Cfd analysis of shell and tube heat exchanger

About this project

Tubular Heat Exchangers: Tubular heat exchangers are built of mainly of circular tubes although some other geometry has also been used in different applications. This type of construction offers a large amount of flexibility in design as the designing parameters like the diameter, length and the arrangement can be easily modified. This type is used for liquid-to-liquid (phase changing like condensing or evaporation) heat transfer. Again this type is classified into shell and tube, double pipe and spiral tube heat exchangers. Double Pipe Heat Exchanger: The double pipe or the tube in tube type heat exchanger consists of one pipe placed concentrically inside another pipe having a greater diameter. The flow in this configuration cane be of two types: parallel flow and counter-flow. It can be arranged in a lot of series and parallel configurations to meet the different heat transfer requirements. Of this the helically arranged stands out as it has found its place in different industrial applications. As this configuration is widely used, knowledge about the heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and different flow patterns has been of much importance. The curvature in the tubes creates a secondary flow, which is normal to the primary axial direction of flow. This secondary flow increases the heat transfer between the wall and the flowing fluid. And they offer a greater heat transfer area within a small space, with greater heat transfer coefficients. Study has been done on the types of flows in the curved pipes, and the effect of Prandtl and Reynolds number on the flow patterns and on Nusselt numbers. The two basic boundary conditions that are faced in the applications are constant temperature and the constant heat flux of the wall.