Ch# 15 – HEAT EXCHANGE EQUIPMENT

• Transfer of heat from one fluid to another is an important operation for most of
the chemical industries.
• In industrial processes heat is exchanged by conduction convection and Radiation
in heat exchangers, boilers & condensers , furnaces and dryers, regenerative
furnaces and agitated and jacketed/coiled vessels , etc.
• Main equipment : double pipe, tubular, plate, extended surfaces equipment,
mechanically aided H.T. devices, condensers and evaporators, packed bed and
fluidized bed reactors, regenerators.
• Industrial equipment operates under steady state condition.
• Process (thermal) Engineers have to;
i. Classification & Selection of H.T. Equipment,
ii. Selection of fluids for tube and the shell side
iii. Process (thermal) and Mechanical Design,
iv. Installation, Maintenance and operation,
 General Design of Heat Exchange Equipment

General design practices : 2 main aspects;

1. Heat Transfer equipment sizing.
2. Heat Transfer equipment rating.
 Design of H.T. equipment is based on the principles (leant in Ch. # 11 to 14 ).
 As a first step perform mass and energy balance to calculate H.T. area.
Other quantities to be evaluated include LMTD, True temperature differences, caloric temperature
H.T. area, Individual & overall H.T. coefficients, Dirt factors, Pressure drops, etc.
In complex processing units manually evaluation may be difficult, and software's
may be used to design H.T. equipment.
The final design is usually based on some compromises,
i. Engineering judgment for best overall performance,
ii. Available facilities, space, funds and practices.
 Thermal design of a shell and tube heat exchanger
• Designing is based on various codes & standards ( TEMA, ASME, ASTM,
API etc.) along with fabrication details depending upon type of equipment.
• Parameters to be determined includes
i. number, length and diameter clearance, pitch and layout of tubes,
ii. Shell diameter, number of passes,
iii. type of head (fixed tube sheet, removable tube bundle etc.),
iv. baffle’s type, number, size & spacing,
v. material of construction, fabrication & installation details,
vi. thermal & mechanical stresses allowances and mechanical supports,
 Thermal design Rules

 Design should fallow the fallowing rules;

i. High velocity fluids should pass through small tubes, leads to
improve HT coefficients but increase friction & pumping cost ,
ii. High pressure streams should pass through shell because of
thickness of shell walls,
iii. More fouling fluid may pass through the tubes to avoid the dirt
accumulation on the outer surface,
 Attempt to optimize the design of individual equipment by
formal procedure, to balance;
i. HT area to minimize fixed cost,
ii. Utility cost to minimize operational cost,
iii. in processing plants network of HT equipments are developed to minimize
investment and operating costs
Heat Exchangers Classifications
 Double pipe heat exchangers:

• Comprised of concentric pipes with standard return bends.

• Fluid A flows through inside the smaller pipe and fluid B flows
through the annulus,
• Annulus is a space between outside and inside pipes.
• The flow may be either parallel or counter or cross or hybrid.
• D/P exchangers are suitable, if
i. HT area required < 150 ft2.
ii. Heat rate < 500 kw.
• Double pipe( concentric tube) heat exchangers are used in many industrial processes,
for cooling & heating, refrigeration, and many other sustainable energy applications.
•  Basically two straight pipe lengths are connected at one end to form a U or “hair-pin.
• Heat is transferred via solid material (conduction), liquids and gases (convection),
and electromagnetically (radiation).
• Heat is usually transferred in a combination of all 3 modes but convection
dominates.
• Mechanics of heat and fluid
flow is shown in the diagram.

fluid A
 Construction of double pipe
Hair pin: union of 2 legs is called a hairpin .
Multiple hairpins are preferred to occupy less space.
Packing & gland: To seal annulus and to provide Hair pin
support to the inner pipe.
Return bend: A U-bended joints to return the
fluid.
Support lugs: used to hold the inner pipe in Return bend
position.
Flange:
• A coupling device used to connect two pipes
which can be dismantled for cleaning and
maintenance. Flange
• Mechanical seals are employed in between the
flanges to prevent leakages.
Contd….
Nozzles: A nozzle is a device to control the direction of fluid flow.
• Gaskets: A gasket is a mechanical seal which fills the space between two
or more surfaces/ flanges to prevent leakages.
• Different types of gaskets made of different materials depending upon Gaskets
temperatures, (rubber, silicone, metal, cork, fiberglass, PVC, Teflon.)
Union joint:
• A detachable joint, is used to connect the parts of a piping system.
• A union joint consists of a gasket, a locknut, and a reducer, such as an
elbow or a coupling.
Double Pipe Heat Exchangers
 FLUID FLOW CONFIGURATION

FLOW CONFIGURATION
4 principal flow configurations
 Co-current flow. 
Countercurrent flow. 
Cross flow
Hybrid Flow
Series & parallel arrangement
Prob.6.2 (Process Heat Transfer by D. Q. Kern)
A double pipe exchanger was oversized because no data were available on the rate at
which dirt accumulated. The exchanger was originally designed to cool 13,000 lb./hr. of
100% acetic acid from 250 to 150 oF by heating 19,000 lb./hr. of butyl alcohol from 100 to
157 oF. A design coefficient UD= 85 Btu/ hr.ft2.oF - was employed, but during initial
operation a hot-liquid outlet temperature of 117 oF was obtained. It rose during operation
at the average rate of 3.5 oF per month. What dirt factor should have been specified for a
6 month cleaning cycle?
Data:
Average values of Specific heats of 100% Acetic Acid and Butyl Alcohol are 0.54 and
0.648 Btu/ Lb.oF, respectively.
DESIGN STEPS OF DOUBLE PIPE HEAT EXCHANGER
1.Balance Heat to find heat load.
2.Find LMTD
3.Find Caloric temperatures
4.Calculate Flow Area for inner and annulus pipes
5.Find mass velocity
6.Calculate Reynolds number
7.Find jH factor ( Heat transfer factor , dimensionless)
8.Calculate Prandtl number
9.Covert jH factor into hi , hio, ho
 Heat Balance

• Cold Balance
q  mc C p ,c ΔTc

• Hot Balance
q  mH C p , H ΔTH

• Steam Balance
q = ms
Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient (U), Refers to Heat transfer conducted through a series
of resistances. Expressed in W/(m2°C) or [Btu/(r-ft2°F)].

Uo = overall coefficient based on outside area of

tube, W/m2 ºC,
ho = outside fluid film coefficient, W/m2 ºC,
hi = inside fluid film coefficient, W/m2 ºC,
hod = outside dirt coefficient (fouling factor), W/m2 ºC,
hid = inside dirt coefficient, W/m2 ºC,
kw = thermal conductivity of tube material, W/m - ºC,
di  = tube inside diameter, m,
do = tube outside diameter, m.
• Calculate Qc and Qh. (Both should be equal).
• Calculate Uc and UD,
1/UD = (1/UC) + RD

Location of fouling factor and

Heat transfer coefficient
 DESIGN OF DOUBLE PIPE HEAT EXCHANGER
Problem 6.3 (page 124)
*Process Heat Transfer by D. Q. Kern
O-Xylene coming from storage tank at 1000F is to be heated 1500 F by
cooling 18,000 lb/hr. of butyl alcohol from 1700F to 140­­0F. Available for the
purpose are five 20-ft hairpin double pipe exchangers with annuli and pipes
each connected in series. The exchanger are 3- by 2-in. IPS. What is
(a) the dirt factor, (b) the pressure drops? (c) If the hot and cold streams in
(a) are reserved with respect to the annulus and inner pipe, how does this
justify or refute your initial decision where to place the hot stream?
Solve Question 6.5
Questions to Address:
• Which configuration was more efficient?
• How do these results compare with literature?
• Compare thermometer readings to thermocouple readings, and their
effect on the error in U.
Heat Balance
• Cold Balance

q  mc C p ,c ΔTc
• Hot Balance

q  mH C p , H ΔTH
Heat Balance
• Overall Heat Transfer

ΔT2  ΔT1
q  UA
ΔT2
ln
ΔT1

q  UAΔTlm
Advantages of D/P H.Ex;
 Disadvantages of D/P H.Ex :

5. Usually inadequate for large flow rates and heavy thermal duties.
6. For multiple D/P H. EX. hairpins, becomes over-weight and occupy
more space.
7. Higher probability of Leakages and frequent maintenance is needed.
 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER :
 Due to above mentioned Disadvantages of D/P H.Ex, selection of Shell and tube heat exchanger becomes more
appropriate.
 Widely used for heavy duties (in oil refineries, sugar mills, and for complex chemical processes.)
REMA are available covering in detail the materials, method of construction, technique of design, and dimension
of exchangers.
Chemical engineers are responsible for their engineering, design and operations etc.

Single pass
(1-1 exchanger)
• Streams pass once
through shell & tubes
• More economical as
compared to hairpin
D/P H. EX
• Baffles can be installed
to enhance HT coeff’ts.
Shell and tube heat exchanger consists of a shell with a bundle of tubes inside it.
 One fluid flows through the tubes (the tube side) and the other fluid flows outside
the tubes but inside the shell (the shell side).
Heat is transferred from one fluid to the other through the tube walls, either from
tube side to shell side or vice versa.
The fluids can be either liquids or gases on either the shell or the tube side.
 PARTS OF S &T H.Exs
 S &T H.Exs consist of 2 main parts, a shell with a bundle of tubes installed in the shell,
 One fluid flows through tubes and other fluid passes outside the outside the tubes i.e. (the shell side).
 Heat is transfer occurs through the tube walls depending upon the location of hot and cold streams
 The fluids can be either liquids or gases.
 Some other parts and systematic flow of streams are shown in the fallowing diagrams .
 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER
• Shell and tube heat exchanger is an extensive class of heat exchanger used in chemical
& petrochemical industries.
• One fluid runs through the tubes, and another fluid flows over the tubes i.e. the shell,

Major parts of shell & tube exchanger :

• Front Header ( or Stationary Header.) Fluid enters in

the tube-side of the exchanger.
• Rear Header— Tube- side fluid leaves the exchanger
• Tube bundle—comprised of tubes, tube sheets,
baffles and tie rods etc.
• Shell—tube bundle is housed in it.
Shell & tube exchangers are designed and fabricated according to
TEMA, or ASME or ASTM Standards.
Shell:
• Shell material & diameters are selected according
to ASTM (commonly made of carbon steel)
• A cylindrical casing to install tube bundle,
a) One of the fluid flows inside the tubes,
b) Other fluid passes through the space outside the
tube bundle and inside the shell .
c) Shell thickness varies from 5 mm to 11 mm
depending upon the pressure.
d) Shell diameters are standardized w.r.t. No. of
tubes and type of the tube pitch.
e) Shell design includes, dia., length, wall thickness,
fabrication & installation specifications,
inspection and testing of cylindrical shell,
f) Tubes are installed in a shell either fixed or
floating, or pull through type tube bundle,

 
Tubes:
 Tubes are available in different materials to
meet specific dimensions & specifications
required by the designer and fabricator of
shell and tube heat exchangers.
i. Tubes for an heat exchanger are available in
various sizes & lengths.
ii. Common lengths of tubes for heat exchanger
construction are 8, 12, 16 & 20 ft.
 Tube Diameter & wall thickness is
characterized by BWG (Birmingham Wire
Gauge)
i. OUTER DIAMETER (OD) 0.500 - 3.00” or 12.7 - 76.2 mm
ii. WALL THICKNESS (WT) 0.035 to 0.22” or 0.89 to 5.52 mm

iii. The wall thickness depends upon diameter,

pressure in side the exchanger.
iv. material of construction depends upon nature of
streams.
Shell & tube exchanger - major parts:
Shell & tube exchanger – Mechanical components
Tube pitch:
The shortest center-to-center distance between the
adjacent tubes is called as tube pitch.
Tubes pitch may be triangular/square/rotated square, etc.,
Square pitch gives lower shell side pressure drop than
triangular pitch.
Square pitch is easy to clean,
More number tubes can be accommodated for same shell
Dia., in triangular pitch as compared to square pitch
Triangular pitch is preferred for better H.T. but for fouling
streams square pitch is ideal.
TEMA standards specify a minimum center to
center distance 1.25 times outside diameter of the
tubes for triangular pitch and a minimum
cleaning lane of ¼ inch for square pitch.
Tube sheet:
• It is essentially a flat circular plate. A large number of
holes are drilled in the tube sheet according to the
pitch requirements.
Double Pipe Heat Exchanger A double pipe heat exchanger of the dimensions shown in figure is
employed to heat 5 kg/sec of Dowtherm A from 15°C to 65°C using waste hot water cooled in the
process from 95°C to 75°C. The hot water flows in the inner tube in counter flow to the Dowtherm,
which flows in the annulus. What is the total length of the heat exchanger required? Assume the
tube material to be of steel with k = 60 W/m - K .

Fluid Properties
Baffles:
The baffles are installed in the shell
1) To increase the rate of heat transfer by increasing the velocity and
turbulence of the shell side fluid
2) Baffles provide structural supports for tubes to avoid sagging and
vibration.
3) Baffles impart cross flow, as the fluid makes right angle because
Baffles are installed vertically.
4) The center to center distance between two adjacent baffles is
known as baffle spacing or baffle pitch.
5) Baffle spacing should be in between 1/5th to 1 Dshell inside dia.
6) Optimum bafle spacing ~ 0.3 to 0.50 times the shell inside diameter
Types of baffles

25% cutoff baffles

• Single pass 1-1 exchanger:
MULTI PASS HEAT EXCHANGERS:
• Multi passes heat exchanger means that the fluids pass
through the heat exchangers several times before exiting.
• Multi passes increase contact time between hot and cold fluid,
 Multiple passes enhances flexibility to optimize fluid velocity
for low pressure drop and high heat transfer.
 Multi passes decreases flow area for fluid to achieve high
velocity, ultimately HT Coefficient improves.
Disadvantages:
1) Exchanger is more complicated
2) Friction loss are increased because of high
velocities, longer path ,multiplication of entrance
and exit losses
1-2 heat exchangers:
2-4 Heat exchangers:
1-2 heat exchanger has an important limitation.
Because of parallel flow pass ,the exchanger is unable
to bring one of the fluid very near to the entrance
temperature of the fluid.
OR
The heat recovery is poor.
So we go for 2-4 heat exchanger
It gives high velocity and large HTC than 1-2
Exchanger with same flow rates.
The wind chill, which is experienced on a cold. Windy day, is related to increased heat
transfer from exposed human skin to the surrounding atmosphere. Consider a layer of
fatty tissues 3 mm thick and maintained at 360C. On a calm day convective H.T. coefficient
25 W/m2.K but during wind @ 30km/h , convective coefficient becomes 65 W/m2.K. In
both cases ambient air temperature is –150C,
a) What is a ratio of heat loss per unit area from skin for calm and windy day?
b) What will be the skin outer surface temperature on both days?
Tube pitch & Tube Layouts:
The shortest center-to-center distance between the adjacent
tubes is called as tube pitch.
Tubes arranged in a triangular or square layout, known as
triangular or square pitch.
Square pitch gives lower shell side pressure drop than
triangular pitch.
Square pitch is good for easy cleaning whereas triangular
pitch gives more number tubes for same space available
Unless shell side fluid fouls badly, triangular pitch is used.
TEMA standards specify a minimum center to center
distance 1.25 times outside diameter of the tubes for
triangular pitch and a minimum cleaning lane of ¼ inch for
square pitch.
Tube sheet:
• It is essentially a flat circular plate. A large number of holes are drilled
in the tube sheet according to the pitch requirements.

1-2 S&T Heat Exchanger

1-1 S&T Heat Exchanger
Baffles:
The baffles are installed in the shell
1) To increase the rate of heat transfer by increasing the
velocity and turbulence of the shell side fluid
2) It helps as structural supports for tubes and dampers
against vibration.
3) The baffles cause the fluid to flow through shell at
right angles to the axes of the tubes (Cross flow).

OR
Baffles promote cross flow, wakes,
eddies, and create turbulaces
To avoid the bypassing of the shell side fluid the
clearance between the baffles and shell, and baffles
and tubes must be minimum.
The centre-to-centre distance between adjacent baffles
is known as baffle spacing or baffle pitch.
The baffle space should not be greater than the inside
diameter of the shell and should not less than the one-
fifth if the inside diameter of the shell.
The optimum baffle spacing is 0.3 to 0.50 times the
shell diameter
25% cutoff baffles
 • Single pass 1-1 exchanger:
Shell & Tube
H. Exs. Can
be used for
sensible and
Latent heat
transfer
 General Design of Heat Exchange Equipment

General design practices :

The design of heat exchange equipment is based on general
principles ( discussed Ch # 11 to 14 ).
From mass and energy balance HT area is calculated.
Quantities to be evaluated are LMTD, hi, hio, ho , Uc, UD, Rdi, Rdi,
ΔP for tube side and shell side.
The final design is based on certain compromises, e.g.
i. engineering judgment to give best overall performance,
ii. Subject to considerable uncertainty,
iii. available facilities, space, funds and practices.
 Designs are accomplished in accordance with various codes &
standards ( TEMA, ASME, API etc.)
 Designing also includes material of construction, tube & shell
diameters and length, pitches, clearance, baffle spacing, number
of passes, and so forth.
 Design should fallow the fallowing rules of thumb;
i. A high fluid velocity pass through small tubes, leads to improve
HT coefficients but increase friction & pumping cost ,
ii. High pressure streams should pass through shell because of
thickness of shell walls,
iii. More fouling fluid may pass through the tubes to avoid the dirt
accumulation on the outer surface,
 Attempt to optimize the design of individual equipment by
formal procedure, to balance;
i. HT area to minimize fixed cost,
ii. Utility cost to minimize operational cost,
iii. in processing plants network of HT equipments are developed to minimize
investment and operating costs
Limitations:
It occupy more space
Cannot obtain high velocities hence low heat transfer
coefficients.
No solution for expansion problems.
 MULTI PASS HEAT EXCHANGERS:
• Unlike single pass exchangers, multi pass exchangers are used
to lengthen the time for the same H.T. area for heating or
cooling of streams .
• Number of passes refers to the tube side fluid that how many
times passes through the tubes to attain the desired
temperature;
Advantages
Multi pass construction decreases the cross section of the fluid
path but; Disadvantages:
i. increases the fluid velocity 1) Exchanger is more complicated
ii. enhance the contact time between hot and cold streams 2) Friction losses increase because
of high velocities, longer path
iii. improve corresponding HT Coefficient/s.
3) Multiple of entrance and exit
iv. Solution to expansion problems losses
Can a simple LMTD be applied in multi-pass heat
exchangers? If not, what changes are required in LMTD?
In multi-pass heat exchangers LMTD is to
be multiplied by a correction factor;
True temperature difference = Ft * LMTD
where Ft=correction factor
For 1–1 heat exchanger Ft=1.
Ft = f (R,S)
where R and S are temperature ratios.
R= (T1-T2)/(t2-t1)
S= (t2-t1)/ (T1-t1)
where,
T1 = Hot fluid inlet temp. Ft
T2 =Hot fluid outlet temp.
t1 = cold fluid inlet temp.
t2 = cold fluid outlet temp.
S
1-2 heat exchangers:
 2-4 Pass Heat exchangers
Most shell-and-tube heat exchangers are either 1, 2, or4 pass designs on
the tube side. This refers to the number of times the fluid in the tubes passes
through the fluid in the shell.
1-2 heat exchanger has an important limitations because of
i. In parallel flow pass ,the exchanger is unable to bring the fluid
temperatures too close.
ii. 2- 4 pass H. Exchangers designs are common because the fluid can enter &
exit on the same side which makes construction simpler.
iii. The heat recovery is poor.
Therefore 2-4 pass heat exchangers are preferred due to high velocity and
large H.T. Coefficient than 1-2 Exchanger with same flow rates.
H.T. coefficients in shell & tube heat exchangers:
The shell and tube side individual or overall heat transfer coefficients
can be measured, calculated or can be taken from literature,.
Home Task
The Optimum thermal design of S&T H.Ex. Involves many interacting
parameters which are summarized as
 CHOICE OF TUBE / SHELL SIDE FLUIDS
• Several factors are important to decide which fluid should pass through the tubes
or the shell side, summarized in the fallowing table.

• If corrosion is not a problem but one of the fluid is dirty and likely to form deposits on the wall,
that fluid should be inside the tubes, since it is easier to clean inside the tubes than the outside.
• Very hot fluids are placed inside the tube for reasons of safety and heat economy.
• Finally, the decision might be based on which arrangement gives higher overall heat transfer
coefficients or lower pressure drop.
• Very viscous liquids are often passes though shell side, because flow across the tubes promotes
turbulences to give better heat transfer than to have laminar flow in tubes.
Problem 7.5
*Process Heat Transfer by D. Q Kern
Design of Shell and Tube Heat Transfer
 Cross Flow exchangers
• In some exchangers, such as air/gas heaters, the shell is rectangular and the
number of tubes in each row would be the same.
• Flow is directly across the tubes, and baffles are not needed.
• For the shell-side heat transfer coefficient in a crossflow exchanger, the
following equation is recommended.
 Heat transfer units

• One method of characterizing the heat-exchanger performance is to

determine the number of heat-transfer units NH.
• For a two fluid counter flow exchanger NH is defined as the
temperature difference, or driving force in the exchanger.

• Transfer units can be based on either streams, but generally the

streams with lower capacity is chosen.
• The temperature change is always taken as a positive number.
• When the specific heat and the overall heat transfer coefficient are constant,
the average driving force is the mean temperature difference ΔTL . If the cold
stream has the lower capacity and thus the greater change in temperature,
NH is defined as:

• To find the temperature change as a function of NH the basic equation for

heat transfer is integrated as follows:
• The effectiveness of the heat exchanger is define as the actual
temperature change divided by the maximum possible change.
• When both streams change temperature but by
different amounts
• the effectiveness is defined as the temperature
change for the stream with the lower capacity
divided by the maximum possible change, and the
effectiveness depends on the number of transfer
units and the capacity ratio Rc :
Design of Shell and Tube Heat Transfer
Problem 7.5
*Process Heat Transfer by D. Q Kern
FT