Detailed comparison of the methods used in the heat transfer coefficient and pressure loss calculation of shell side of shell and tube heat exchangers with the experimental results

ABSTRACT

In this study, results of HTRI Xchanger software used in the analysis of shell and tube heat exchangers (STHE), and Kern and Bell-Delaware methods, which are the conventional methods used for calculation of shell side heat transfer coefficient (SSHTC) and pressure loss (PL), were compared with experimental data. An experimental study was considered for Heat exchanger (HE) dimensions and fluid properties from literature. Then SSHTC and PL values were calculated using Kern and Bell-Delaware methods and HTRI Xchanger software for the measured shell side flowrates. SSHTC and PL values calculated for lower shell side mass flowrates by Kern method deviated from experimental results at low ratios. In addition, deviations in high flowrates values increasingly moved away from experimental results. In the Bell-Delaware method, although low deviations were observed in the high shell-side mass flowrates, the deviations increased at low flow rates and diverged from the experimental results. The deviation of SSHTC values calculated by the HTRI Xchanger program was found to be massively independent from the shell side flowrate. In addition, as in Bell-Delaware method, it has been observed that deviations in the shell side pressure loss (SSPL) calculations increased with increasing shell-side mass flowrate. As a result, SSHTC was calculated with average deviations of + 17, −11, and + 18%, by Kern and Bell-Delaware methods and HTRI Xchanger software respectively. Similarly, shell side PL was found with + 64, −25, and −32% average deviation, respectively.

KEYWORDS:

• Shell and tube
• pressure loss
• heat transfer coefficient
• Bell-Delaware
• Kern
• HTRI Xchanger

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Karabük University (Project Number KBÜ-BAP-16/1-YL-154), Karabük, Turkey.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Munip Alpaslan Alperen

Munip Alpaslan Alperen He was born in 1989 in Karabük. He started his undergraduate education in 2009 at Karabük University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering and graduated in 2014 from this department. He completed his master's degree in 2017 at Karabuk University, Institute of Science and Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Erhan Kayabaşi

Erhan Kayabaşi was born in Karabük in 1984. He graduated from Istanbul Technical University Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Faculty in 2009. He was done his graduate education in Karabuk University on Heat Exchangers Simulation. He finished his PhD study in Karabuk University on PV solar cell production optimization. He is assistant professor in Karabuk University Mechanical Engineering Department.

Hüseyin Kurt

Hüseyin Kurt was born in Mersin.  He graduated from Gaziantep University Mechanical Engineering Department in 1994. He was done his graduate education in Sakarya University in 1997. He finished his PhD study in Marmara University in Machine Education Department. He is professor in Mecmettin Erbakan University Mechanical Engineering Department.