Heat transfer rates in hot shell, cold tube inclined baffled small shell, and tube heat exchanger using CFD and experimental approach

Abstract

The work presented is an effort to realize the changes occurring for convective coefficients of heat transfer in STHX fitted with inclined baffles. Effort has been undertaken using Fluent, a commercially available CFD code on a CAD model of small STHX with inclined baffles with cold liquid flowing into the tubes and hot liquid flowing in the shell. Four sets of CFD analysis have been carried out. The hot liquid flow rate through shell compartments varied from 0.2 kg/sec to 0.8 kg/sec in steps of 0.2 kg/sec, while keeping the cold liquid flow condition in tube at 0.4 kg/sec constant. Heat transfer rates, compartment temperatures, and overall heat transfer coefficients, for cold liquid and hot liquid, were studied. The results given by the software using CFD approach were appreciable and comparatively in agreement with the results available by the experimental work, which was undertaken for the same set of inlet pressure conditions, liquid flow rates, and inlet temperatures of liquid for both hot and cold liquids. The experimental output results were also used to validate the results given by the CFD software. The results from the CFD analysis were further used to conclude the effect of baffle inclination on heat duty. The process thus followed also helped realize the effects of baffle inclination on convective heat transfer coefficient of the liquid flow through the shell in an inclined baffle shell and tube heat exchanger. The temperature plots for both cold and hot liquid were also generated for understanding the compartmental temperature distributions inclusive of the inlet and outlet compartments. The heat duty for a heat exchanger has been found to increase with the increase in baffle inclinations from zero degree to 20 degrees. Likewise, the convective heat transfer coefficients have also been found to increase with the increase in baffle inclinations.