HEAT EXCHANGERS

Overview

• Devices that transfer heat between fluids at different

temperature
• Heat transfer can be achieved by direct contact or
indirect contact
• Used for heating, cooling, and heat economizing
 Flow Configuration

• Co-Current Flow
– Hot and cold fluid flow in the same
direction
– Suitable if temperature difference is
low
• Counter-Current Flow
– Hot and cold fluid flow in opposing
direction
– Temperature difference profile is
more uniform  better heat transfer
– Requires lower heat transfer area
compared to co-current flow for the
same heat load
 Direct Contact Heat Exchanger
• Hot and cold fluids in direct
contact during heat transfer
process
• Used for heat transfer of
immiscible fluids or gas-liquid
heat transfer
• Higher contact area between
fluids  better heat transfer
(compared to indirect)
• Examples: Cooling tower,
quencher, spray condenser
 Indirect Contact Heat Exchanger

• Hot and cold fluids are NOT in direct contact with

each other during heat transfer
• A wall separates the two fluids, preventing them from
mixing
• Examples: Shell and Tube Exchangers, Double Pipe
Exchangers, Plate Exchangers
• The most common heat exchangers in our industry is
shell and tube heat exchanger
 Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger

• Comprised of a number of small tubes bundled inside a

large cylindrical shell
• One fluid flows through the shell, the other flows through
the tube bundle
• Used for many applications, typically using high
temperature and pressure, such as petrochemical and
power generation plants
 Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger

• A universally accepted code for shell and tube

exchangers is TEMA (1988)  supplementary pressure
vessel design code for ASME VIII (1993)
• TEMA specifies minimum thicknesses, corrosion
allowances, particular design requirements, tolerances,
testing requirements, aspects of operation, maintenance
and guarantees
• TEMA also provides a simple three-letter system that
completely defines all shell and tube exchangers
– First letter defines the stationary end head
– Middle letter defines the shell type
– Final letter defines the rear end type
 Example:
AKT type STHE

• First letter (A):

Channel & removable
cover front
end/stationary head
• Middle letter (K):
Kettle-type reboiler shell
• Final letter (T):
Pull through floating
head rear end
 Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger

• Technical Terms:
– Shell: Large cylinder
that houses the tubes
– Tube: Small cylinders
that fit inside the shell.
May include fins
running along the
length of the tube
– Baffle: Partition plates
used to direct flow in
shell side
– Passes: Number of
times fluids pass
through shell/tube
– Tie Rods & Spacers:
Used to hold tube
bundle together
 Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger

• Technical Terms:
– Fixed Tube Sheet:
Straight tubes
secured at both ends
to the stationary tube
sheets that are
welded to the shell
– Floating Head:
Unsecured end, can
expand and float
based on
temperature
variations
 Mean Metal Temperature

• The average temperature of the metal of the

tubes/shell
• Metal will expand/contract according to its
temperature
• Difference in mean temperature in shell & tube 
internal stress in tube/shell  may cause
mechanical damage
• To prevent this, expansion joint is usually installed
for fixed tube sheet heat exchanger
• In other cases, if the difference in mean metal
temperature of shell & tube differs significantly, a
floating head heat exchanger can be used
 Double Pipe Heat Exchanger

• Comprised of one smaller inner tube place

concentrically inside a larger outer tube
• One fluid flows through the inner tube, while the
other flows through the outer tube/annulus
• Used for applications requiring small heat transfer
area (max 40 – 50 m2).
 Double Pipe Heat Exchanger

• A double pipe heat exchanger configuration

follows the shape of a U-tube, resembling a
hairpin
• One hairpin loop consists of two straight double
pipe in a U-tube shape  more compact 
requires less space

One Hairpin
 Plate Heat Exchanger

• Comprised of several parallel plates with small gap

inbetween as the channel for fluid flow
• On every plate, one side will be exposed to the hot fluid
and the other side will be exposed to the cold fluid
• Heat transfer happens along the surface of the plate
• Used for low to medium temperature applications, such
as HVAC systems and in food & beverage industry
 Gaskets in Plate Heat Exchanger

• Gasket is used to avoid leakage in

fluid flow
• In PHE, gasket is also used to
direct the fluids along the correct
channel in the gap between plates
• PHE gaskets are normally made
out of elastomers
• Gasket material determines the
maximum operating temperature
of PHE
PHE Gasket Material

Operating Fluid
Material
Temperature Applications
Nitrile Butadiene Water, Sea Water,
-10 sd 110oC
Rubber Oil, Acid
Ethylene Hot Water,
Propylene Diene -25 sd 150oC Steam, Acid,
Monomer Base
Fluorine
Water, Oil, Acid,
Kautschuk -5 sd 180oC
Methyl Ester
Material (FKM)
Concentrated
Tetrapropylene
0 sd 160oC Acid, Base,
Fluorine Rubber
Steam, Hot Oil
 Jacketed Vessel

• A standard vessel with an external jacket as the flow

channel for heating/cooling medium
• Heat transfer occurs along the vessel wall covered by the
jacket
• Generally used to control fluid temperature inside a
vessel
 Types of Vessel Jacket

• Plain jacket
– An additional outer wall outside
the vessel
– Can be installed over the whole
vessel wall or only parts
– Fluid flows in the cavity between
the outer jacket wall and outer
vessel wall
– Baffle can be added  increased
turbulence
• More effective cost-wise
Advantages
• More uniform heat transfer
• Limited heat transfer area
Disadvantages
• Limited heat load
Suitable for moderate
Application temperature and pressure
applications with low heat load
 Types of Vessel Jacket

• Limpet coil
– Half-pipe shaped coil welded
on the vessel outer wall
– Half-pipe shape gives more
surface area for heat transfer
compared to whole pipe
– High turbulence
– Suitable for high temperature
and pressure applications (up
to 260oC & 50 bar)
 Types of Vessel Jacket

• Dimple jacket
– Two metal sheets welded on
the vessel outer wall
– Similar to
– Dimple pattern is created by
spot welding of the metal
sheets
– Promotes high turbulence
– Suitable for pressures up to 20
bar
– Prone to fatigue failure if jacket
usage changes suddenly from
heating to cooling
 Internal Coil

• Pipe, usually in the shape of a

helix, located inside a vessel
• Helix shape gives more length
(more surface area) but takes
up less volume
• Fluid flows inside the coil
• Heat transfer occurs along the
length of coil
 Spiral Heat Exchanger
• Comprised of 2 pipes shaped into a spiral
• Fluids will flow inside the spiral, one fluid on one pipe, one
on the other
• Spiral shape gives more heat transfer area than straight
pipe, but takes up less volume  more compact
• Used to exchange heat between viscous fluids/slurries
(high fouling tendency)
• Spiral shape ensure turbulent flow  high HT efficiency
and low fouling
 Fouling in Spiral Heat Exchanger

• The curved shape of spiral heat

exchanger makes the flow
turbulent  high eddies
• The curved shape also ensures
that if any solid deposits are
present, the turbulent flow will
produce high shear rate to scrub
off the deposit  low fouling
Advantages and Disadvantages of
Each Heat Exchangers
Type Advantages Disadvantages
• Complex design
Shell and • Can operate at high temperatures • Generally costly
Tube Heat and pressures • Routine cleaning is necessary as
Exchanger • High heat transfer area solid deposit is likely after usage
for periods of time

• Low heat transfer area

Double Pipe • Simple construction
• Only suitable for low temperature &
Heat • Cheaper
pressure applications
Exchanger • Easier maintenance
• Unsuitable for high fluid flow rate

• Very high heat transfer area

• Limited operating temperature and
• Simple construction
Plate Heat pressure due to gasket material
• Easier maintenance
Exchanger • High pressure drop
• Easy to modify design
• Prone to leakage
• Compact design
Advantages and Disadvantages of
Each Heat Exchangers
Type Advantages Disadvantages

• Limited heat transfer area

• Easy temperature control
• For larger vessels, heat transfer
Jacket/Coil • Efficient heat transfer
efficiency drops especially if no
• Uniform temperature profile
agitation takes place

• High heat transfer area

Spiral Heat • Complex design
• Can be used for a long time as solids
Exchanger • Difficult installation & maintenance
are not easy to deposit
Cleaning & Maintenance

• Continuous usage of heat exchanger will ultimately

result in fouling
• Fouling  formation of solid deposits along the
surface of the heat exchangers during heating/cooling
• Solid deposit can inhibit heat transfer process &
increase pressure drop along the heat exchanger
• To avoid excessive solids buildup, heat exchangers
need to be cleaned regularly
 Cleaning & Maintenance

• High-Pressure Water Blasting

– Uses high pressured water to scrub off solid deposits inside the
heat exchanger
– Prone to hazard for the operator
• Chemical Cleaning
– Uses cleaning solution to remove solid deposits
– Acid: HCl, HNO3, H2SO4 (inhibitor is usually added to avoid
damage to HE surface due to acid)
– Base: Na2CO3 dan ammonia
– Oxidator: KMnO4  formation of oxide layer to avoid corrosion
 passivation
– Solvent: aliphatic, aromatic, or chlorinated hydrocarbon
Types of Heating Fluids

• Hot Water
– Used for low temperature applications (< 100oC)
– Used for heating of food-grade products
– Lower energy cost to produce compared to other heating
mediums
• Thermal Oil Heater (TOH)
– Used for heating of non-food grade products
– Can achieve high temperature at relatively low pressures
– Good temperature control  high heat capacity
• LP Steam
– Operates at <3 barg pressure
– Used for low temperature applications
Types of Heating Fluids

• MP Steam
– Operates at 3 – 30 barg pressure
– Used for medium-high temperature applications
• HP Steam
– Operates at >30 barg pressure
– Used for high temperature applications (usually also high
pressure)
 Types of Cooling Fluids

• Cooling Water
– Generally operates at 32oC
– Requires pre-treatment to avoid scaling/microbial growth inside
cooling water loop
• Chilled Water
– Cooling water cooled to below room temperature (generally 5oC)
– Produced in chiller system (refrigeration cycle)
• Brine Water
– Water with dissolved salt content, such as NaCl
– Lower freezing point than pure water due to colligative effect
– Higher salt content will give lower temperature
– Used for applications requiring low temperature cooling (below 0oC)
– Salt type must be compatible with heat exchanger material and
should not cause corrosion
Selection of Heat Exchangers

• Some factors affecting the selection of heat

exchangers are as follows:
– Heat transfer process (temperature, heat load, heat transfer
area)
– Process fluid properties
– Pressure Drop
– Operating temperature & pressure
– Space inside plant
– Ease of maintenance process
– Cost
Pressure Drop in Heat Exchangers

• Double Pipe Heat Exchangers generally have the

lowest pressure drop because of the simple design of
pipe inside a pipe
• Plate Heat Exchangers generally have the largest
pressure drop because the channel design and the
configuration of corrugation on the plates provide
additional resistance to flow
Pressure Drop in Heat Exchangers

• Heat exchangers in order of increasing pressure drop:

– Double Pipe Heat Exchanger  simple design
– Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger  similar to DPHE
– Spiral Heat Exchanger spiral shaped
– Plate Heat Exchanger channel & corrugation design
Case Example

• Boiler typically uses shell and tube exchanger,

because
– High heat transfer area
– Can withstand high temperature and pressure
• For fluids containing solids (slurry), it is better to
use shell & tube or double pipe exchangers as
maintenance is easier, plate exchangers can also
be used but with wider channel to ensure less
clogging
• Heating with moderate temperature & pressure
can use plate exchangers, because
– Compact design  save space
– Very high heat transfer area  efficient heat transfer
Heat Exchanger Equation

• The main basic Heat Exchanger equation is

𝑄𝑄̇ = 𝑈𝑈 𝐴𝐴 𝐹𝐹 Δ𝑇𝑇𝑚𝑚

Δ𝑇𝑇𝑚𝑚 = 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 (oC)

U = Overall heat transfer coefficient (kJ/h m2 oC)
A = Heat transfer area (m2)
Q = Heat transfer rate (kJ/h)
F = Correction Factor applied to the LMTD to determine true
temperature difference
Log- Mean Temperature Difference

• The log mean temperature difference:

𝑇𝑇1 − 𝑡𝑡2 − (𝑇𝑇2 − 𝑡𝑡1 )

Δ𝑇𝑇𝑚𝑚 =
𝑇𝑇 − 𝑡𝑡2
𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 1
(𝑇𝑇2 − 𝑡𝑡1 )

For Counter-Current Flow: For Co-Current Flow:

Tube Side: Tube Side:
T1 = Inlet fluid temperature T1 = Inlet fluid temperature
T2 = Outlet fluid temperature T2 = Outlet fluid temperature
Shell Side: Shell Side:
t1 = Inlet fluid temperature t1 = Outlet fluid temperature
t2 = Outlet fluid temperature t2 = Inlet fluid temperature
Overall Design Process

An iterative procedure for the design of a heat

exchanger is as follows:
1. Calculate the required heat transfer rate, Q, in kJ/hr
from specified information about fluid flow rates and
temperatures.
2. Make an initial estimate of the overall heat transfer
coefficient, U, based on the fluids involved.
3. Calculate the log mean temperature difference, ΔTm,
from the inlet and outlet temperatures of the two
fluids.
4. Calculate the estimated heat transfer area required,
using: A = Q/(F x U x ΔTm).
Overall Design Process

5. Select a preliminary heat exchanger configuration.

6. Make a more detailed estimate of the overall heat
transfer coefficient, U, based on the preliminary heat
exchanger configuration.
7. Estimate the pressure drop across the heat
exchanger. If it is too high, revise the heat exchanger
configuration until the pressure drop is acceptable.
8. If the new estimate of U is different than the previous
estimate, repeat steps 4 through 7 as many times as
necessary until the two estimates are the same to the
desired degree of accuracy.
Overall Design Process

In order to start the heat exchanger design process,

several items of information are needed
– The two fluids involved
– The heat capacity of each fluid
– The required initial and final temperatures for one of the fluids
– The initial and final temperature design for the other fluid
– An initial estimate for the value of the Overall Heat Transfer
Coefficient, U
Overall Design Process

Knowing the first four items allows determination of the

required heat transfer rate, Q, as well as the calculation
of the log mean temperature difference, ΔTm. Then, an
initial estimate for the required heat transfer area can be
calculated from the equation:

A = Q/(F x U x ΔTm)
Example Calculation

Estimate the required surface area for a shell and tube

heat exchanger that cools 20 MT/h of palm oil from 90oC
to 60oC using cooling water supplied at 32oC with a
maximum return temperature of 40oC! Heat exchanger
operates at counter-current flow. Calculate also the flow
rate of cooling water required

Data available:
Cp of cooling water = 4,18 kJ/kg oC
Cp of palm oil = 1,85 kJ/kg oC
U = 340 W/m2 K
Example Calculation

• Calculating the required heat transfer rate for palm oil:

Q = m x Cp x ΔT
Q = 20.000 x 1,85 x 30
Q = 1.110.000 kJ/h = 308.333,33 W
1.110.000 kJ/h of heat must be transferred from palm oil to
cooling water to facilitate cooling
• Calculating the mass of cooling water required
Q = mcw x Cp x ΔT
1.110.000 = mcw x 4,18 x 8
mcw = 33.193,78 kg/h of cooling water
Example Calculation

• Calculating log mean temperature difference:

𝑇𝑇1−𝑡𝑡2 −(𝑇𝑇2−𝑡𝑡1)
Δ𝑇𝑇𝑚𝑚 = (𝑇𝑇1−𝑡𝑡2)
𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙
(𝑇𝑇2−𝑡𝑡1)

90 −40 −(60 −32)

Δ𝑇𝑇𝑚𝑚 = (90−40)
𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙(60−32)

Δ𝑇𝑇𝑚𝑚 = 37,94oC
• Calculating preliminary surface area required (assume
F=1):
Q = F x U x A x ΔTm
308.333,33 = 1 x 340 x A x 37,94
A = 23,90 m2
Thank you – Are there any Questions?