NPTEL – Chemical Engineering – Chemical Engineering Design - II

Module #1
PROCESS DESIGN OF HEAT EXCHANGER: TYPES OF HEAT EXCHANGER,
PROCESS DESIGN OF SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER, CONDENSER AND
REBOILERS

1. PROCESS DESIGN OF SHELL AND TUBE EXCHANGER FOR SINGLE

PHASE HEAT TRANSFER

1.1. Classification of heat exchangers

1.2. Thermal design considerations
1.2.1. Shell
1.2.2. Tube
1.2.3. Tube pitch, tube-layout and tube-count
1.2.4. Tube passes
1.2.5. Tube sheet
1.2.6. Baffles
1.2.7. Fouling Considerations
1.2.8. Selection of fluids for tube and the shell side
1.3. Process (thermal) design procedure
1.4. Design problem

2. PROCESS DESIGN OF SHELL AND TUBE EXCHANGER FOR TWO

PHASE HEAT TRANSFER

2.1. Condenser
2.1.1. Types of condensers
2.1.2. Condenser design
2.1.2.1. Mean temperature difference
2.1.2.2. Calculation of heat transfer co-efficient during
condensation
2.1.2.3. Pressure drop calculation
2.1.3. De-superheating and sub-cooling

2.2. Reboilers
2.2.1. Classification of reboilers
2.2.2. Design of Kettle reboiler

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Lecture 1: Heat Exchangers Classifications

1. PROCESS DESIGN OF SHELL AND TUBE
EXCHANGER FOR SINGLE PHASE HEAT
TRANSFER
1.1. Classification of heat exchangers
Transfer of heat from one fluid to another is an important operation for most of the
chemical industries. The most common application of heat transfer is in designing of heat
transfer equipment for exchanging heat from one fluid to another fluid. Such devices for
efficient transfer of heat are generally called Heat Exchanger. Heat exchangers are
normally classified depending on the transfer process occurring in them. General
classification of heat exchangers is shown in the Figure 1.1.
Amongst of all type of exchangers, shell and tube exchangers are most commonly used
heat exchange equipment. The common types of shell and tube exchangers are:
Fixed tube-sheet exchanger (non-removable tube bundle): The simplest and cheapest
type of shell and tube exchanger is with fixed tube sheet design. In this type of
exchangers the tube sheet is welded to the shell and no relative movement between the
shell and tube bundle is possible (Figure 1.2).
Removable tube bundle: Tube bundle may be removed for ease of cleaning and
replacement. Removable tube bundle exchangers further can be categorized in floating-
head and U-tube exchanger.
 Floating-head exchanger: It consists of a stationery tube sheet which is
clamped with the shell flange. At the opposite end of the bundle, the tubes
may expand into a freely riding floating-head or floating tube sheet. A
floating head cover is bolted to the tube sheet and the entire bundle can be
removed for cleaning and inspection of the interior. This type of exchanger
is shown in Figure 1.3.
 U-tube exchanger: This type of exchangers consists of tubes which are bent
in the form of a „U‟ and rolled back into the tube sheet shown in the Figure
1.4. This means that it will omit some tubes at the centre of the tube bundle

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depending on the tube arrangement. The tubes can expand freely towards
the „U‟ bend end.
The different operational and constructional advantages and limitations depending on
applications of shell and tube exchangers are summarized in Table 1.1. TEMA (USA)
and IS: 4503-1967 (India) standards provide the guidelines for the mechanical design of
unfired shell and tube heat exchangers. As shown in the Table 1.1, TEMA 3-digit codes
specify the types of front-end, shell, and rear-end of shell and tube exchangers.

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Heat exchanger may have singe

or two phase flow on each side
Fixed tubesheet
Flow
Shell & tube U-tube

Cross Parallel Counter Removable bundle

Tubular Spiral tube Floating head

Double pipe

Finned tube

Indirect Extended
contact-type surface

Finned plate

Recuperative Gasketed plate

Plate Spiral plate

Lamella
Direct
contact-type

Heat
Exchanger
Disk type

Rotary
regenerator

Regenerative
Drum type

Fixed-matrix
regenerator

Figure 1.1. Classification of heat exchangers depending on their applications.

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Table 1.1. Features of shell and tube type exchangers.

Shell and Typical Advantages Limitations
Tube TEMA code
Exchangers
Fixed tube BEM, AEM, Provides maximum heat Shell side / out side of the tubes are
sheet NEN transfer area for a given inaccessible for mechanical cleaning.
shell and tube diameter.
No provision to allow for differential thermal
Provides for single and expansion developed between the tube and
multiple tube passes to the shell side. This can be taken care by
assure proper velocity. providing expansion joint on the shell side.

Less costly than

removable bundle designs.

Floating- AEW, BEW, Floating tube sheet allows To provide the floating-head cover it is
head BEP, AEP, for differential thermal necessary to bolt it to the tube sheet. The bolt
AES, BES expansion between the circle requires the use of space where it
shell and the tube bundle. would be possible to place a large number of
tubes.
Both the tube bundle and
the shell side can be Tubes cannot expand independently so that
inspected and cleaned huge thermal shock applications should be
mechanically. avoided.

Packing materials produce limits on design

pressure and temperature.

U-tube BEU, AEU U-tube design allows for Because of U-bend some tubes are omitted at
differential thermal the centre of the tube bundle.
expansion between the
shell and the tube bundle Because of U-bend, tubes can be cleaned only
as well as for individual by chemical methods.
tubes.
Due to U-tube nesting, individual tube is
Both the tube bundle difficult to replace.
and the shell side can be
inspected and cleaned No single tube pass or true countercurrent
mechanically. flow is possible.

Less costly than floating Tube wall thickness at the U-bend is thinner
head or packed floating than at straight portion of the tubes.
head designs.
Draining of tube circuit is difficult when
positioned with the vertical position with the
head side upward.

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Figure 1.2. Fixed-tube heat exchanger ([1]).

Figure 1.3. Floating-head heat exchanger (non-pull through type) [1].

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Figure 1.4. Removable U-tube heat exchanger [1].

Typical parts and connections shown in Figures 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4 (IS: 4503-1967) are
summarized below.
1. Shell 16. Tubes (U-type)
2. Shell cover 17. Tie rods and spacers
3. Shell flange (channel end) 18. Transverse (or cross) baffles or support plates
4. Shell flange (cover end) 19. Longitudinal baffles
5. Shell nozzle or branch 20. Impingement baffles
6. Floating tube sheet 21. Floating head support
7. Floating head cover 22. Pass partition
8. Floating head flange 23. Vent connection
9. Floating head gland 24. Drain connection
10. Floating head backing ring 25. Instrument connection
11. Stationary tube sheet 26. Expansion bellows
12. Channel or stationary head 27. Support saddles
13. Channel cover 28. Lifting lugs
14. Channel nozzle or branch 29. Weir
15. Tube (straight) 30. Liquid level connection

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Lecture 2: Thermal Design Considerations

The flow rates of both hot and cold streams, their terminal temperatures and fluid
properties are the primary inputs of thermal design of heat exchangers.
1.2. Thermal design considerations
Thermal design of a shell and tube heat exchanger typically includes the determination of
heat transfer area, number of tubes, tube length and diameter, tube layout, number of
shell and tube passes, type of heat exchanger (fixed tube sheet, removable tube bundle
etc), tube pitch, number of baffles, its type and size, shell and tube side pressure drop etc.
1.2.1. Shell
Shell is the container for the shell fluid and the tube bundle is placed inside the shell.
Shell diameter should be selected in such a way to give a close fit of the tube bundle.
The clearance between the tube bundle and inner shell wall depends on the type of
exchanger ([2]; page 647). Shells are usually fabricated from standard steel pipe with
satisfactory corrosion allowance. The shell thickness of 3/8 inch for the shell ID of 12-24
inch can be satisfactorily used up to 300 psi of operating pressure.
1.2.2. Tube
Tube OD of ¾ and 1‟‟ are very common to design a compact heat exchanger. The most
efficient condition for heat transfer is to have the maximum number of tubes in the shell
to increase turbulence. The tube thickness should be enough to withstand the internal
pressure along with the adequate corrosion allowance. The tube thickness is expressed in
terms of BWG (Birmingham Wire Gauge) and true outside diameter (OD). The tube
length of 6, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 ft are preferably used. Longer tube reduces shell
diameter at the expense of higher shell pressure drop. Finned tubes are also used when
fluid with low heat transfer coefficient flows in the shell side. Stainless steel, admiralty
brass, copper, bronze and alloys of copper-nickel are the commonly used tube materials:

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1.2.3. Tube pitch, tube-layout and tube-count

Tube pitch is the shortest centre to centre distance between the adjacent tubes. The tubes
are generally placed in square or triangular patterns (pitch) as shown in the Figure 1.5.
The widely used tube layouts are illustrated in Table 1.2.
The number of tubes that can be accommodated in a given shell ID is called tube count.
The tube count depends on the factors like shell ID, OD of tube, tube pitch, tube layout,
number of tube passes, type of heat exchanger and design pressure.
1.2.4. Tube passes
The number of passes is chosen to get the required tube side fluid velocity to obtain
greater heat transfer co-efficient and also to reduce scale formation. The tube passes vary
from 1 to 16. The tube passes of 1, 2 and 4 are common in application. The partition built
into exchanger head known as partition plate (also called pass partition) is used to direct
the tube side flow.
Table 1.2. Common tube layouts.

Tube OD, in Pitch type Tube pitch, in

34 Square 1
1 11
4
34 Triangular 15
16
34 1

+
+ + +
Flow Flow Flow + +

+ + + + +
Pitch

Pitch Pitch

a). Square b). Triangular c). Rotated square

Figure 1.5. Heat exchanger tube-layouts.

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1.2.5. Tube sheet

The tubes are fixed with tube sheet that form the barrier between the tube and shell fluids.
The tubes can be fixed with the tube sheet using ferrule and a soft metal packing ring.
The tubes are attached to tube sheet with two or more grooves in the tube sheet wall by
„tube rolling‟. The tube metal is forced to move into the grooves forming an excellent
tight seal. This is the most common type of fixing arrangement in large industrial
exchangers. The tube sheet thickness should be greater than the tube outside diameter to
make a good seal. The recommended standards (IS:4503 or TEMA) should be followed
to select the minimum tube sheet thickness.

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1.2.6. Baffles
Baffles are used to increase the fluid velocity by diverting the flow across the tube bundle
to obtain higher transfer co-efficient. The distance between adjacent baffles is called
baffle-spacing. The baffle spacing of 0.2 to 1 times of the inside shell diameter is
commonly used. Baffles are held in positioned by means of baffle spacers. Closer baffle
spacing gives greater transfer co-efficient by inducing higher turbulence. The pressure
drop is more with closer baffle spacing. The various types of baffles are shown in Figure
1.6. In case of cut-segmental baffle, a segment (called baffle cut) is removed to form the
baffle expressed as a percentage of the baffle diameter. Baffle cuts from 15 to 45% are
normally used. A baffle cut of 20 to 25% provide a good heat-transfer with the reasonable
pressure drop. The % cut for segmental baffle refers to the cut away height from its
diameter. Figure 1.6 also shows two other types of baffles.

Shell

a). Cut-segmental baffle

Shell Doughnut
Disc

b). Disc and doughnut baffle

Baffle
Orifice

c). Orifice baffle

Figure 1.6. Different type of heat exchanger baffles: a). Cut-segmental baffle, b). Disc and doughnut baffle, c). Orifice baffle

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1.2.7. Fouling Considerations

The most of the process fluids in the exchanger foul the heat transfer surface. The
material deposited reduces the effective heat transfer rate due to relatively low thermal
conductivity. Therefore, net heat transfer with clean surface should be higher to
compensate the reduction in performance during operation. Fouling of exchanger
increases the cost of (i) construction due to oversizing, (ii) additional energy due to poor
exchanger performance and (iii) cleaning to remove deposited materials. A spare
exchanger may be considered in design for uninterrupted services to allow cleaning of
exchanger.
The effect of fouling is considered in heat exchanger design by including the tube side
and shell side fouling resistances. Typical values for the fouling coefficients and
resistances are summarized in Table 1.3. The fouling resistance (fouling factor) for
petroleum fractions are available in the text book ([3]; page 845).
Table 1.3. Typical values of fouling coefficients and resistances ([2]; page 640).

Fluid Coefficient (W.m .°C ) Resistance (m .°C.W-1)

-2 -1 2

River water 3000-12,000 0.0003-0.0001

Sea water 1000-3000 0.001-0.0003
Cooling water (towers) 3000-6000 0.0003-0.00017
Towns water (soft) 3000-5000 0.0003-0.0002
Towns water (hard) 1000-2000 0.001-0.0005
Steam condensate 1500-5000 0.00067-0.0002
Steam (oil free) 4000- 10,000 0.0025-0.0001
Steam (oil traces) 2000-5000 0.0005-0.0002
Refrigerated brine 3000-5000 0.0003-0.0002
Air and industrial gases 5000-10,000 0.0002-0.000-1
Flue gases 2000-5000 0.0005-0.0002
Organic vapors 5000 0.0002
Organic liquids 5000 0.0002
Light hydrocarbons 5000 0.0002
Heavy hydrocarbons 2000 0.0005
Boiling organics 2500 0.0004
Condensing organics 5000 0.0002
Heat transfer fluids 5000 0.0002
Aqueous salt solutions 3000-5000 0.0003-0.0002

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1.2.8. Selection of fluids for tube and the shell side

The routing of the shell side and tube side fluids has considerable effects on the heat
exchanger design. Some general guidelines for positioning the fluids are given in Table
1.4. It should be understood that these guidelines are not ironclad rules and the optimal
fluid placement depends on many factors that are service specific.
Table 1.4. Guidelines for placing the fluid in order of priority
Tube-side fluid Shell-side fluid
Corrosive fluid Condensing vapor (unless corrosive)
Cooling water Fluid with large temperature difference (>40°C)
Fouling fluid
Less viscous fluid
High-pressure steam
Hotter fluid

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The required heat transfer area (where, nt =335):

1
Areqd   do Lt nt = π× ×24×335=2105 ft2
12
% Overdesign =9.8% which is within the acceptable limit.
Refer module # 2 for the mechanical design of shell and tube heat exchanger.
Lecture 5: Shell and Tube Exchanger for Two Phase Heat Transfer

2. PROCESS DESIGN OF SHELL AND TUBE

EXCHANGER FOR TWO PHASE HEAT TRANSFER
2.1. Condenser
The change from liquid phase to vapor phase is called vaporization and the reverse phase
transfer is condensation. The change from liquid to vapor or vapor to liquid occurs at one
temperature (called saturation or equilibrium temperature) for a pure fluid compound at a
given pressure. The industrial practice of vaporization and condensation occurs at almost
constant pressure; therefore the phase change occurs isothermally.
Condensation occurs by two different physical mechanisms i.e. drop-wise condensation
and film condensation.
The nature of the condensation depends upon whether the condensate (liquid formed
from vapor) wets or does not wet the solid surface. If the condensate wets the surface and
flows on the surface in the form of a film, it is called film condensation. When the
condensate does not wet the solid surface and the condensate is accumulated in the form
of droplets, is drop-wise condensation. Heat transfer coefficient is about 4 to 8 times
higher for drop wise condensation. The condensate forms a liquid film on the bare-
surface in case of film condensation. The heat transfer coefficient is lower for film
condensation due to the resistance of this liquid film.
Dropwise condensation occurs usually on new, clean and polished surfaces. The heat
exchanger used for condensation is called condenser. In industrial condensers, film
condensation normally occurs.

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2.1.1. Types of condensers

There two general types of condensers:
i. Vertical condenser
Downflow vertical condenser: The vapor enters at the top of condenser and flows
down inside tubes. The condensate drains from the tubes by gravity and vapor
induced shear (Figure 1.7).
Upflow vertical condenser: In case of upflow condenser, the vapor enters at the
bottom and flows upwards inside the tubes. The condensate drains down the tubes
by gravity only.
ii. Horizontal condenser: The condensation may occur inside or outside the
horizontal tubes (Figure 1.8). Condensation in the tube-side is common in air-
cooled condensers. The main disadvantage of this type of condenser is that the
liquid tends to build up in the tubes. Therefore the effective heat transfer co-
efficient is reduced significantly.

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Figure 1.7. Downflow vertical condenser with condensation inside tube [5].

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