Effect of Inlet Conditions on Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Efficiency and Effectiveness

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of inlet conditions on both efficiency and effectiveness of parallel and counter flow shell and tube heat exchangers. The study considered two cases depending on the relative value of the heat capacity rate of the cold fluid compared to that of the hot fluid. The heat exchanger working media is water, and the shell and tubes were made from glass and stainless steel respectively. The experimental investigations were performed on the heat exchanger at variable values of hot and cold water mass flow rates and hot and cold water inlet temperatures. For both types of heat exchangers, when the heat capacity rate of the cold water is smaller than that of the hot water, results revealed an increase in the effectiveness and efficiency of the heat exchanger with increasing inlet cold water temperature. Also for an increasing hot water mass flow rate, both types showed a decrease in the effectiveness and efficiency when heat capacity rate of the cold water is greater than that of the hot water. Experimental results concluded also that the efficiency and effectiveness of the counter flow heat exchanger are greater than those for the parallel flow heat exchanger.