Experiment No# 06

Name of Experiment: Study of Heat Exchanger

Introduction

Heat exchange between different heat caries is one of the most important heat transfer processes
encountered in engineering. For instance, the generation of steam of given parameters in a boiler
plant is based on the process of transferring heat from hot flue gases to the water.

A heat exchanger is a device, which transfers heat from one fluid to another. The heat is transferred
from one fluid being cooled to another fluid being heated.

Many types of heat exchanger are employed in varied installations such as steam plants. Chemical
processing plants.Building heating, air conditioning and refrigeration system etc.
Most heat exchangers may be classified on the basis of the configuration of fluid flow I paths
through the exchanger. The three most common types of fluid flow configuration are as follows:

1. Parallel flow heat exchanger: where the two fluid streams flow in the same direction.
2. Counter-current or counter flow heat exchanger: Where the two fluid streams flow in
opposite directions.

Fig: Heat Transfer Service Module with Optional Heat Exchanger

Flow Conversion:
The service Module measures flow in liters per minute, But your calculations need flow in cubic
meters per second (m3.s-1). Where, 10 L.min-1=0.0001667 m3.s-1

Average Temperatures:
TC1  TC 2
To find the average temperature of the cold circuit: Tc 
2
T  TH 2
To find the average temperature of the hot circuit: TH  H 1
2

Heat Capacity (C)

This is a measure of the heat needed to increase the te3mperature of a given mass of material by 1
degree (Kelvin or Celsius).
It is a product of the mass of a material (m) and its specific heat capacity (c).
C =M×C

Specific Heat Capacity at Constant Pressure (c p)

Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of exactly 1kg
of material by 1 degree (Celsius). It is a ratio of the change in heat energy and the change in
Q
temperature. c 
T
Pressure and temperature affects specific heat capacity, so equation assumes a constant pressure
over a known range of temperature. It is the ‘isobaric’ (equal pressure) specific heat capacity,
Q
cp 
T
Heat Transfer, Energy Balance and Efficiencies

In heat exchanger, heat transfer or flow from the hot water circuit to the cold water circuit
The Heat transfer rate is a function of the fluid mass flow rate, the temperature change and the
specific heat capacity of the fluid at mean temperature)
Q  m  c p  T
In an ideal heat exchanger, that does not lose or absorb heat from its surroundings, the cool fluid
absorbs all the heat from the hot fluid. So the heat transfer rate is:
Q  Qe  Q a  m H  c pH  TH  mC  c pC  Tc

Rearranged for volumetric flow gives:

Q  Qe  Qa  m H  c pH  TH  mC  c pC  Tc  Vc   c  c pC  Tc
The energy balance coefficient (CEB)
Shows the relationship between the energy absorbed and emitted, where
Q
C EB  a
Qe
The temperature efficiency of the hot circuit of the Heat Exchanger of the ratio of the temperature
change in the hot circuit, divided by the difference between the maximum and minimum
temperatures of hot and cold circuit
T T
 H  H 1 H 2  100
TH 1  TC1

The temperature efficiency of the cold circuit of the Heat Exchanger of the ratio of the
temperature change in the cold circuit, divided by the difference between the maximum and
minimum temperatures of hot and cold circuit
T T
 H  C 2 C1  100
TH 1  TC1

The mean temperature efficiency of the two circuits is the average efficiency of them both
  C
 H
2

Logarithmic Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD)

This is a measure of the heat driving force that creates the heat transfer. It is a logarithmic average
of the temperature difference between the hot and cold circuits ay each end of the heat exchanger.
T  TC 2   TH 1  TC1 
LMTD  H 2
 T  TC 2 
ln H 2 
 TH 1  TC1 
Heat Transfer Coefficient (U)
This is the overall heat transfer coefficient for the wall and boundary layers. It is a measure of how
well the heat exchanger works. A good heat exchanger will give a high coefficient; therefore this
value is important to engineers.
Qe
U
A  LMTD

Experiment 1-The Effect of Varying Flow Rate

 Procedure 1- Parallel Flow

1. Connect and set up your heat exchanger as procedure. Connect for parallel flow and a
heater tank temperature of 60º C.
2. Create a blank results table, if you have VDAS, in the top left of the layout, select the
correct heat exchanger. The software will create a table for you automatically when
you start taking readings.
3. Use an accurate thermometer to check the local ambient air temperature for reference.
4. For the first test, use the hand operated flow control valves to set the hot and cold flow
rates. Allow at least five minutes for the heat exchanger temperatures to stabilize.
5. Record the hot and cold circuit temperatures.
6. Repeat the procedure for flow rates as in table for tests..0

Procedure 2-Counter Flow:

Reconnect the heat exchanger for counter flow and repeat procedure 1.

Result Analysis:
Use the input and output temperatures (TH1, T H2, T C1 and T C2) to create temperature charts for
each flow.

Experiment 2-Effect of varying Temperature (Driving Force)

Procedure:
1 Connect and set up your heat exchanger. Connect the parallel flow and a heater tank
temperature of 30ºC.
2 Create a blank results table, if you have VDAS, in the top left of the layout, select the correct
heat exchanger. The software will create a table for you automatically when you start taking
readings.
3. Use an accurate thermometer to check the local ambient temperature for reference.
4. For the first test, use the hand operated flow control valves to set the hot and cold flow rates.
Allow at least five minutes for the heat exchanger temperatures to stabilize.
5. Record the hot and cold circuit temperatures.
6. Repeat the procedure for heated tank heated tank by different temperatures.

Procedure 2-Counter Flow:

Reconnect the heat exchanger for counter flow and repeat procedure 1.
Result Analysis:
Use the input and output temperatures (TH1, T H2, T C1 and T C2) to create temperature charts for
each flow.

Notation, Useful Equations and Theory

Notation:

Heat Exchanger Details

Concentric Tube Nett Dimensions:

Heat Exchanger 500 mm wide × 260 mm front to back × 160 mm high and 3.5 kg
(TD 360a) Outer Tube (shell): Clear acrylic, 30mm outside diameter and 20 mm inside
diameter.
Inner Tube: Stainless steel, 12mm outside diameter and 10nn inside
diameter diameter.
Mean Heat Transfer area: 0.02m2

Plate heat Nett Dimensions:

Exchanger (TD 500mm wide × 260mm front to back × 100mm high and 2.4 kg
360b) 4 Stainless Steel Plates, each 0.005m 2
Mean Heat transfer Area : 0.02 m2

Shell and Tube Nett Dimensions:

Heat Exchanger 500 mm Wide × 260 mm Front to back × 150 mm High and 2.7 Kg
(Td 360c) Outer Tube (shell): clear Acrylic, 60mm Out side diameter and 4 mm inside
diameter.
Mean Heat transfer area : 0.02 m2
 Table 1- The Effect of Varying Flow Rate

Heat Exchanger:
Connection (Parallel or counter flow):
Ambient Temperature:
Heater Tank Temperature:

Test 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Hot Flow (L/min)
Cold Flow (L/min)
TH1
TH2
∆ TH
Average TH*
TH3*
TC1
TC2
∆ TC
Average TC*
TC3*
ηH
ηC
ρH
ρC
cpH
cpc
Qe

Qa
CEB

LMTD
U
*If you have the TD 360a, use the TH3 and TC3 readings as the average temperatures.
Table 2- Effect of varying Temperature (Driving Force)
 Heat Exchanger:
Connection (Parallel or counter flow):
Hot Flow:
Cold Flow:

Test 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Heater Temperature
TH1
TH1
∆ TH
Average TH*
TH3*
TC1
TC2
∆ TC
Average TC*
TC3*
ηH
ηC
ρH
ρC
cpH
cpc
Qe

Qa
CEB

LMTD
U

*If you have the TD 360a, use the TH3 and TC3 readings as the average temperatures.