CHAPTER 5:

DESIGN OF SHELL – TUBE

HEAT EXCHANGER PART I
CH2035 FOOD ENGINEERING 2
Semester 1, 2024-2025

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 OUTLINE:
▪ Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers
▪ Design Characteristics
▪ Heat Exchanger Analysis
▪ The Log Mean Temperature
Difference Method
▪ The Effectiveness–NTU Method
▪ Multipass and Cross-Flow Heat
Exchangers Using a Correction
Factor
▪ The Effectiveness of a Heat
Exchanger
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 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
▪ When it is necessary to have a large heat transfer surface
to perform heat transfer from one fluid to another fluid,
the use of a set of tubes contained in a shell (known as a
shell and tube heat exchanger) is recommended.

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 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
▪ Process fluid which is to be either heated up or cooled
down in the heat exchanger, is commonly referred to as the
'service'.
➢ The service may be single phase (either gas or liquid) or
two-phase (mixture of gas and liquid).
▪ One of the fluids (shell or tube side) can be a non process
fluid, which is only used for heating or cooling the process
fluid.
➢ Such stream is known as a 'utility'. Utility can also be either
single phase or two phase.
➢ It is possible to have two fluids in the shell and tube
exchanger on both - shell side and tube side.
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 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
▪ Important parts of a shell and
tube heat exchanger:
i. Tubes: The tubes contain the
fluid that is being heated or
cooled. They are typically
made of a corrosion-resistant
material such as stainless steel
or copper.
ii. Tube-sheets: The tube sheets
are located at each end of the
heat exchanger and hold the
tubes in place. They are
typically made of the same Fig 1: Parts of a U tube-
material as the tubes and are
designed to withstand the heat exchanger
high pressure and
temperature of the fluids
flowing through the tubes. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
iii. Shell: The shell is the outer casing of the heat exchanger and
surrounds the tubes. It is typically made of a strong, durable
material such as carbon steel or stainless steel.
iv. Shell Cover: The shell cover holds the tubes in place and
support the weight of the tube bundle. The cover is typically
made of the same material as the tubes and is designed to
withstand the high pressure and temperature of the fluids
flowing through the tubes.
v. Tube bundles: The tube bundles are the group of tubes that
are held together by the tube sheets. They can be arranged in
a variety of configurations, such as straight, U-shaped, or even
spiral, depending on the specific needs of the application.
vi. Baffles: Baffles are used to direct the flow of the fluid over the
tubes and ensure that it is evenly distributed. They are typically
made of the same material as the shell and are mounted on the
inside of the shell.
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 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
v. Headers: The headers are located at each end of the heat
exchanger and are used to distribute the fluid to and from the
tubes. They are typically made of the same material as the
shell and are designed to withstand the high pressure and
temperature of the fluids.
vi. Nozzles: They are present on both shell and tube sides, to
facilitate flow of the shell and tube side fluids between the
heat exchanger and inlet / outlet piping.
vii. Channels: The channels refer to the spaces between the
tubes.
❖ These channels allow for the fluid that
is flowing over the tubes (known as the
"shell side fluid") to come into contact
with the tubes & transfer heat to or from
the fluid flowing inside the tubes
(known as the "tube side fluid").
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 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
▪ Selecting a Shell and Tube heat exchanger type:
➢The structure of a shell and tube exchanger is decided
based on a number of factors like -
i. the nature of process fluids on both shell & tube sides,
ii. the flow rates on both shell & tube sides,
iii. the expected nature of operations and maintenance,
iv. the temperature difference on both sides and the
required heat transfer area.

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 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
▪ Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger Types:
➢ Many different exchanger configurations can be easily
created by different combinations of front end, shell &
rear end.
➢ Moreover depending on how tube bundle is fixed to the
front end or rear end cover, there are 3 broad types of
shell & tube heat exchanger construction.
(i) Fixed Tube-sheet Heat Exchanger:
❖ A fixed-tube-sheet heat exchanger has straight tubes
that are secured at both ends to tube-sheets welded to
the shell.
❖ The main advantage of the fixed tube-sheet exchanger is
its low cost because of its simple construction.
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 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

Fig 2: A fixed tube-sheet heat exchanger

❖ The simple design of fixed tube-sheet heat exchanger is not
suitable for services having large temperature difference
between shell & tube sides. Because in such cases, an
expansion joint would be needed (extra cost).
❖ Other advantages are that the tubes can be cleaned easily
by removing the channel cover or bonnet.
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 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
❖ The absence of flanged joints helps to minimize the leakage
of the shell side fluid. It is suitable when a dirty fluid is flowed
on tube side.
❖ But there is a disadvantage that the outside of the tubes cannot
be cleaned mechanically, as the tube bundle is fixed to the
shell.
❖ Fixed tube-sheet exchangers require that a clean fluid must be
used on the shell side.
(ii) U Tube Heat Exchanger:
❖ The tube bundle of the heat exchanger is U shaped.
❖ There is only one tube sheet. Flanged joint
❖ All the tubes start from upper half of this tube-sheet, make a U
turn in the shell and come back to the lower half of the same
tube sheet. bblee@unimap.edu.my
SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

Fig 3: A U tube heat exchanger

❖ The advantage of using a U tube bundle is that the tubes
can freely expand as they are U turn end of the bundle is
freely floating in the shell side.
❖ Hence a U tube heat exchanger is the preferred option
where there is high temperature difference between shell
& tube side fluids and tube expansion is expected.
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 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS
❖ The U shape of the tubes makes it difficult to
mechanically clean them. Only chemical cleaning
would be possible.
❖ Hence U tube heat exchangers are normally not preferred
where a dirty / fouling service is needed on the tube
side.
(iii) Floating Head Heat Exchanger:
❖ The one end of the tubes of this shell & tube exchanger
type is kept fixed in a tube-sheet attached to the shell
side. While the other end is free to expand or 'floating' in
the shell side.
❖ The design of this type of shell & tube heat exchanger can
withstand fluids to high temperature difference, as the
tubes are free to expand. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

Fig 4: A floating head heat exchanger

❖ The floating head cover can be easily removed to
mechanically clean insides of the tubes. So even dirty &
fouling services can also be used on the tube side.
❖ That makes this shell & tube heat exchanger type most
versatile in terms of its applicability to different scenarios.
❖ But the design is quite complex, making it also the most
expensive type of shell & tube exchangers. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS
▪ Certain considerations regarding which fluid is advisable
to circulate inside and which outside the tubes should be
taken into account for the design of shell and tube heat
exchangers.
i. the hot fluid should circulate inside the tube bundle to
reduce heat losses to the exterior.
ii. since it is easier to clean the inside of the tubes, it is
preferable to circulate the dirtiest fluid or the one that
leaves more deposits or sediments inside the tube bundle.
iii. In case both fluids produce similar dirtiness, it is preferable
to circulate the one with greater pressure inside the
tubes, since the cost of a pressured shell is high.
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 DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS
iv. For viscous fluids, it is preferable to make them circulate
inside the tubes, viscous fluid generally deposits dirt.
v. When viscous fluids are circulated in laminar regime, it is
preferable to make them circulate through the outside,
since the baffles will help to increase the turbulence and,
therefore, will increase the heat transfer.
vi. If the fluids are corrosive, they are preferably circulated
inside the tubes, since if they circulate outside, the use of
an anticorrosive will be needed to avoid the deterioration
of the outside part of the tubes and the shell.
➢ With these considerations in mind, the setup of the
mathematical model is needed to design this type of heat
exchanger.
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 DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS
▪ The fluid in shell side is forced to change direction due to
the presence of supporting plates.
➢Such plates or baffles can be perpendicular (called as
deflectors) or horizontal to the tube bundle.
➢Different types of deflectors are shown in Fig. 6 (orifice,
disk, doughnut, and segmental baffles).
➢The distance between baffles determines the velocity of
the fluid, generally 0.2 times the value of the diameter of
the shell.
➢The percent of the diameter of the shell not occupied by
the deflector is called bypassing.
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DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Fig. 6: Types of baffles and shell &

tube heat exchangers: (a) with disk
& doughnut baffles; (b) segmental
baffles; (c) orifice baffles.

▪ The tubes can be arranged as triangles, squares, or

rotated squares, see Fig. 7.
➢ The square arrangement allows an easier cleaning of the
external parts of the tubes.
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 DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS
➢ The triangular arrangement makes the turbulence of the
fluid easy, so the heat transfer coefficient increases,
although the head losses increase too.

Fig. 7: Tube bundle arrangement

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 DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS
▪ In general, two operation methods of a heat exchanger.
➢ The setup of the mathematical model is performed from the
energy balances for the hot and cold fluid and through
the exchange surface.
i. Parallel Operation
ii. Counter-current Operation
iii. Mixed Operation
Fig. 8a: Parallel
flow or
operation of a
shell & tube
heat exchanger.
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DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS
Fig. 8b:
Counter-
current flow
or operation
of a shell &
tube heat
exchanger.

Fig. 8c: Mixed

flow or
operation of a
shell & tube
heat
exchanger.
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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
▪ Heat exchanger analysis is needed for design & type selection:
i. The log mean temperature difference method (or LMTD) is
used to achieve a specified temperature change in a fluid
stream of known mass flow rate,
ii. The effectiveness–NTU method is used to predict the outlet
temperatures of the hot & cold fluid streams in a specified
heat exchanger.
▪ Heat exchangers usually operate for long periods of time with
no change in their operating conditions.
➢ Therefore, they can be modeled as steady-flow devices.
➢ The mass flow rate of each fluid remains constant, & the fluid
properties like temperature & velocity at any inlet or outlet
remain the same. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
➢ The fluid streams experience little or no change in their
velocities and elevations, and thus the kinetic and
potential energy changes are negligible.
➢ The specific heat of a fluid generally changes with
temperature. But it can be treated as a constant in a
specified temperature range.
➢ Axial heat conduction along the tube is usually
insignificant and can be considered negligible.
➢ Finally, the outer surface of the heat exchanger is assumed
to be perfectly insulated, so that there is no heat loss to
the surrounding medium, and any heat transfer occurs
between the two fluids only.

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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
▪ The first law of thermodynamics requires that the heat
transfer rate from the hot fluid must be equal to the heat
transfer rate to the cold fluid.

➢ where the subscripts c & h stand for cold and hot fluids,
respectively.

ሶ is taken to be a positive quantity,

➢ The heat transfer rate (𝑄)
and its direction is understood to be from the hot fluid to
the cold fluid in accordance with the second law of
thermodynamics. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
▪ The rate of heat transfer in a heat exchanger can be
expressed in an analogous manner to Newton’s law of
cooling as: 𝑸ሶ = 𝑼𝑨∆𝑻𝒎
➢ where U is the overall heat transfer coefficient,
A is the heat transfer area, &
∆Tm is an appropriate average temperature difference
between the two fluids.
➢ Here the surface area A can be determined precisely using
the dimensions of the heat exchanger.
➢ However, the overall heat transfer coefficient U and the
temperature difference ∆T between the hot and cold
fluids, in general, may vary along the heat exchanger.
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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
▪ Empirical Relations for Pipe and Tube Flow
▪ Nusselt number is the ratio of convective heat transfer to
conductive heat transfer.
➢ When the Nu <1, conduction plays a
𝒉 𝒊 𝑫𝒊
𝑵𝒖 =
larger role than convection. 𝒌𝒘
➢ When the Nu >1, the opposite is true.
➢ Where ℎ𝑖 is the heat transfer coefficient for the tube-side
fluid, 𝐷𝑖 is the diameter of the inside tube wall and 𝑘w is the
thermal conductivity of the tube-side fluid.
➢ Many correlations exist that relate the Reynolds and Prandtl
numbers to the Nusselt number.
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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
➢ These correlations depend on the type of heat exchanger, its
geometry, & fluidic properties (laminar or turbulent flow).
▪ A traditional expression for calculation of heat transfer in
fully developed turbulent flow in smooth tubes:
𝑁𝑢 = 0.023 𝑅𝑒 0.8 𝑃𝑟 𝑛
➢ where 𝑛 = 0.4 for heating, 𝑛 = 0.3 for cooling.
➢ It is valid when Prandtl numbers ranging from about 0.6 to
100 and with moderate temperature differences between
wall and fluid conditions.
▪ For better results for turbulent flow in smooth tubes may be
obtained from the following:
Reynolds number:
➢For 0.5<Pr <1.5 and 10 <Re<5×10 :
4 6
𝜌𝑣𝐷
0.8 0.4 𝑅𝑒 =
𝑁𝑢 = 0.0214 𝑅𝑒 − 100 𝑃𝑟 𝜇
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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS Prandt number:
➢ For 1.5<Pr <500 and 3000<Re<106: 𝑐𝑝 𝜇
0.87 0.4 𝑃𝑟 =
𝑁𝑢 = 0.0214 𝑅𝑒 − 280 𝑃𝑟 𝑘
▪ Different-diameter tubes may be used to vary the range of
the Reynolds number in addition to variations in the mass-
flow rate.
➢ An empirical equation in terms of power function to
generalize the correlation between the heat-transfer data
and Reynolds and Prandtl numbers can be expressed as:
𝑁𝑢 = 𝐶𝑅𝑒 𝑚 𝑃𝑟 𝑛
where C, m, and n are constants to be determined from the
experimental data.
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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
▪ If wide temperature differences are present in the flow,
there may be an appreciable change in the fluid properties
between the wall of the tube and the central flow.
➢ These property variations may be evidenced by a change in
the velocity profile.
➢ A result of the fact that the viscosity of gases increases with
an increase in temperature, while the viscosities of
liquids decrease with an increase in temperature.
➢ To take into account the property variations,

0.8 1/3
𝜇𝐵
𝑁𝑢 = 0.027 𝑅𝑒 𝑃𝑟
𝜇𝑤
where all properties are evaluated at bulk-temperature
conditions, except μw, is evaluated at the wall temperature.
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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
▪ The correlation for average heat-transfer coefficients in
cross flow over circular cylinders (tubes):
𝑁𝑢 = 𝐶 𝑅𝑒 𝑘 𝑃𝑟 0.33
➢this correlation is commonly used for the shell side of the
heat exchanger.
➢the constants C and k are tabulated in Table 2.
Table 2: Constants for the average heat-transfer
coefficients in cross flow over circular cylinders
Re C k
0.4 - 4 0.989 0.330
4 - 40 0.911 0.385
40 - 4000 0.683 0.466
4000 – 40 000 0.193 0.618
40 000 – 400 000 0.0266 0.805
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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
EXAMPLE 1:
▪ In a double pipe heat exchanger, water is
flowing at 0.3 m s-1 across a 7.5 cm diameter
inner pipe at 74°C. If the bulk water
temperature is 24°C, estimate the heat-transfer
coefficient.
Solution:
➢ Mean film temperature = (74 + 24)/2 = 49°C.
➢ Properties of water at 49°C are:
cp = 4.186 kJ kg-1°C-1, k = 0.64 J m-1 s-1°C-1, μ = 5.6 x 10-4 N s m-2,
ρ = 1000 kg m-3.
➢ Reynolds number: Re = (Dvρ/µ)
= (0.075 x 0.3 x 1000)/(5.6 x 10-4)
= 4.02 x 104
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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
➢ Prandt number: Pr = (cp μ/k) = (4186 x 5.6 x 10-4)/0.64
= 3.66
➢ Nusselt number: Nu = hcD/k
= 0.193(Re)0.618(Pr)0.33
= 0.193(4.02 x 104)0.618(3.66)0.33
➢ Heat transfer coefficient: hc = k/D x 0.193 x (Re)0.618(Pr)0.33
= (0.64 x 0.193 x 701 x 1.53)/0.075
= 1770.3 W m-2 °C-1

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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
Example 2:
▪ Calculate the heat transfer coefficient to a vegetable puree,
which is flowing at an estimated 3 m min-1 in a smooth pipe of
0.9 m long and 0.3 m diameter.
➢ Steam is condensing on the other side of the pipe and
maintaining the surface, which is in contact with the puree, at
104°C.
➢ Assume that the properties of the
vegetable puree are, density 1040
kg m-3, specific heat 3980 J kg-1 °C-1,
viscosity 0.002 N s m-2, thermal
conductivity 0.52 J m-1 s-1 °C-1.
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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
▪ Solution:
➢ Velocity, v = 3m min-1 = 3/60 ms-1 = 0.05 ms-1
➢ Reynolds number, Re = (Dvρ/μ)
= (0.3 x 0.05 x 1040)/(2 x 10-3)
= 7800
➢Prandtl number, Pr = (cpμ/k)
= (3980 x 2 x 10-3)/0.52
= 15.3
➢For 1.5<Pr <500 and 3000<Re<106:
Nusselt number: 𝑁𝑢 = 0.0214 𝑅𝑒 0.87 − 280 𝑃𝑟 0.4
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 HEAT EXCHANGER ANALYSIS
➢From: 𝑁𝑢 = 0.0214 𝑅𝑒 0.87 − 280 𝑃𝑟 0.4

𝑁𝑢 = 0.0214 78000.87 − 280 (15.3)0.4

= 137.19

𝒉𝒊 𝑫
➢Since 𝑵𝒖 =
𝒌𝒘

➢Therefore, h = (Nu x kw)/D = (137.19 x 0.52) / 0.3

= 237.8 W m-2 °C-1

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THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
▪ The temperature difference between
the hot and cold fluids varies along
the heat exchanger, and it is
convenient to have a mean
temperature difference ∆Tm for use
ሶ UA Tm.
in the relation 𝑄=
▪ In order to develop a relation for the
equivalent average temperature
difference between the two fluids,
consider the parallel-flow double-
pipe heat exchanger shown in Fig. 9.
Fig. 9: Variation of the fluid temperatures in
a parallel-flow double-pipe heat exchanger. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
➢ Note that the temperature difference ∆T between the hot &
cold fluids is large at the inlet of the heat exchanger but
decreases exponentially toward the outlet.
➢ As expected, the temperature of the hot fluid decreases &
the temperature of the cold fluid increases along the heat
exchanger, but the temperature of the cold fluid can
never exceed that of the hot fluid no matter how long the
heat exchanger is.
➢ Assuming the outer surface of the heat exchanger to be
well insulated so that any heat transfer occurs between
the two fluids, and disregarding any changes in kinetic and
potential energy, an energy balance on each fluid in a
differential section of the heat exchanger can be
expressed as:
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 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
➢ That is, the rate of heat loss from the hot fluid at any section
of a heat exchanger is equal to the rate of heat gain by the
cold fluid in that section.
➢ The temperature change of the hot fluid is a negative
quantity to make the heat transfer rate a positive
quantity.
➢ Solving the equations above for dTh and dTc gives:

➢ Taking their difference,

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 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
➢ The rate of heat transfer in the differential section of the
heat exchanger can also be expressed as:

➢ Rearranging give:

➢ Integrating from the inlet of the heat exchanger to its

outlet, can obtain:

➢ Finally, solving 𝑚ሶ ccpc and 𝑚ሶ hcph and substituting into the

above equation give, after some rearrangement,

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 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
➢∆𝑻𝒍𝒎 is the log mean temperature
difference, which is the suitable form of
the average temperature difference for
use in the analysis of heat exchangers.
➢Here ∆T1 and ∆T2 represent the
temperature difference between the
two fluids at the two ends (inlet and
outlet) of the heat exchanger.
➢It makes no difference which end of the
heat exchanger is designated as the
inlet or the outlet.
Fig. 10: The ∆T1 and ∆T2 expressions in
parallel-flow and counter-flow heat
bblee@unimap.edu.my exchangers.
 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
▪ The temperature difference between the two fluids
decreases from ∆T1 at the inlet to ∆T2 at the outlet.
➢ Thus, it is tempting to use the arithmetic mean
temperature ∆Tam = (∆T1 + ∆T2) as the average
temperature difference.
➢ The logarithmic mean temperature difference ∆Tlm is
obtained by tracing the actual temperature profile of the
fluids along the heat exchanger and is an exact
representation of the average temperature difference
between the hot and cold fluids.
➢ It truly reflects the exponential decay of the local
temperature difference.
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 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
▪ Note that ∆Tlm is always less than ∆Tam.
➢ Therefore, using ∆Tam in calculations instead of ∆Tlm will
overestimate the rate of heat transfer in a heat exchanger
between the two fluids.
➢ When ∆T1 differs from ∆T2 by no more than 40 percent, the
error in using the arithmetic mean temperature
difference is < 1%.
➢ But the error increases to undesirable levels when ∆T1
differs from ∆T2 by greater amounts.
➢ Therefore, the logarithmic mean temperature difference
should always use when determining the rate of heat
transfer in a heat exchanger.
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 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
▪ EXAMPLE 3:
➢ Steam in the condenser of a power
plant is to be condensed at a
temperature of 30oC with cooling
water from a nearby lake, which
enters the tubes of the condenser at
14oC and leaves at 22oC.
➢ The surface area of the tubes is 45 m2,
and the overall heat transfer
coefficient is 2100 W/m2 oC.
➢ Determine the mass flow rate of the The Condensation
cooling water needed and the rate of of Steam in a
condensation of the steam in the Condenser
condenser.
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 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
▪ SOLUTION:
➢ Assumptions:
i. Steady operating conditions exist.
ii. The heat exchanger is well insulated so that heat loss to
the surroundings is negligible.
iii. Changes in the kinetic and potential energies of fluid
streams are negligible.
iv. There is no fouling.
v. Fluid properties are constant.
➢ The condenser can be treated as a counter-flow heat
exchanger since the temperature of one of the fluids (the
steam) remains constant.
➢ The temperature difference between the steam and the
cooling water at the two ends of the condenser is:
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 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD

➢ That is, the temperature difference between

the two fluids varies from 8oC at one end to
16oC at the other.
➢ The average temperature difference
between the two fluids is the logarithmic
mean temperature difference:

➢The heat transfer rate in the condenser is determined from:

➢Steam will lose heat at a rate of 1087 kW as it flows through

the condenser, and the cooling water will gain practically all
of it, since the condenser is well insulated. bblee@unimap.edu.my
 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
➢ The mass flow rate of the cooling water and the rate of the
condensation of the steam are determined from:

Sensible heat Latent heat

➢ Therefore, about 72 kg of cooling water is circulated for

each 1 kg of steam condensing to remove the heat released
during the condensation process.
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 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
▪ EXAMPLE 4:
➢ A counter-flow double-pipe heat
exchanger is to heat water from 20oC to
80oC at a rate of 1.2 kg/s.
➢ The heating is to be accomplished by
geothermal water available at 160oC at
a mass flow rate of 2 kg/s.
➢ The inner tube is thin-walled and has a Heating Water in
diameter of 1.5 cm. a Counter-Flow
➢ If the overall heat transfer coefficient of Heat Exchanger
the heat exchanger is 640 W/m2oC,
determine the length of the heat
exchanger required to achieve the
desired heating.
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 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
▪ SOLUTION:
➢ Assumptions:
i. Steady operating conditions exist.
ii. The heat exchanger is well insulated so that heat loss to the
surroundings is negligible.
iii. Changes in the kinetic and potential energies of fluid
streams are negligible.
iv. There is no fouling.
v. Fluid properties are constant.
➢ The rate of heat transfer in the heat exchanger can be
determined from:

bblee@unimap.edu.my
 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
➢ Noting that all of this heat is supplied by the geothermal
water, the outlet temperature of the geothermal water is
determined to be:

➢ Knowing the inlet and outlet temperatures of both fluids, the

logarithmic mean temperature difference for this
counter-flow heat exchanger becomes:

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 THE LOG MEAN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE METHOD
➢ The surface area of the heat exchanger is determined:

➢ To provide this much heat transfer surface area, the

length of the tube must be:

➢The inner tube of this counter-flow

heat exchanger needs to be over 100
m long, which is impractical,
therefore a multipass shell-and-tube
heat exchanger with multiple passes
of tube bundles.
bblee@unimap.edu.my