Multiple

Mechanical Engineering Department
Multiple Heat Exchanger Experiment
Group-6
Boran Raci Bayram

Dilek Korkmaz
Edanur Özcan
Mechanical Engineering Laboratory | Multiple Heat Exchanger Experiment
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction..........................................................................................................................................3
2. Materials and Methods.........................................................................................................................3
3. Results and Discussion.........................................................................................................................7
3.1 Calculations and Equations................................................................................................................7
3.2 Interpretation of Results.....................................................................................................................8
4. Conclusions..........................................................................................................................................8
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Experimental setup for experiment 1.........................................................................................5
Table 4. Operating parameters refrigeration cycle...................................................................................7
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Components of experimental apparatus...................................................................................3
Figure 2. P-h diagram of R-134a.............................................................................................................5
Figure 3. Components of vapor compression refrigeration system.........................................................6
Figure 4. Vapor compression refrigeration cycle represented on a p-h diagram.....................................6
Figure 5. P-h diagram of R-134a with experiment results.......................................................................7
2
Abstract
The experiment aims to learn the function and operation of multiple heat exchangers. The functions
and differences of different heat exchangers were examined. Additionally, heat transfer and heat loss
calculations were made for energy balance. LMTD(Logarithmic temperature difference) and heat
conductivity values were calculated. The obtained data were interpreted from the perspective of
equipment performance.
Keywords: heat exchanger,heat transfer,LMTD, temperature difference
1. Introduction
Exchanger; It is the general name given to the heat distributor that enables heat transfer by containing
two liquids in different compartments. The working processes of different types of exchangers are
basically the same; The aim is to transfer the heat of the liquid with higher temperature to the other
liquid at low speed by first collecting the heat transfer (plate/pipe) and keeping this heat in contact
with other surfaces of the same plate or pipe. In addition, as it gains heat from liquids, its temperature
increases, while for the other heat loss, the temperature decreases. In cases where the exchange fluids
should not be disrupted in their combinations, the systems are separated by a solid wall and in this way
the fluids never mix. Heat exchanger is used in heating, cooling, food-beverage industry, iron-steel,
maritime, energy, chemical, sugar industry, paper industry, maritime, petrochemical and heavy
industry and many other industrial process applications. The exchanger consists of coil-shaped pipes
that allow one liquid to circulate inside another and a closed chamber in which the pipes containing
the other liquid circulate. The pipe walls are usually made of metal or another material with a low
specific heat capacity (it has a low specific thermal breakdown and its temperature rises quickly with
little energy), while the outer, closed chamber is made of plastic or another material that does not
leave the heat through the exchanger. For example, in the pasteurization process in the food industry,
raw milk is heated at high temperatures for a short time to kill pathogens and then cooled rapidly to
prevent further microbial proliferation. Heat exchangers achieve this by efficiently transferring heat
between milk and a heating or cooling medium, such as hot water or chilled water, without dispersing
the two substances. When analyzing heat exchangers, it's common to utilize an overall heat transfer
coefficient (U) to encompass all these factors. The rate at which heat transfers between the fluids at
any point in the exchanger depends on the temperature difference at that point, which varies
throughout the exchanger's length. To simplify analysis, engineers often use the logarithmic mean
temperature difference (LMTD), which provides an averaged temperature difference across the
exchanger.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1 Materials
Figure 1 illustrates a multiple heat exchanger experimental setup. The experimental set includes Plate
Heat Exchanger, Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger, Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger, Fan-Coil Heat
Exchanger, pump, fan, and heater.
The purpose of Plate, Concentric Tube, and Shell and Tube heat exchangers is to transfer the
temperature of one fluid to another with the help of a heater and pump.
The Fan-Coil Heat Exchanger, on the other hand, is used to cool only hot water with the help of the
heater, fan, and pump in the experimental set. An example of this heat exchanger can be found in
radiators in cars.
3
Figure 1 : Multiple Heat exchanger experiment

Pump: The function of the pump is to facilitate heat transfer and generate the fluid
movement necessary for the experiment to be conducted. The pump ensures the circulation
of the fluid among the heat exchangers. This enables the effective operation of the heat
exchangers and makes heat transfer possible.
Plate Heat Exchanger : Plate Heat Exchanger, using a series of metal plates, transfers the heat
from one fluid to another. These plates are stacked on top of each other to create a channel
series through which the fluid can flow. Plate Heat Exchanger has a significant advantage
over other heat exchangers. Since the fluids spread over the plates, they are exposed to a
much larger surface area. This facilitates heat transfer and greatly increases the rate of
temperature change. It is widely used in many areas such as residential heating and hot water
supply.
Concenteric Tube Heat Exchanger: The Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger utilizes a tube to
move two different temperature fluids. Inside this tube, the fluids facilitate the transfer of
heat from one to the other, preventing their mixing. This process transfers the heat from one
fluid to another, enabling heat transfer and regulating product temperature. Such a heat
exchanger is used to raise or lower the temperature of a fluid. It finds wide application across
various industries, particularly in material processing, food preparation, and air conditioning
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger : A Shell and Tube heat exchanger consists of a shell (a
large pressure vessel) housing a series of tubes. One fluid flows through the tubes, while the
4
other flows over them (inside the shell), facilitating heat transfer between the two fluids. This
type of heat exchanger utilizes multiple tubes to maximize the transfer area, making heat
transfer efficient and conserving energy. It is commonly used in petroleum refineries and
other large chemical processes and is suitable for high-pressure applications.
Fan-Coil Heat Exchanger: The fan coil heat exchanger is a system consisting of a pump, a
fan, and a heater. This system operates solely with hot water and is commonly used for
heating or cooling purposes.In fan coil systems, the pump circulates hot water throughout
the system. As this hot water passes through the fan coil unit, the fan provides air flow, and
the heater heats this airflow, facilitating heat transfer to the surroundings. One advantage of
fan coil systems is their ability to provide rapid heating or cooling. Additionally, they can
provide independent room control, meaning each fan coil unit can be controlled separately
and operated at different temperatures.
These systems are typically used in office buildings, hotels, hospitals, and residential
buildings. They offer a flexible solution for heating and cooling needs and are easy to install
2.2 Procedure
2.2.1 Plate Heat Exchanger – Capacity and Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient Calculation
1.Open the main switch of the device.
2.Fill in the water to the hot water tank. Caution! The water level should be above the resistance level.
3.Open the hot and cold water inlet and outlet valves of the plate heat exchanger.
4.Operate the pump using the control panel.
5.Set the heater operation temperature and then operate it using the control panel.
6.Wait the system is stable.
7.Take note the measured values to the table below when the temperature reaches a stable form.
2.2.2 Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger – Capacity and Overall Heat Transfer
Coefficient Calculation
1. Open the main switch of the device.
2.Fill in the water to the hot water tank. Caution! The water level should be above the
resistance level.
3.Open the hot and cold water inlet and outlet valves of the concentric tube heat exchanger.
5
7.Take note the measured values to the table below when the temperature reaches a stable
form.
2.2.3 Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger – Capacity and Overall Heat Transfer
Coefficient Calculation
resistance level.
3.Open the hot and cold water inlet and outlet valves of the shell and tube heat exchanger.
form.
2.2.4 Fan-Coil Heat Exchanger – Capacity and Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient
Calculation
resistance level.
3.Open the hot water inlet and outlet valves of the fan-coil heat exchanger.
4.Operate the pump and fan using the control panel.
form.
2.3 Theory and Principles
The Plate Heat Exchanger, Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger, and Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger
experiments investigated different types of heat exchangers under countercurrent flow. Countercurrent
6
flow is characterized by the hot and cold fluids entering the heat exchanger from opposite ends and
moving in opposite directions, which ensures maximum heat transfer efficiency. While the pump and
heater were actively used, the fans remained passive.
The primary objective of the experiments was to determine how different cold flow rates and varying
temperatures of hot water affect the performance of the heat exchanger under countercurrent flow
conditions. These studies were conducted to assess the practical efficiency of heat exchangers.
Figure 2 :The Plate Heat Exchanger
Figure 3: Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger
Figure 4 :Shell and Tube Exchanger
In the fan coil exchanger, the pump, heater, and fans were active, while the cold water flow was
deactivated, focusing solely on the hot water flow. The obtained data was presented graphically, and
relevant calculations were performed. These experiments contribute to understanding the performance
of heat exchangers and aid in the design of more effective systems.
7
In fan coil exchangers, psychrometric charts play a significant role in the design and
operation of HVAC systems, particularly in understanding how airflow and humidity change.
During calculations, the transferred heat load and thermal conductivity in the system at 1 atm
pressure can be easily found on the psychrometric chart based on the temperature and
relative humidity in the heat exchanger
Figure 5 :Fan - Coil Heat Exchanger

2.3.1 Counter-Current Flow Equations
Q̇1 (kW )=ṁhot Cp(T 4 −T 3) ;Rate of heat load transfer
L 1 m³ 1 min kg kg
ṁ= × × × 1000 =
min 1000 L 60 s s s
Q̇2 (kW )=ṁcold Cp (T 2−T 1 ) ; Rate of cold load transfer
Δ T 3−T 4
dT m=
Δ T3 ; Logarithmic temperature difference
ln
ΔT4
W Q1
k( )= ;Heat conductivity value
m² K Ad T m
2.3.2 Fan- Coil Exchanger Equations
Q̇1 (kW )=ṁhot Cp(T 4 −T 3) ; Rate of heat load transfer
Qair (kW )=mair (hout −h¿ ) ; Load transferred to air
kg A fan u
ṁ air ( )= ;Mass flow of Air
s v
Δ T 3− Δ T 4
dT m=
ΔT3 ; Logarithmic temperature difference
ln ( )
ΔT4
Δ T 3=T 3−T 5
Δ T 4 =T 4−T 6
8
W Q1
k( )= ; Heat conductivity value
m² K Ad T m
Figure 6 :Psycometric Chart
2. Results and Discussion
Definition and Experimental

Specification
Unit Measurement
Cold water inlet temperature T1 (°C) 24.9
Cold water outlet temperature T2 (°C) 33.7
Cold water inlet pressure P1 (kPa) 60
Cold water outlet pressure P2 (kPa) 37
Cold water flow rate 𝑚̇ 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑 (l/min) 5
Hot water inlet temperature T3 (°C) 36.4
Hot water outlet temperature T4 (°C) 33.5
Hot water inlet pressure P3 (kPa) 307
9
Hot water outlet pressure P4 (kPa) 31.2

Hot water flow rate 𝑚̇ ℎ𝑜𝑡 (l/min) 16.3
Hot water tank temperature T7 (°C) 42
Heater inlet power P1 (W) 2457
Exchanger cold water inner area m2 0.11
Exchanger hot water inner area m2 0.11
Table 1 : Plate Heat Exchanger
kg Q̇1 (kW ) Q̇2 (kW ) dT m W kg

ṁhot ( ) k( ) ṁ cold ( )
s m² K s
0.2716 -3.2976 3.07071 5.0927 -5.888 0.08334
Table 2 :Calculations of Plate Heat Exchanger

Specification
Unit Measurement
Cold water inlet temperature T1 (°C) 24.1
Cold water outlet pressure P2 (kPa) 33.0
Cold water flow rate 𝑚̇ 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑 (l/min) 3.7
Hot water outlet pressure P4 (kPa) 13.0
Hot water flow rate 𝑚̇ ℎ𝑜𝑡 (l/min) 7
Hot water tank temperature T7 (°C) 42.5
Exchanger cold water inner surface area m2 0.15
Exchanger hot water outer surface area m2 0.09
Table 3 : Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger

ṁhot ( ) k( ) ṁcold ( )
s m² K s
0.11667 -1.905 0.9036 4.497 -4.707 0.06166
Table 4: Calculations of Concenteric Tube Heat Exchanger

Specification
Unit Measurement
Cold water inlet temperature T1 (°C) 24
Cold water outlet pressure P2 (kPa) 29
Cold water flow rate 𝑚̇ 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑 (l/min) 3.8
10

Hot water outlet pressure P4 (kPa) 40
Exchanger hot water pipes’ outer surface area m2 0.30
Table 5 :Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

ṁhot ( ) k( ) ṁ cold ( )
s m² K s
0.2533 -0.9546 -0.02651 8.690 -0.366 0.06333
Table 6: Calculations of Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Specification
Unit Measurement
Hot water outlet pressure P4 (kPa) 10
Serpentine with fan inlet temperature T5 (°C) 25.4
Serpentine with fan inlet relative humidity H5 (%) 45.0
Serpentine with fan outlet temperature T6 (°C) 32.6
Serpentine with fan outlet relative humidity H6 (%) 40.3
Air (fan) cross-sectional area m2 0.045
Exchanger hot water outer surface area m2 0.25
Table 7 :Fan-Coil Heat Exchanger
kg Q̇1 (kW ) Q̇air (kW ) dT m W kg
ṁhot ( ) k( ) ṁair ( )
s m² K s
0.08334 -0.4536 0.8327 7.01 -0.2588 0.05544
Table 8: Calculations of Fan-Coil Heat Exchanger
3.1 Calculations and Equations
For Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger ,
For mass flow rate;
L 1 m³ 1 min kg kg
ṁhot =7 × × × 1000 =0.11667
min 1000 L 60 s s s
L 1m³ 1 min kg kg
ṁcold=3.7 × × ×1000 =0.061667
min 1000 L 60 s s s
Rate of heat load transfer

Q̇1 (kW )=(0.11667 kg /s)(4.187 kj/kgK )¿)= -1.905 kj/s
Rate of cold load transfer

Q̇2 (kW )=(0.061667 kg/ s)(4.187 kj/kgK )(27.6−24.1)= 0.9036 kj/s
11
Logarithmic temperature difference
4.7−4.3
dT m=
4.7
ln ( )
4.3
Δ T 3=T 3−T 2 =4.7
Δ T 4 =T 4−T 1 =4.3
Heat conductivity value

W −1.905
k( )= =−4.707
m ² K (0.09)∗(4.497)
3.2 Interpretation of Results
In the initial three experiments, the countercurrent flow was facilitated by the arrangement of hot and
cold water pipes. Additionally, the system's fan remained inactive throughout these experiments. The
Plate Heat Exchanger, Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger, and Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger trials
revealed enhanced heat transfer due to the higher flow rate of hot water compared to cold water.
However, the disadvantages stemming from being the first group to operate the system, coupled with
variations in flow rates and the system's instability, hindered the acquisition of effective data.
In the case of the Fan Coil heat exchanger experiment, a departure from the other three heat
exchangers was observed as it operated without the use of cold water, transitioning from a water-based
system to an air-based system. Consequently, the effectiveness decreased. Within the Plate Heat
Exchanger's serpentine pipes, the circulating hot water was cooled by the fan, which drew in ambient
temperature air. It's crucial to note that as the ambient temperature decreases, the efficiency of the data
increases. However, due to the ambient temperature averaging at 26 degrees Celsius during the
experiment, the data obtained lacked sufficient accuracy.
The presence of obstacles within the serpentine pipes reduced the flow rate, thereby allowing for
prolonged interaction between the hot water and the surface. In the forthcoming report, these
observations will be further discussed to elucidate the implications on the overall performance and
efficiency of the heat exchangers under study.
4. Conclusions
Within heat exchangers, the temperature of the outgoing hot fluid consistently exceeds that of the cold
fluid, a principle upheld particularly in countercurrent flow. Here, the hot fluid exits at a temperature
surpassing that of the cold fluid. Conversely, in concurrent flow, the exit temperature of the cold fluid
surpasses that of the hot fluid. This underscores the effectiveness of countercurrent flow, maintaining
higher outlet temperatures for both fluids. Notably, the heat loss from the hot fluid isn't entirely offset
by the cold fluid's heat gain due to losses to the surroundings. While concurrent flow may yield a
higher logarithmic mean temperature difference (LMTD) in calculations, countercurrent flow boasts a
superior overall heat conductivity value. Consequently, practical applications may lean towards
countercurrent flow in heat exchangers for its enhanced efficiency.
References
12
13

Multiple

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Multiple

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mechanical Engineering Department

Multiple Heat Exchanger Experiment

Boran Raci Bayram

Keywords: heat exchanger,heat transfer,LMTD, temperature difference

2. Materials and Methods

Figure 1 : Multiple Heat exchanger experiment

4.Operate the pump using the control panel.

6.Wait the system is stable.

4.Operate the pump using the control panel.

6.Wait the system is stable.

2.3 Theory and Principles

Figure 2 :The Plate Heat Exchanger

Figure 3: Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger

Figure 4 :Shell and Tube Exchanger

Figure 5 :Fan - Coil Heat Exchanger

Q̇2 (kW )=ṁcold Cp (T 2−T 1 ) ; Rate of cold load transfer

2.3.2 Fan- Coil Exchanger Equations

Q̇1 (kW )=ṁhot Cp(T 4 −T 3) ; Rate of heat load transfer

Qair (kW )=mair (hout −h¿ ) ; Load transferred to air

Figure 6 :Psycometric Chart

2. Results and Discussion

Definition and Experimental

Hot water outlet pressure P4 (kPa) 31.2

kg Q̇1 (kW ) Q̇2 (kW ) dT m W kg

Definition and Experimental

kg Q̇1 (kW ) Q̇2 (kW ) dT m W kg

Definition and Experimental

Hot water inlet pressure P3 (kPa) 318

kg Q̇1 (kW ) Q̇2 (kW ) dT m W kg

Definition and Experimental

3.1 Calculations and Equations

For Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger ,

For mass flow rate;

Rate of heat load transfer

Rate of cold load transfer

Logarithmic temperature difference

Heat conductivity value

3.2 Interpretation of Results

You might also like