Iron was
rejected as well.

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The remaining material, Mild Steel, satisfied all the criteria
best. It was readily available in the local shops and
cheaper than Stainless Steel; although it was a bit more
expensive than Cast Iron, it was, however, better in quality
and easier to weld. Therefore, Mild Steel was selected as
the material for the prototype.

The raw materials, like pipes and flanges, were collected

from scrap parts of ships. Other materials, like nuts/bolts
and gaskets, were bought from local workshops.

An 8-inch diameter pipe of 1.5 feet in length was cut and

used as the Shell. A 18 feet long ¾ BWG 11 pipe was cut
into 12 equal pieces to make 1.5 feet long tubes. Oxy-fuel
cutting process was used to cut the parts into required
dimensions.
The tubes were arranged in a symmetric square pitch
pattern and welded together to form the tube sheet, so
that a pass partition plate could be placed in the head to
direct the inlet flow into 12 of the tubes and achieve the 2-
tube pass criterion. Electric arc welding was used to join
the parts together.

Holes were cut at the surface of the shell and smaller

pipes were welded on them to create the inlet and outlet
nozzle of the shell.

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The head and rear end parts were also fabricated in
similar ways. The flanges were attached onto the parts by
welding so that they can be assembled together.
Grinding was done to improve surface finish of the parts.

Once all the parts were produces, the final assembly was
ready to be carried out:
the tube sheet was placed inside the shell; the head and
rear end were fastened to the shell using bolts and nuts,
while putting gaskets in between to make them sealed.

The final assembly was colored to improve appearance.

FIGURE 7. The final prototype.

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A flow chat summarizing the fabrication process:

FIGURE 8. Flow chart of Fabrication processes involved.

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 Chapter 8
ECONOMIC CALCULATION
Components Cost (BDT)

6mm thick Shell (MS) 1.5’ × 800 tk/ft = 1200

Side Cap 400

8½” Plate 2 × 125 = 250

4½” Plate 3 × 50 = 50

Flanges 4 × 250 = 1000

¾ BWG 11 Pipe 18’ × 100 tk/ft = 1800

Inlet/Outlet Nozzles 200

Gaskets 120
Bolts and Nuts 16 × 20 = 320

Labor 3000

Transport 1200

Paint 200

Total 9740

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 Chapter 9
CALCULATION

Hot Fluid (shell): Steam Cold Fluid (tubes): Water

𝑚̇ℎ = 0.833 kg/s 𝑚̇𝑐 = ? kg/s

Thi = 37.7oC Tci = 23oC

Tho = 36.5oC Tco = 28oC

Thavg = 37.1oC Tcavg = 25.5oC

cp = 4.18 kJ/(kg*K) cp = 4.18 kJ/(kg*K)

hfg = 2411.5 kJ/kg

Applying energy balance:

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒖𝒕𝒚, 𝑞̇ = 𝑚̇ℎ (ℎ𝑓𝑔 + 𝑐𝑝 (𝑇ℎ𝑜 − 𝑇ℎ𝑖 )) = 𝟐. 𝟎𝟏 𝑴𝑾

𝑚̇𝑐 𝑐𝑝 (𝑇𝑐𝑜 − 𝑇𝑐𝑖 ) = 2.01 𝑀𝑊

2.01 𝑀𝑊
𝑅𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑖𝑑, 𝑚̇𝑐 =
𝑐𝑝 (𝑇𝑐𝑜 − 𝑇𝑐𝑖 )
= 𝟗𝟔𝒌𝒈/𝒔

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 FINAL RESULTS

Heat duty = 2.01 MW

Tube dimensions = ¾ BWG 18
No of tubes = 624
No of pass = 2
Pitch = 25.4 mm
Length = 7.315 m
Shell dimensions = 787.402 mm
1 𝑚̇ 1 96
Pumping power = 𝜂 𝜌 𝛥𝑃 = 0.8 1000 × 50 × 103 = 6𝑘𝑊

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 CONCLUSIONS

It can be concluded that the most optimum and economic

condenser for the conversion of the turbine outlet spent
steam into water is to use a Shell and Tube condenser
with 2-tube pass and one cross flow shell pass.

The prototype developed at low cost has survived the leak

test at design pressure conditions.

Further work can be performed to improve the cost

efficiency of the heat exchanger and payback period,
NPV, IRR and other economic calculations need to be
performed before purchasing it for an industrial
application.

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 REFERENCE

1. Md Shihab Uddin, East Delta Power Plant

2. Dr. Md. Zahurul Huq, Professor, Department of

Mechanical Engineering, Bangladesh University of
Engineering and Technology (BUET)

3. Dr. Md. Ashiqur Rahman, Associate Professor,

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bangladesh
University of Engineering and Technology (BUET)

4. Musanna Galib, Lecturer, Department of Mechanical

Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering
and Technology (BUET)

5. HTRI Xchanger Suite, Heat Transfer Research, Inc.

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