Optimization of Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

A heat exchanger is a device, which transfer internal thermal energy between two or more fluids at different temperature. Without this essential piece of equipment most industrial process would be impossible. Heat exchangers are widely used in refrigeration air conditioning, and chemical plants. They can be employed in various uses, for instance, to effectively transmit heat from one fluid to the other. Shell-and-tube heat exchangers (STHXs) are widely applied in various industrial fields such as petroleum refining, power generation and chemical process, etc. Tremendous efforts have been made to improve the performances on the tube side.In this project experimental performance is done on the fixed designed STHX and calculate the heat transfer coefficient and effectiveness. Validation is to be carried out using which gives the result comparison with that of experimental result.Here flow parameters are not varied but size and number of tubes are varied and best efficient model is selected as Optimized value. 3 different number of tubes are used with same shell size remaining same. 40 tubes , 32 tubes and 36 tubes were tried . It's been observed for same input temperatures and mass flow rates for three different models one with 36 tubes , 32 tubes model &other with 40 tubes, the temperature variation in 36 tubes is more and also requires less tubes compared to 40 tube model. so it is more effective than tubes model.