Heat exchangers

FUNDAMENTALS IN HEAT TRANSFER

Conduction Convection Radiation
Fourier’s law 𝑞 𝜆𝑆 Newton’s law 𝑞 ℎ 𝑆 Δ𝑇 Model 𝑞 𝐾 𝑇 𝑇
Stationary transfer in plane Thermal resistance 𝑞 (T must be in K!)
𝜆𝑆
𝑞 Δ𝑇 2 parallel surfaces
𝐿
Stationary transfer in duct 1
Convection thermal resistance
𝜆𝑆 𝐾 𝑆𝜎
1 1
𝑞 Δ𝑇 1 1
𝑒 𝑅
𝜀 𝜀
Thermal resistance 𝑞 ℎ𝑆
Closed chamber
𝑅 or 𝑅
𝐾 𝑆 𝜎 𝜀

Logarithmic mean: 𝑥

EQUIVALENT DIAMETER FOR NON‐CYLINDRIC GEOMETRY

4𝛺 4 channel cross‐sectional area
𝐷
𝑃 𝑤𝑒𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟
For annulus with 𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐷 as small and large diameters:
4𝛺
𝐷 𝐷 𝑑
𝑃
Remark: 𝐷 is NOT a physical diameter. To be used only in Reynold and Nusselt number

GLOBAL HEAT TRANSFER COEFFICIENT

Local heat flux between cold and hot fluids: 𝒒 𝒉𝒈 𝑺 𝑻𝒉 𝑻𝒄
Global resistance between cold and hot fluids:
𝑅 𝑅 𝑅 𝑅 𝑅
1 1 𝑒 1
𝑅
ℎ 𝑆 ℎ 𝑆 𝜆 𝑆 ℎ 𝑆
1 1 1
ℎ 𝑆 ℎ , 𝑆 ℎ , 𝑆
Global resistance in tubular geometry (without fouling resistance):
1 𝑑 𝑑 𝑑 1
ln
ℎ , ℎ 𝑑 2𝜆 𝑑 ℎ
1 1 𝑑 𝑑 𝑑
ln
ℎ , ℎ 2𝜆 𝑑 ℎ 𝑑
Global resistance in tubular geometry (with fouling resistance):
1 𝑑 𝑑 𝑑 𝑑 1
𝑅 𝑙𝑛 𝑅
ℎ , ℎ 𝑑 𝑑 2𝜆 𝑑 ℎ
1 1 𝑑 𝑑 𝑑 𝑑
𝑅 𝑙𝑛 𝑅
ℎ , ℎ 2𝜆 𝑑 𝑑 ℎ 𝑑

F. Fournier 2021
 LMDT Method
ΔT ΔT
𝒒 𝒉𝒈 𝑭 𝑺 𝚫𝐓𝐦𝐥 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ ΔT
ΔT
𝑙𝑛
ΔT
If ℎ is not constant
ℎ ΔT ℎ ΔT
𝑞 𝑆
ℎ ΔT
𝑙𝑛
ℎ ΔT
Correction factor 𝑭 (assuming Δ𝑇 ,
𝐹 𝑓 𝐸, 𝑅

𝑇, 𝑇, Δ𝑇
𝐸
𝑇 , 𝑇, Δ𝑇

𝑇, 𝑇, 𝑀 𝐶,
𝑅
𝑇, 𝑇, 𝑀 𝐶,
𝐹 1 for bitubular exchangers and for exchangers where the temperature of one of the 2 fluids remains
constant (boilers, condensers)
General case
√𝑅 1 1 𝐸𝑅 / 𝐾 𝑙𝑛 𝑊
From 𝐾 and 𝑊 compute 𝐹
𝑅 1 1 𝐸 1 𝑊 𝐾 𝐾𝑊
𝑙𝑛
1 𝑊 𝐾 𝐾𝑊
Special case 𝑅 1
1 𝑊
𝑁 𝑁 𝐸 √2 𝑊
From 𝑊 compute 𝐹
𝑁 𝑁 𝐸 𝐸 𝑊 1
1 𝑊 √2
ln 𝑊 1
1 𝑊 √2

Effectiveness‐Number of Thermal Unit Method

Effectiveness
𝑞
𝜖 with 𝑞 𝑀𝐶 𝑇 , 𝑇,
𝑞
Number of Thermal Units
ℎ 𝑆
𝑁𝑇𝑈
𝑀𝐶
Heat capacity flow ratio:
𝑀𝐶
𝑟
𝑀𝐶
Parallel flows
1 𝑒
𝜖
1 𝑟
Counter‐current flows
𝑁𝑇𝑈
𝐼𝑓 𝑟 1 𝜖
𝑁𝑇𝑈 1
1 𝑒
𝐼𝑓 𝑟 1 𝜖
1 𝑟𝑒
1 shell pass / 𝟐𝒏 tube passes

1 𝑒
𝜖 2 1 𝑟 1 𝑟
1 𝑒
Additional relations are available in the literature.

F. Fournier 2021
Notation and units
Letter Unit Meaning Letter Unit Meaning
𝐶 𝐽. 𝑘𝑔 . °𝐶 Heat capacity 𝑞 𝑊 Heat flux
𝑑, 𝐷 𝑚 Diameters 𝑟 ‐ [NUT] heat capacity flowrate ratio
[LMDT] Ratio of the temperature
decrease of the hot fluid over
𝐷 𝑚 Equivalent (or hydraulic) diameter 𝑅 ‐
temperature increase of the cold
fluid
[LMDT] ratio of the temperature
increases of the cold fluid over the
E ‐ temperature difference between cold 𝑅 °𝐶. 𝑊 Thermal resistance
and hot fluid at entrance (somehow a
thermal efficiency)
𝑒 𝑚 Tube width 𝑅 𝑚 . °𝐶. 𝑊 Fouling factor
𝐹 ‐ [LMDT] Correction factor S 𝑚 Heat transfer area
Local convective heat transfer
Temperature
ℎ ,ℎ 𝑊. 𝑚 . °𝐶 coefficient on cold and hot fluid T °𝐶 𝑜𝑟 𝐾
(in some formula T must be in K!)
respectively.
ℎ 𝑊. 𝑚 . °𝐶 Global heat transfer coefficient
𝐻 𝐽. 𝑘𝑔 Specific enthalpy Greek symbols
𝐿 𝑚 Wall width 𝜖 ‐ [NTU] Effectiveness
𝑀 ,𝑀 𝑘𝑔. 𝑠 Mass flowrate of cold and hot fluids 𝜖 ‐ Material emissivity
𝑀𝐶 𝑊. °𝐶 Heat capacity flowrate  𝑘𝑔. 𝑚 Density
𝑁 ‐ Number of shell passes 𝜆 𝑊. 𝑚 . °𝐶 Thermal conductivity
𝑁 ‐ Number of tubes in shell Ω 𝑚 Cross section area
𝑃 𝑚 Wet perimeter 𝜎 5.676 10 𝑊. 𝑚 .𝐾 Stefan‐Boltzmann constant

Subscripts: 𝑐 cold fluid, 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 fouling resistance, 𝑔 global, ℎ hot fluid, 𝑖𝑛 input, 𝑜𝑢t ouput, 𝑚𝑙 logarithmic mean, 𝑝 product, 𝑤 wall

F. Fournier 2021