Process Eng: Water heating system

[Undergrad1147]

Homework Statement

You've been asked to draw a P&ID for a water heating system. 20 tonne/hr of water is to be pumped from the atmosphere into a heat exchanger at 1.6 MPa. Steam is being used to heat the water to 145 C. The heated fluid is then stored in a vessel, which is designed to hold 4 minutes of flow. Show all your calculations.

Homework Equations

Where $Q$ is the volumetric flow rate:
1)$Q = Av$ where $A$ is the cross sectional area of the pipe and $v$ is the velocity of the fluid through the pipe.

2)$Q = \frac{ \dot{m}}{\rho}$ where $\dot{m}$ is the mass flow rate and $\rho$ is the density of the fluid.

3)The speed of water through pipe can be approximated as 2 m/s.

The Attempt at a Solution

Well, 20 tonnes/hr is equal to 20(1000)/60(60) kg/s. Thus: $$\dot{m_{water}} = 5.55 kg/s$$
Dividing this by the density of water, the value of $Q_{water}$ was found to be 5.55 x $10^{-3}$ m^3/s.

Using this, the value of the pipe diameter can be calculated to be 0.059 metres by using equation (1). Now, I was wondering, does the heating by the steam affect the value of the flow rate out of the heat exchanger? If not, the capacity of the vessel can easily be calculated by multiplying the surge time (in seconds) by the flow rate.

Finally, how do I incorporate the values of temperature and pressure into my calculation? I'm not really sure what they're required for.

Also, how would I go about sizing the size of the pipe used to deliver the steam? Or is that even possible with the information required? Thanks in advance and if you need any clarification on the question, let me know.

Also, this is my first post, but I still know that I won't be told the answer. Just a help in the right direction would be handy. Thanks.

 

[Undergrad1147]

Here's the exact question:
36 tonne per hour of water is to be pumped from atmosphere into a heat exchanger at 1.69MPa, and heated to 150°C using steam at 1.0MPa. The heated fluid is stored in a surge vessel designed to have a capacity equal to 5 minutes of flow.

• Draw a P&ID for this system, show all calculations.
• Consider very briefly the issues of pressure relief, recycle and isolation.
• Simple drawing (by hand if necessary) (Ignore this. Doesn't make much sense.)

I really just don't see how the values of pressure and the temperature factor into the problem.

 

[SteamKing]

It started out that 20 t/hr of water was being pumped; now it's 36 t/hr. Surge vessel 4 min. cap.; now 5 min. cap.
Are you sure this is the problem and the figures are correct?

 

[Undergrad1147]

It started out that 20 t/hr of water was being pumped; now it's 36 t/hr. Surge vessel 4 min. cap.; now 5 min. cap.
Are you sure this is the problem and the figures are correct?

Yes. They're correct now. This is the exact question. I changed them slightly myself initially just so that I'd have a little bit to do myself if somebody ended up giving me numerical answers. Can you make any sense of what I', required to do with those values? (The pressure and temp.)

 

[Chestermiller]

Here's the exact question:
36 tonne per hour of water is to be pumped from atmosphere into a heat exchanger at 1.69MPa, and heated to 150°C using steam at 1.0MPa. The heated fluid is stored in a surge vessel designed to have a capacity equal to 5 minutes of flow.

• Draw a P&ID for this system, show all calculations.
• Consider very briefly the issues of pressure relief, recycle and isolation.
• Simple drawing (by hand if necessary) (Ignore this. Doesn't make much sense.)

I really just don't see how the values of pressure and the temperature factor into the problem.

Hi Undergrad1147. Welcome to Physics Forums.
The first thing you need to come to grips with is that this design is going to be an evolutionary process, with lots of alternative designs and concepts you would like to consider. All you know so far is that there is going to be a pump, a heat exchanger, and a surge tank. Before you start calculating pipe diameters and flows, you need to first focus on the thermo. What is the vapor pressure of water at 150C. This will tell you the minimum pressure needed in the heat exchanger to keep the water from boiling. How does the vapor pressure at 150 C compare with the inlet pressure to the heat exchanger. You now know the maximum pressure drop you can tolerate on the water flow side. What is the temperature of saturated steam at 1 MPa? Will this be high enough to heat the water to 150 C? These are some of the things you need to be looking at before you start designing. What is a reasonable value for the inlet temperature of the water from the environment? Should you consider a range of values?

Chet

 

[Undergrad1147]

Thanks for the reply. I found the vapour pressure of water at 150 C to be 475.72 kPa, which is 0.47572 MPa. This is less than the pressure in the HE, so the water doesn't begin to boil upon entry, yes? Is the maximum pressure drop then equal to (1.69 - 0.47572) MPa?

The temperature of the saturated steam is 179.88 C. Well, this is high enough to raise the temp of the water to 150 C, isn't it? I'm not too sure how I can judge this.

I suppose I could take room temperature to be the temperature of the water. Approximately 20 C or so.

 

[Chestermiller]

Thanks for the reply. I found the vapour pressure of water at 150 C to be 475.72 kPa, which is 0.47572 MPa. This is less than the pressure in the HE, so the water doesn't begin to boil upon entry, yes? Is the maximum pressure drop then equal to (1.69 - 0.47572) MPa?

The temperature of the saturated steam is 179.88 C. Well, this is high enough to raise the temp of the water to 150 C, isn't it? I'm not too sure how I can judge this.

I suppose I could take room temperature to be the temperature of the water. Approximately 20 C or so.

Nice job. Now you're ready to start designing the heat exchanger. Have you learned about the different types of heat exchangers in your class or from your book? What design of heat exchanger do you think would be appropriate for this application? Please say in words how you would begin to go about designing a heat exchanger of this type. Meanwhile, to help you think about this, from the information you concluded above, you have enough information to determine: (a) the heat load of the heat exchanger, (b) the amount of 180 C steam flow necessary, (c) the temperature difference at the water inlet, (d) the temperature difference at the water outlet, and (e) the log mean temperature difference.

The heat exchanger you design must have enough heat transfer area to allow the heat load to be transferred, and it must also have a low enough pressure drop to prevent the water from starting to boil. These are some constraints that you can use to help you design the heat exchanger.

Chet

 

[Undergrad1147]

Nice job. Now you're ready to start designing the heat exchanger. Have you learned about the different types of heat exchangers in your class or from your book? What design of heat exchanger do you think would be appropriate for this application? Please say in words how you would begin to go about designing a heat exchanger of this type. Meanwhile, to help you think about this, from the information you concluded above, you have enough information to determine: (a) the heat load of the heat exchanger, (b) the amount of 180 C steam flow necessary, (c) the temperature difference at the water inlet, (d) the temperature difference at the water outlet, and (e) the log mean temperature difference.

The heat exchanger you design must have enough heat transfer area to allow the heat load to be transferred, and it must also have a low enough pressure drop to prevent the water from starting to boil. These are some constraints that you can use to help you design the heat exchanger.

Chet

Well, this particular module that I'm taking is more of an intro into process and chemical engineering. We haven't actually covered the design or theory of HEs whatsoever. Although, whenever we've needed to include a HE in a flow diagram of any sort, it's usually a shell and tube heat exchanger. So, I really don't know enough of the relevant theory to go and design a HE in proper detail.

That being said, I think I have seen some equation that relates the area of HE to the heat load or temperature difference, something along those lines. Does such an equation exist?

a) Well, the head load will be the difference in rate of energy in, i.e. from the steam and cool water streams, and the hot water stream out. Is this correct?

b)You can calculate the amount of energy per second required to heat the water from 20 C to 150 C using Q = $\dot{m}$ * c * (T2 - T1), yes? Then using this values and dividing it by the enthalpy of condensation of the steam, you can calculate the amount of steam flow required. Does that sound correct?

c), d) and e) I'm not sure what you mean by all of those temp. differences really. The temperature between the water and steam?

Thanks for the help so far.

 

[Chestermiller]

Well, this particular module that I'm taking is more of an intro into process and chemical engineering. We haven't actually covered the design or theory of HEs whatsoever. Although, whenever we've needed to include a HE in a flow diagram of any sort, it's usually a shell and tube heat exchanger. So, I really don't know enough of the relevant theory to go and design a HE in proper detail.

Good. You're doing very well so far. Shell and tube looks like a good choice. We'll put the water through the tubes, and the steam through the shell.

That being said, I think I have seen some equation that relates the area of HE to the heat load or temperature difference, something along those lines. Does such an equation exist?

Yes. We can get to that shortly.

a) Well, the head load will be the difference in rate of energy in, i.e. from the steam and cool water streams, and the hot water stream out. Is this correct?

Yes. Very good.

b)You can calculate the amount of energy per second required to heat the water from 20 C to 150 C using Q = $\dot{m}$ * c * (T2 - T1), yes? Then using this values and dividing it by the enthalpy of condensation of the steam, you can calculate the amount of steam flow required. Does that sound correct?

Excellent. So, what numbers do you get in MJ/hr and kg/hr?

c), d) and e) I'm not sure what you mean by all of those temp. differences really. The temperature between the water and steam?

The difference between the steam temperature and the water temperature at the water inlet is 160 C. The difference between the steam temperature and the water temperature at the water outlet is 30 C. These are the temperature driving forces for heat transfer to take place. Locally, the rate of heat transfer per unit heat exchange area is equal to the overall heat transfer coefficient times the local temperature driving force. Have you learned about heat transfer coefficients yet? In order to find the heat transfer area, you are going to need to determine the heat transfer coefficient. Knowing the required heat transfer area will help you determine the length of the tubes, the diameter of the tubes, and the number of tubes. So please bring us up to date on your understanding of heat transfer coefficients.

 

[Undergrad1147]

The difference between the steam temperature and the water temperature at the water inlet is 160 C. The difference between the steam temperature and the water temperature at the water outlet is 30 C. These are the temperature driving forces for heat transfer to take place. Locally, the rate of heat transfer per unit heat exchange area is equal to the overall heat transfer coefficient times the local temperature driving force. Have you learned about heat transfer coefficients yet? In order to find the heat transfer area, you are going to need to determine the heat transfer coefficient. Knowing the required heat transfer area will help you determine the length of the tubes, the diameter of the tubes, and the number of tubes. So please bring us up to date on your understanding of heat transfer coefficients.

I'll post my numerical workings up here later on, in a little while.

I have a vague understanding of the heat transfer coefficient. Actually, not so much an understanding of the theory behind it, but an idea how to compute it. $$ h = \frac{Q}{A\Delta T}$$

Will Q be the heat load across the HE?

Now, for h. Is h intrinsic to the material of construction of the HE? Something like that? I honestly have very little idea of the background theory of what the heat transfer coefficient is.Rearranging the above formula for A, once we know the value of h, what formula then relates the area to the number of tubes, their diameter and length? $A = N * l * d$ possibly?

 

[Undergrad1147]

Excellent. So, what numbers do you get in MJ/hr and kg/hr?

$\dot{Q} = 4200(150 - 20) =$ 0.546 MJ/hr.

$h_{fg}$ = 2014.6 kJ/kg

Thus $\dot{m}_{steam}$ = 0.271 kg/hr.

 

[Chestermiller]

$\dot{Q} = 4200(150 - 20) =$ 0.546 MJ/hr.

$h_{fg}$ = 2014.6 kJ/kg

Thus $\dot{m}_{steam}$ = 0.271 kg/hr.

That's not what I get. I get $\dot{Q} = (20000)4.186(150 - 20) = 10.9 × 10^6kJ/hr=10.9 gJ/hr$
Thus $\dot{m}_{steam}$ = 5400 kg/hr.

 

[Chestermiller]

I'll post my numerical workings up here later on, in a little while.

I have a vague understanding of the heat transfer coefficient. Actually, not so much an understanding of the theory behind it, but an idea how to compute it. $$ h = \frac{Q}{A\Delta T}$$

Will Q be the heat load across the HE?

Yes. This is the definition of the heat transfer coefficient. If you know the heat transfer coefficient, you can calculate the heat transfer area A.

Now, for h. Is h intrinsic to the material of construction of the HE? Something like that? I honestly have very little idea of the background theory of what the heat transfer coefficient is.

There are actually three resistances to heat transfer in series: The resistance through the tube wall, the resistance on the steam side, and the resistance on the water side. These three resistances determine the overall heat transfer coefficient. In your application, the resistance on the water side is the one that is likely to dominate.

This venue is not appropriate for a tutorial on how to design heat exchangers. If you need to educate yourself on this, please read Chapter 14 in Transport Phenomena by Bird, Stewart, and Lightfoot. Are you familiar with this book?

Is it your understanding that you have to provide a design for the heat exchanger, or is it sufficient to just provide the material and energy balances? My guess is that you do need to design it.

Rearranging the above formula for A, once we know the value of h, what formula then relates the area to the number of tubes, their diameter and length? $A = N * l * d$ possibly?

You need to include a factor of pi in this equation.

 

[Undergrad1147]

That's not what I get. I get $\dot{Q} = (20000)4.186(150 - 20) = 10.9 × 10^6kJ/hr=10.9 gJ/hr$
Thus $\dot{m}_{steam}$ = 5400 kg/hr.

My apologies, I completely left out the mass flow rate of the water. Also, the mass flow rate of the water is 36000 kg/s, not 20000 kg/s. If you remember, I actually changed this when I restated the question earlier.

 

[Undergrad1147]

There are actually three resistances to heat transfer in series: The resistance through the tube wall, the resistance on the steam side, and the resistance on the water side. These three resistances determine the overall heat transfer coefficient. In your application, the resistance on the water side is the one that is likely to dominate.

This venue is not appropriate for a tutorial on how to design heat exchangers. If you need to educate yourself on this, please read Chapter 14 in Transport Phenomena by Bird, Stewart, and Lightfoot. Are you familiar with this book?

Is it your understanding that you have to provide a design for the heat exchanger, or is it sufficient to just provide the material and energy balances? My guess is that you do need to design it.


You need to include a factor of pi in this equation.

Thanks for that. I'm not familiar with that book actually. I'll see if I can find it online tomorrow.

To be honest, we haven't covered HEs in this course really. We have our first module on HEs next term and most of the theory of calculating the length and diameter of the tubes is completely alien to me. I'd honestly say it's enough for us to calculate the heat loads and flow rates. Possibly, including the heat exchange area would be a bonus seeing as it was mentioned once, VERY briefly. So, I'm sure our lecturer doesn't expect too much detail with respect to the HE at all.

If the method of choosing a heat coefficient isn't overly involved, I'll go ahead and calculate the heat exchange area. How would I go about choosing a suitable value for h?

 

[Chestermiller]

Thanks for that. I'm not familiar with that book actually. I'll see if I can find it online tomorrow.

To be honest, we haven't covered HEs in this course really. We have our first module on HEs next term and most of the theory of calculating the length and diameter of the tubes is completely alien to me. I'd honestly say it's enough for us to calculate the heat loads and flow rates. Possibly, including the heat exchange area would be a bonus seeing as it was mentioned once, VERY briefly. So, I'm sure our lecturer doesn't expect too much detail with respect to the HE at all.

If the method of choosing a heat coefficient isn't overly involved, I'll go ahead and calculate the heat exchange area. How would I go about choosing a suitable value for h?

Bird has dimensionless correlations for calculating h as a function of the reynolds number and the prantdl number. The book also has typical ranges for h for condensing vapors, and for convective heat transfer of water flow in tubes. You might start out by using a mid-range value from the typical range to get you started.

What would you consider a reasonable length for the heat exchanger: 0.1 - 1 meters, 1 -10 meters, 10 - 100 meters? I know what range I would choose to start with.

 

[Chestermiller]

My apologies, I completely left out the mass flow rate of the water. Also, the mass flow rate of the water is 36000 kg/s, not 20000 kg/s. If you remember, I actually changed this when I restated the question earlier.

Oh yes. That's right. I forgot. So what numbers do you get now?

 

[Undergrad1147]

Oh yes. That's right. I forgot. So what numbers do you get now?

Q = 16.3254 GJ/hr and $\dot{m}$ = 8104 kg/hr.

 

[Undergrad1147]

I think determining the heat transfer coefficient is a little too involved for the purpose of the current module that I'm taking. I'm not so sure that our lecturer would expect us to be able to design a HE in great detail seeing as haven't covered that yet. I'll ask him though just to be sure.

I'd go ahead and choose a length between 10 and 100 m just because it's the widest range really. Purely a guess.

So far, I've calculated the steam flow rate and the heat load across (well, I've stated how to do this), if I was the leave the HE be for now (and get back to it once I get some clarification from my lecturer), which part of the process should I consider next? The pump? The line sizes and surge vessel capacity is fairly easy, so designing the pump is the last part really, I would think.

Also, would it be possible for me to recycle the water produced by the condensing steam in the shell of the HE?

 

[Undergrad1147]

Actually, I just got my hands on Transport Phenomena an had a quick look at chapter 14. While most of it is quite out of context, as I haven't studied Transport Phenomena before, I found the table of heat transfer coefficients. Is what we have in this case, Forced Convection? (Seeing as there's a pump involved.)

If this is the case, for water, the value of h ranges between 500 and 10000 W/m^2.K. This is a fairly large range. How would I go about choosing a good estimate for h? From engineeringtoolbox.com, 680 seems to be a good choice if the material of construction is SS.

 

[Chestermiller]

I think determining the heat transfer coefficient is a little too involved for the purpose of the current module that I'm taking. I'm not so sure that our lecturer would expect us to be able to design a HE in great detail seeing as haven't covered that yet. I'll ask him though just to be sure.

I'd go ahead and choose a length between 10 and 100 m just because it's the widest range really. Purely a guess.

So far, I've calculated the steam flow rate and the heat load across (well, I've stated how to do this), if I was the leave the HE be for now (and get back to it once I get some clarification from my lecturer), which part of the process should I consider next? The pump? The line sizes and surge vessel capacity is fairly easy, so designing the pump is the last part really, I would think.

Also, would it be possible for me to recycle the water produced by the condensing steam in the shell of the HE?

I'm not sure about your question about using the water from the condensing steam. The problem statement doesn't say anything about this. It all depends on what this plant is being used for. Since your instructor made up this problem, it doesn't correspond to any real situation. But, if the water being heated was really a process stream that contained dissolved chemicals that are being processed, you wouldn't normally mix the steam with the process stream (since the steam might not be as pure as you would like it).

 

[Chestermiller]

Actually, I just got my hands on Transport Phenomena an had a quick look at chapter 14. While most of it is quite out of context, as I haven't studied Transport Phenomena before, I found the table of heat transfer coefficients. Is what we have in this case, Forced Convection? (Seeing as there's a pump involved.)

If this is the case, for water, the value of h ranges between 500 and 10000 W/m^2.K. This is a fairly large range. How would I go about choosing a good estimate for h? From engineeringtoolbox.com, 680 seems to be a good choice if the material of construction is SS.

Well, I would have chosen a value close to the low end also, so the 680 is fine with me. Don't despair. Nothing is carved in granite yet. We just need something to get us in the ballpark. Then we will be refining the design gradually until we arrive at something that we are comfortable with. Like I said in my first post, design of a heat exchanger is an evolutionary process. So, for the first crude approximation to the heat exchanger design, you will be using the 680. As you refine the design, you will be using Eqn. 14.3-16 of BSL to estimate the heat transfer coefficient on the liquid water side more accurately.

To calculate the heat transfer area using the 680, you're going to need to use the average temperature driving force in your overall heat transfer equation. As we said, the driving force at the water inlet end is 160 C, and the driving force at the outlet end is 30 C. If you used the arithmetic average driving force, you would use (160 + 30)/2 = 95 C. However, the solution to the differential equations for a heat exchanger tell us that we should be using the so-called logarithmic mean driving force: (160 - 30)/ln(160/30) = 78 C. So that's what you should consider using. With these values, what do you get for your starting estimate of the heat transfer area in your heat exchanger?

 

[Undergrad1147]

I'm not sure about your question about using the water from the condensing steam. The problem statement doesn't say anything about this. It all depends on what this plant is being used for. Since your instructor made up this problem, it doesn't correspond to any real situation. But, if the water being heated was really a process stream that contained dissolved chemicals that are being processed, you wouldn't normally mix the steam with the process stream (since the steam might not be as pure as you would like it).

The only reason I bring it up, is because in the problem statement it states 'Consider briefly the issues of pressure relief, recycle and isolation'. I though that this was a good opportunity to think about recycle. It was just a thought really. Though, I was more so thinking that the water produced during the steam condensation could be recycled to the heater where the steam was initially produced.

Does this make any sense at all? This way, the way the water could be put to good use and at the same time, not interfere with the process water. This could all be nonsense though.

 

[Undergrad1147]

Well, I would have chosen a value close to the low end also, so the 680 is fine with me. Don't despair. Nothing is carved in granite yet. We just need something to get us in the ballpark. Then we will be refining the design gradually until we arrive at something that we are comfortable with. Like I said in my first post, design of a heat exchanger is an evolutionary process. So, for the first crude approximation to the heat exchanger design, you will be using the 680. As you refine the design, you will be using Eqn. 14.3-16 of BSL to estimate the heat transfer coefficient on the liquid water side more accurately.

To calculate the heat transfer area using the 680, you're going to need to use the average temperature driving force in your overall heat transfer equation. As we said, the driving force at the water inlet end is 160 C, and the driving force at the outlet end is 30 C. If you used the arithmetic average driving force, you would use (160 + 30)/2 = 95 C. However, the solution to the differential equations for a heat exchanger tell us that we should be using the so-called logarithmic mean driving force: (160 - 30)/ln(160/30) = 78 C. So that's what you should consider using. With these values, what do you get for your starting estimate of the heat transfer area in your heat exchanger?

That equation is completely alien to me, but I assume I'll cover it some time over the next year.

$A = \frac{Q}{h\Delta T}$
Just edited this post as I made a mistake with the LMTD. I had thought you made a mistake using 160C and 30C as your temps but it was actually just me not fully understanding what the LMTD equation was. I'll post the value for A in the morning. Although, I think it'll be far too large judging by how big Q was, yes?

 

[Chestermiller]

That equation is completely alien to me, but I assume I'll cover it some time over the next year.

$A = \frac{Q}{h\Delta T}$
Just edited this post as I made a mistake with the LMTD. I had thought you made a mistake using 160C and 30C as your temps but it was actually just me not fully understanding what the LMTD equation was. I'll post the value for A in the morning. Although, I think it'll be far too large judging by how big Q was, yes?

You also forgot to divide by 3600 sec/hr.

 

[Undergrad1147]

Blunder.

 

[Undergrad1147]

Blunder.

 

[Chestermiller]

Actually here it is,

A = 68369 m^2.
This is far too large, right?

As I said, you forgot to divide by 3600. Also, the 273 shouldn't be in there. We are talking about the temperature difference, which is not related to absolute temperature in any sense. The result I got for the area was 85 m^2.

 

[Undergrad1147]

As I said, you forgot to divide by 3600. Also, the 273 shouldn't be in there. We are talking about the temperature difference, which is not related to absolute temperature in any sense. The result I got for the area was 85 m^2.

Sorry about those blunders. I ended up trying to fly through the calculation and obviously wasn't taking much care.

So, the heat transfer area is 85 m^2. Would this be considered large or about the norm for the sort of process in question? Can't really tell myself as I don't have too much experience with this sort of calculation.

Seeing as $$A = N\pi DL$$
Where N is the number of tubes, L is the length and D is the diameter. I assume that two of the above variables are arbitrary and then we can calculate the third, yes?

 

[Chestermiller]

Sorry about those blunders. I ended up trying to fly through the calculation and obviously wasn't taking much care.

So, the heat transfer area is 85 m^2. Would this be considered large or about the norm for the sort of process in question? Can't really tell myself as I don't have too much experience with this sort of calculation.

Seeing as $$A = N\pi DL$$
Where N is the number of tubes, L is the length and D is the diameter. I assume that two of the above variables are arbitrary and then we can calculate the third, yes?

In a way. You still have to satisfy the constraint on the pressure drop, which places a constraint on these variables.

Start thinking about what the physical package of the heat exchanger might look like. Look at the room that you are sitting in. Suppose you would like the heat exchanger to fit into that room. From the outside you are going to see the cylindrical shell, which you don't want to be as long as a football field, and you don't want to go from floor to ceiling. Have you ever seen a shell and tube heat exchanger? What type of length to shell diameter ratio do you remember these things having? You need to squeeze all that heat transfer area into a package that size. Play around with the numbers for N, L, and D. Recognize that you have to leave some space between tubes to allow the steam to go through the shell. That needs to be taken into account in getting the shell diameter. Think about these things, and see what you come up with as your zero order approximation to the heat exchanger design. It's not carved in granite yet, and there is no exactly right answer.

Chet

 

[Undergrad1147]

In a way. You still have to satisfy the constraint on the pressure drop, which places a constraint on these variables.

Start thinking about what the physical package of the heat exchanger might look like. Look at the room that you are sitting in. Suppose you would like the heat exchanger to fit into that room. From the outside you are going to see the cylindrical shell, which you don't want to be as long as a football field, and you don't want to go from floor to ceiling. Have you ever seen a shell and tube heat exchanger? What type of length to shell diameter ratio do you remember these things having? You need to squeeze all that heat transfer area into a package that size. Play around with the numbers for N, L, and D. Recognize that you have to leave some space between tubes to allow the steam to go through the shell. That needs to be taken into account in getting the shell diameter. Think about these things, and see what you come up with as your zero order approximation to the heat exchanger design. It's not carved in granite yet, and there is no exactly right answer.

Chet

I see. Well, rearranging the above equation you get:$$NDL = 27 m^2$$
To avoid having the heat exchanger being impractically long, L has to be capped and to avoid having the tubes too wide so does D. That leaves N.

I'm not really sure what the value of N is usually. I mean, I know it must vary from HE to HE but there has to be an upper or lower limit, right?

Let's say I chose N to be 35. Is this too high or even too low? Then choosing L to be 8 m, D is going to be 0.096 m.
How do these values sound?

To answer your other question: No, I've never actually seen a HE in person. I've seen a few pictures here and there and they generally seem quite long, although not overly so.

 

[SteamKing]

Depending on the duty of the HE and the size of the tubes, there may be several dozen or several hundred tubes:

 

[Undergrad1147]

Depending on the duty of the HE and the size of the tubes, there may be several dozen or several hundred tubes:

Thanks. I guess 85 m^2 isn't really all that big relative to the size of some HEs in industry.

 

[Chestermiller]

Thanks. I guess 85 m^2 isn't really all that big relative to the size of some HEs in industry.

Steam King has shown a figure of a heat exchanger with 2 passes on the tube side, and one pass on the shell side. I think that, in your problem, we can get away with a single pass on the tube side. Take a look at his bottom figure. This looks like a reasonable length to shell diameter ratio for the tube section between the end headers. Get out your ruler and measure the length to diameter ratio. Keep this ratio in the back of your mind.

Your estimate looks like a good starting point, although the tube diameter of 9.6 cm does seem a little large. You could squeeze more area in by using a larger number of smaller diameter tubes.

But, for now, try a tube layout with your N=35, 9.6 diameter tubes and see what you get in terms of shell size. Try a tube layout in an equilateral triangular array, and leave, say, a center-to-center tube spacing of about 1.5 D. Don't forget that the tube wall is going to have thickness, say, D/8. You don't have to do the whole layout. Just do a "unit cell," and get the shell area per tube. Multiply by the number of tubes, and use that area to find the diameter of the shell. How big does the shell come out to be, and how does it compare with the 8 meter length that you're assuming? How does the ratio compare with Steam King's heat exchanger? Also, look up in your books and see if heat exchanger tubes are available in 9.6 cm size. Start looking up commercially available heat exchanger tube sizes.

I must admit that I was starting to think in terms of 3-5 cm tubes, N = 100 or more, and L = about 5 - 6 meters. So we were not so far apart in our thinking. But let's see how the design evolves.

Chet

 

[Undergrad1147]

Steam King has shown a figure of a heat exchanger with 2 passes on the tube side, and one pass on the shell side. I think that, in your problem, we can get away with a single pass on the tube side. Take a look at his bottom figure. This looks like a reasonable length to shell diameter ratio for the tube section between the end headers. Get out your ruler and measure the length to diameter ratio. Keep this ratio in the back of your mind.

Your estimate looks like a good starting point, although the tube diameter of 9.6 cm does seem a little large. You could squeeze more area in by using a larger number of smaller diameter tubes.

But, for now, try a tube layout with your N=35, 9.6 diameter tubes and see what you get in terms of shell size. Try a tube layout in an equilateral triangular array, and leave, say, a center-to-center tube spacing of about 1.5 D. Don't forget that the tube wall is going to have thickness, say, D/8. You don't have to do the whole layout. Just do a "unit cell," and get the shell area per tube. Multiply by the number of tubes, and use that area to find the diameter of the shell. How big does the shell come out to be, and how does it compare with the 8 meter length that you're assuming? How does the ratio compare with Steam King's heat exchanger? Also, look up in your books and see if heat exchanger tubes are available in 9.6 cm size. Start looking up commercially available heat exchanger tube sizes.

I must admit that I was starting to think in terms of 3-5 cm tubes, N = 100 or more, and L = about 5 - 6 meters. So we were not so far apart in our thinking. But let's see how the design evolves.

Chet

I see. I'll have a look into that now and then try play around with the possible values of N, D and L that may be a little more suitable.

Could we leave the HE for now and focus on the final part, the pump, briefly? I feel like I may be going into a little too much detail with the HE as we really haven't covered anything close to this in our current module. Maybe come next term after our module on heat exchange, I'd have more of an idea but I think I'll have to go ahead and clear up with my lecturer, what he expects with regards to the detail of this design.

With regards to the pump, I'm not really too sure where to start. I'm not given too much information about it apart from the fact that the fluid has to be pumped from the atmosphere to 1.69 MPa. Could you give me an idea of where to start? Thanks.