Tutorial 3 Solutions: Heat Exchanger Design
Question 1
Design a shell and tube exchanger to heat 50,000 kg/h of liquid ethanol from 20°C to 80°C.
Steam at 1.5 bar is available for heating. Assign the ethanol to the tube-side. The total
pressure drop must not exceed 0.7 bar for the alcohol stream.
Plant practice requires the use of carbon steel tubes, 25 mm inside diameter, 29 mm outside
diameter, 4 m long. Set out your design on a data sheet and make a rough sketch of the heat
exchanger.
The physical properties of ethanol can be readily found in the literature.
Solution:
Step Comment
1. Calculate the heat duty. Find the temperature of the steam using a steam
table.
Q = m*c*T for ethanol
2. Select cooling/heating medium Given
3. Calculate utility flow-rate. Duty = m
4. Collect the fluid physical properties: density, Look up relevant data.
viscosity, thermal conductivity.
5. Allocate the fluids on shell side and tube side. Given.
6. Decide the exchanger type U-tube or E-type, 1 shell pass; 2-tube passes –
lowest possible pressure drop
7. Determine LMTD and MTD ΔTm Correction factor =1 – phase change in one of the
streams.
8. Select a trial value for the overall coefficient, U Use Figure 12.1. in C&R.
9. Estimate the provisional area required. Q=UAT
10. Tube geometry: Number of tubes & number of (Provisional area)/(area of 1 tube).
tube passes etc.
11. Calculate the shell diameter. Eq. 12.3b in C&R
12. Determine the shell side and tube side heat Shell side, eq. 12.48 in C&R.
transfer coefficients. For air-free steam a coefficient of 8000 W/m2 °C
can be used.
Tube side – as in example 12.1.
13. Calculate the overall coefficient and compare
with the trial value.
14. Find the area provided based on U value and If % excess area < or > 30% then use the new value
then calculate % excess area. of U and reapeat from step 9.
15. Calculate the shell side and tube side pressure Tube side: Section 12.8.2 in C&R
drop.
Shell side: Section 12.9 in C&R
16. Optimize the design
2. In a food processing plant there is a requirement to heat 50,000 kg/h of towns water from 10 to
70°C. Steam at 2.7 bar is available for heating the water. An existing heat exchanger is available, with
the following specification:
Shell inside diameter 337 mm, E type.
Baffles 25 per cent cut, set at a spacing of 106 mm.
Tubes 15 mm inside diameter, 19 mm outside diameter, 4094 mm long.
Tube pitch 24 mm, triangular.
Number of tubes 124, arranged in a single pass.
Would this exchanger be suitable for the specified duty?
Solution:
All the unknown flows can be calculated from a mass and energy balance. Since the physical
dimensions of the HX are given, the actual overall htc can be calculated. Hence, the HX area, A, and
the heat transfer rate, Q, can be found. If the resultant heat transfer rate, Q, is less than the required
duty, then the HX is not adequate for the specified duty.
Step Comment
1. Calculate the heat duty. Find the temperature of the steam using a
steam table.
Q = m*c*T for the towns water
2. Select cooling/heating medium Given
3. Calculate utility flow-rate. Duty = m
4. Collect the fluid physical properties: density, Look up relevant data.
viscosity, thermal conductivity.
5. Allocate the fluids on shell side and tube side. Allocate the steam on the shell side – less
fouling.
6. Decide the exchanger type S&T HX: Use U-tube - 1 shell pass; 2-tube
passes
7. Determine LMTD and MTD ΔTm Correction factor =1 – phase change in one of
the streams.
8. Select a trial value for the overall coefficient, U Actual value can be calculated (see13 below).
9. Estimate the provisional area required. Actual area can be calculated from tube
dimensions.
10.Tube geometry: Number of tubes & number of tube Given
passes etc.
11.Calculate the shell diameter. Given
12. Determine the shell side and tube side heat transfer Shell side, eq. 12.48 in C&R.
coefficients. For air-free steam a coefficient of 8000 W/m2
°C
can be used.
Tube side – as in example 12.1.
13. Calculate the overall coefficient and compare with
the trial value.
14. Calculate heat transfer rate, Q Q=UAT
If the resultant heat transfer rate, Q, is less than the required duty, then the HX is not adequate for the
specified duty.
3. A solution of sodium hydroxide leaves a dissolver at 80°C and is to be cooled to 40°C, using
cooling water. The maximum flow-rate of the solution will be 8 000 kg/h. The maximum inlet
temperature of the cooling water will be 20°C and the temperature rise is limited to 20°C.
Design a double-pipe exchanger for this duty, using standard carbon steel pipe and fittings. Use pipe
of 50 mm inside diameter, 55 mm outside diameter for the inner pipe, and 75 mm inside diameter pipe
for the outer. Make each section 5 m long.
The physical properties of the caustic solution are:
temperature, °C 40 80
specific heat, kJkg-1°C-1 3.84 3.85
density, kg/m3 992.2 971.8
thermal conductivity, Wm-1°C-1 0.63 0.67
viscosity, mN m-2s 1.40 0.43
Solution
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑
The number of sections required is given by 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
.
Step Comment
1. Calculate the heat duty. Q = m*c*T for the NaOH solution
2. Select cooling/heating medium Given
3. Calculate utility flow-rate. Duty Q = m*c*T – find m
4. Collect the fluid physical properties: density, Given. Use the mean values.
viscosity, thermal conductivity. Look up relevant values for calculation of U.
5. Allocate the fluids on shell side and tube side. Put the NaOH solution inside the tube.
6. Decide the exchanger type Given – double pipe
7. Determine LMTD Perfect counter-current – correction factor not
necessary
8. Calculate the overall ht coefficient
9. Calculate the area required. Actual area can be calculated from tube
dimensions.
10. Calculate the HT area of each section
11. Calculate the number of sections required
4. A double-pipe heat exchanger is to be used to heat 6 000 kg/h of 22 mol per cent hydrochloric acid.
The exchanger will be constructed from karbate (impervious carbon) and steel tubing. The acid will
flow through the inner, karbate, tube and saturated steam at 100°C will be used for heating. The tube
dimensions will be: karbate tube inside diameter 50 mm, outside diameter 60 mm; steel tube inside
diameter 100 mm. The exchanger will be constructed in sections, with an effective length of 3 m each.
How many sections will be needed to heat the acid from 15 to 65°C?
Physical properties of 22 % HCl at 40°C:
specific heat 4.93 kJkg-1°C-1,
thermal conductivity 0.39 Wm-1°C-1,
density 866 kg/m3.
Viscosity:
Temperature, °C 20 30 40 50 60 70
mN m-2s 0.68 0.55 0.44 0.36 0.33 0.30
Karbate thermal conductivity 480 Wm-1°C-1.
Solution:
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑
The number of sections required is given by 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
.
Step Comment
12. Calculate the heat duty. Q = m*c*T for the HCl solution
13. Select cooling/heating medium Given
14. Calculate utility flow-rate. Duty = m
15.Collect the fluid physical properties: density, Given. Use the mean values.
viscosity, thermal conductivity.
16.Allocate the fluids on shell side and tube side. Given
17.Decide the exchanger type Given – double pipe
18. Determine LMTD Perfect counter-current – correction factor not
necessary
19. Calculate the overall ht coefficient
20. Calculate the area required. Actual area can be calculated from tube
dimensions.
21. Calculate the HT area of each section
22. Calculate the number of sections required
