Thermal-Hydraulic Characteristics of Helical Baffle Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers

Abstract

Shell-and-tube heat exchangers are frequently used in several industrial applications. A model was developed using engineering equations solver software to predict the performance of various baffle configurations of shell-and-tube heat exchangers. The model is based on the Bell-Delaware method for the segmental baffle, while mathematical correlations for the helical baffle are provided for design and analysis purpose. The accuracy of the present model is validated against the experimental data available in the literature. The results showed that helical baffles offer much higher performance compared to the segmental baffled heat exchanger. It was found that the performance of the helical baffle increases with increasing baffle angle until it reaches an optimum value; it then starts to decrease at an angle of 42°.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support provided by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals through the project IN171048.

Notes on contributors

Bassel A. Abdelkader is a Ph.D. student in the Mechanical Engineering Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia. He finished his M.Sc. in the department at KFUPM in 2015. He earned his Bachelor in Aeronautical Engineering from Institute of Aviation Engineering and Technology, Egypt in 2011.

Muhammad Ahmad Jamil is presently working as a Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology (KFUEIT), Rahim-Yar-Khan, Pakistan. He earned his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in 2017, and B.Sc. from University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan, in 2014. Currently, he is teaching and conducting research in the fields of heat transfer and water desalination.

Syed M. Zubair is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. His research interest involves both applied as well as fundamental areas of energy and desalination systems, refrigeration and air-conditioning systems, and fouling of heat exchangers. He has participated in several research projects, including projects supported by MIT-KFUPM Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy. The humidification and dehumidification (HDH) technology that he developed with MIT collaborators ended up in a commercial application for treating produced water from oil and gas wells. He has published over 250 research papers and was awarded 8 US patents. Currently, he is serving on the editorial board of International Journal of Refrigeration and as Associate Editor of Nature Partner Journal (npj) Clean Water.