CME Research Internship

Heat Recovery/Exchanger Systems of

Modular and Compact Design for Shelter
Heating Purpose
Purpose/Goal
• To design a heat exchanger, with compact design, to heat shelters.
• The exhaust from a Diesel Generator is used as the source of heat for the heat
exchanger.
• To compare the different types of heat exchangers and select the most efficient.
 Types of heat exchangers
1. Plate heat exchanger: These heat exchangers consist of a series of
parallel plates that are separated by gaskets. The fluid to be heated or
cooled flows through the channels created by the plates, while the
heating or cooling medium flows over the plates. Plate heat exchangers
are compact, efficient, and easy to maintain.
2. Shell and tube heat exchangers: These heat exchangers consist of a
series of tubes arranged inside a cylindrical shell. One fluid flows through
the tubes, while the other flows over the tubes through the shell. Shell and
tube heat exchangers are widely used in a variety of industries due to
their versatility and ability to handle high pressures and temperatures.
3. Spiral heat exchangers: These heat exchangers consist of a series of
concentric tubes that are spiralled around a central axis. One fluid flows
through the inner tubes, while the other flows through the annulus
between the tubes. Spiral heat exchangers are typically used in applications
where high heat transfer rates are required.
4. Finned tube heat exchangers: These heat exchangers consist of tubes
that are coated with fins to increase the surface area available for heat
transfer. The fins can be made of various materials, such as aluminium or
copper, and are used to dissipate or absorb heat. Finned tube heat
exchangers are often used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
Reasons for choosing plate heat exchangers
1. Save energy
• Plate heat exchangers are up to five times more efficient than shell-and-tube designs with
approach temperatures as close as 1°F. Heat recovery can be increased substantially by simply
exchanging existing shell-and-tubes for compact heat exchangers. The result is more energy being
put back to use, energy that would otherwise have gone to waste.

2. Save floor space

• Shell-and-tube heat exchangers use significantly more floor space as plate heat exchangers (as
shown in the illustration below).
• The compact, versatile design of plate heat exchangers means that transportation, erection and
installation costs are all drastically reduced compared to conventional shell-and-tube units.
3. Easier maintenance
• High quality plate-and-frame heat exchangers can operate efficiency for over ten years without maintenance.
• The heat transfer surfaces are easily accessible for inspection or mechanical cleaning, simply by removing the
tightening bolts and rolling back the pressure plate. And special corrugated plate patterns ensure a high
degree of turbulence over the whole plate, which not only reduces fouling but also makes cleaning very
effective. 
• Frames can also be opened using standard tools, and there are no tube bundles to be pulled.

4. Easy capacity adjustment 

• Plate heat exchangers make it easy to adjust capacity to meet changing needs, simply by adding or
removing plates, while retaining the existing frame. This is a major advantage in relation to shell-and-tube
units, where capacity is fixed at the level decided on at the time of installation.

5.  Lower capital costs

• Plate heat exchangers weigh less than 1/16th the total weight of shell-and-tube exchangers and use 1/10th
the floor space. That means immediate savings on shipping, handling, and installation costs. And, PHEs can
be assembled and disassembled on-site.
Calculation
• Parameters to be calculated for PHE arrangement-
1. Number of channels (Nc)- is the space between two adjacent plates.
2. Number of passes (P)- number of changes of direction if stream inside the plate
pack.
3. Hot fluid location – if hot fluid occupies side 1 or side 2
4. Feed connection
• Parameters of chevron plate

1. Corrugation angle, ß- usually varies between 25 degree to 65 degree

2. Ap- Plate effective heat transfer area
3. Wp- Plate width
4. Lp- plate length
Heating Shelters using Radiator of Diesel
Generator
• A radiator is a heat exchanger used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to
another for the purpose of cooling and heating.
• In a diesel generator, radiator is the part that transfers the heat from the engine coolant
to the surrounding air. This process keeps the engine from overheating.
• The radiator has fins and pipes. The engine coolant is pumped though the pipes by the
engines coolant pump. This coolant is hot, having come from the engine and as it passes
through the radiator pipes, the heat transfers to the fins.
• The radiator will have a fan which rotates, either driven by electric motors or from the
engines crank shaft by a series of pulleys and belts. This fan blows cool ambient air
through the radiator fins. The heat at the fins is transferred to the cool air, heating it up,
taking the the heat away from the engine. The coolant, not cooled by this airflow returns
to the engine and the process repeats.