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Single-Segmental
Highest Pressure Drop, PS
Double-Segmental
PD 0.33PS 0.5PS
Support Plate
Triple-Segmental
PT 0.25PS 0.33PS
Baffle
No-Tubes-In-Window
Wide Spacing
27
Heat Transfer
Center Baffle
Wing Baffles
Center Baffle
(First Baffle Group)
Baffle spacing
Baffle spacing is the longitudinal distance between baffles. It controls the amount of effective heat transfer derived
from the pressure drop within each compartment and affects
www.aiche.org/cep February 2012 CEP
Wing Baffles
(Third Baffle Group)
28
Support Plates
(Second Baffle Group)
the potential for flow-induced vibration. The baffle spacing should be set such that the free-flow areas through the
windows and across the tube bank are roughly equal.
TEMA standards specify that the minimum spacing
between segmental baffles should be the larger of one-fifth
of the shell inside diameter or 51 mm (3). Spacing that is
too small will result in higher pressure drop and poor bundle
flow penetration i.e., it increases the axial flow inertia
through the outer leakage areas between the baffle and shell.
Small baffle spacing also makes it difficult to mechanically
clean the outsides of the tubes.
Maximum spacing between segmental baffles (with
tubes in window) should equal one-half the maximum
unsupported span length. To enhance end-zone flow control
and distribution, the baffles near the shell inlet and outlet
should be located as close as practical to the shell nozzle.
The distance between the first and second baffles should not
be less than the central baffle spacing, as shellside flow tends
to accelerate in the end zones.
The optimum ratio of baffle spacing to shell inside diameter that results in the highest conversion of pressure drop to
heat transfer is generally between 0.3 and 0.6 (4).
Baffle cut
Baffle cut is the ratio of the baffle window height to the
shell inside diameter. If the baffle cut is too small, the flow
will jet through the window area and flow unevenly through
the baffle compartment (Figure 4, left). If the baffle cut is
too large, the flow will short-cut close to the baffle edge and
avoid cross-mixing within the baffle compartment (Figure
4, right). A baffle cut that is either too large or too small can
increase the potential for fouling in the shell.
In both cases, recirculation zones of poorly mixed flow
cause thermal maldistribution that reduces heat transfer. To
divert as much heat-carrying flow across the tube bundle as
possible, adjacent baffles should overlap by at least one tube
row. This requires a baffle cut that is less than one-half of the
shell inside diameter.
Copyright 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
Nozzle Axis
p Figure 4. If the baffle cut is too small (left) or too large (right), fouling
Parallel-Cut
Baffle
Perpendicular-Cut
Baffle
Inclined-Cut
Baffle
d
Window
hw
Baffle Cut = hw/d
p Figure 5. The optimum baffle cut is 25% of the shell inside diameter.
Baffle orientation
The orientation of TEMA baffles is particularly
important for horizontal shell-and-tube heat exchangers,
especially near the inlet and outlet nozzles. Baffle cuts for
segmental baffles may be parallel or perpendicular to the
nozzle axis, or inclined, as shown in Figure 6. The best
baffle orientation depends on the baffle and shell type.
Single-segmental baffles. For single-phase service,
single-segmental baffles with a perpendicular baffle-cut
orientation in an E- or J-shell are preferred to improve flow
distribution in the inlet and outlet regions. With vertical
inlet or outlet nozzles, parallel-cut baffles are preferred if
the shellside process fluid condenses and needs a means of
drainage. Parallel-cut baffles should also be used when the
shellside fluid has the potential for particulate fouling, and in
multipass F-, G-, or H-type shells to facilitate flow distribution. (For an introduction to shell types, see Ref. 1.) However, parallel-cut baffles have the potential for significant
flow and temperature maldistribution in the end zones, which
can induce local tube vibration and reduce the effective heatCopyright 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
Parallel
Perpendicular
29
Heat Transfer
Helical baffles
Helical baffles promote swirling flow, which helps to
alleviate bypass and stagnant flow areas that can occur with
conventional segmental baffles. They are effective for lowto high-viscosity fluids, and they are commonly used in
oil-refinery and refrigeration applications. Heat exchangers
with helical baffles may experience less shellside fouling
than exchangers with segmental baffles. Helical baffles are
subject to bundle-to-shell bypass at very high mass flowrates. Unlike segmental baffles, helical baffles do not seem
30
rco
Baffle Crossover
Points
C
S
A
(End View)
(Elevation View)
Cross-fraction = rco/r
r = shell radius
rco = radial distance from shell axis to baffle crossover point
S= baffle angle relative to transverse plane through shell
Spiral Crossflow
Bypass Flow
Outside Tube Bundle
Radially Expanding
Crossflow around
Disc Baffle
Longitudinal Flow
within Tube Bundle
Y
X
Flow Angle
Radially Contracting
Crossflow through
Donut Baffle
symmetric manner.
Z
Baffle Angle
Disc-and-donut baffles
Disc-and-donut baffles generate radially symmetric flow
in both the crossflow and longitudinal flow directions the
flow expands around the disc baffle and contracts through
the donut baffle (Figure 12). A step change in both pressure
drop and temperature occurs between consecutive pairs of
disc baffles and donut baffles.
The main thermally effective crossflow stream can
occupy up to 80% of a baffle compartment, minimizing the
bypass flow around the outer tubes (6). The driving forces
for bypass and leakage streams in an exchanger with discCopyright 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
Grid baffles
Grid baffles are metal lattices that generate primarily
longitudinal flow. They produce low pressure drops, which
results in high heat-transfer-to-pressure-drop ratios and
protects against tube vibration. In addition, shellside flow
distribution is uniform, which is particularly important for
shellside vaporization because it eliminates vapor pockets
that can cause pitting of tubes and baffles (7).
The most common generic grid baffle designs are rodtype baffles and strip baffles. Each grid type has a characteristic baffle flow-contraction ratio, which is defined as the
free flow area through the baffle divided by the free flow
area through the bundle between baffles. This parameter
ranges from zero to one, with practical values of about 0.2
for high contraction and 0.7 for low contraction. The grid
baffles act as strainers on the bundle free-flow area, locally
contracting and accelerating the heat-carrying flow longitudinally along the tubes. The higher the contraction (i.e., the
lower the contraction ratio), the higher the pressure drop.
An exchanger design with a low contraction ratio, therefore,
requires more pumping power than one with a high contraction ratio.
Rod-type baffles are used in such applications as overhead condensers, gas coolers and heaters, feed and effluent
exchangers, and kettle reboilers. They consist of rods laid
out in a grid pattern that provide a supporting structure for
the heat exchanger tubes and basic structural rigidity. The
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31
Heat Transfer
Y
X
Y
Z
p Figure 13. Rod-type baffles support the tubes and provide structural
p Figure 15. Strip baffles have lower baffle contraction ratios and
rigidity.
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February 2012
CEP
Closing thoughts
Baffling is the most crucial shellside consideration
in shell-and-tube heat exchanger design, because baffles
regulate shellside fluid flow and improve heat transfer while
offering significant tube support. Although TEMA baffles
are easier to fabricate, they usually have higher pressure
drops than non-TEMA-type baffles. It is equally important
to consider how baffle selection affects other shellside
parameters, such as tube pitch ratio, tube layout pattern,
tube size, shell type, and shell diameter. A basic understanding of the various baffle types and their advantages and
disadvantages (Table 1) is essential to choosing an effective
CEP
baffle configuration.
SAlEM BouHAiriE is a research engineer at Heat Transfer Research, Inc.
(HTRI) (Email: sab@HTRI.net), where he conducts computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) simulations and physical experiments for projects and
contracts. He teaches workshops on heat exchanger vibration analysis
and conducts webinars on heat exchanger design. Prior to joining HTRI,
he worked at Northwest Hydraulic Consultants in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada, where he conducted hydraulic structure modeling investigations and river hydrology assessments. He has delivered presentations
on his work in Canada, the U.S., Brazil, Thailand, and Korea, and has
published research in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics and the Journal of
Hydro-environment Research. Bouhairie earned his BEng, MEng, and
PhD in civil engineering from McGill Univ. in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Table 1. Each baffle type has advantages and disadvantages that make it suitable for different applications.
Baffle Type
TEMA-Type Baffles
Single-Segmental
Advantages
Disadvantages/Limitations
Easiest to fabricate
Least expensive
Double-Segmental
Triple-Segmental
No-Tubes-in-Window
Configuration
Helical
Disc-and-Donut
Non-TEMA-Type Baffles
Grid
Preferred radial tube layout requires a lesscommon fabrication method than triangular and
square layouts
In a radial tube layout, the angular gaps between
tubes near the shell are larger than those between
tubes near the center; this requires the addition of
an improvised, nonradial (e.g., triangular or rotated
square) layout between the radial tube rows
Literature Cited
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Further Reading
Bell, K. J., and A. C. Mueller, Wolverine Engineering Data Book
II, available at www.wlv.com/products/databook/databook.pdf,
Wolverine Tube, Inc., Decatur, AL (2001).
Hewitt, G. F., et al., Process Heat Transfer, CRC Press, Boca
Raton, FL (1994).
Hewitt, G. F., ed., Heat Exchanger Design Handbook, Begell
House, New York, NY (1998).
Kakac, S., and H. Liu, Heat Exchangers: Selection, Rating, and
Thermal Design, 2nd ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL (2002).
Kern, D., Process Heat Transfer, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY
(1950).
Rohsenow, W., et al., Handbook of Heat Transfer, 3rd ed.,
McGraw-Hill, New York, NY (1998).
Serth, R. W., Process Heat Transfer: Principles and Applications,
Elsevier, New York, NY (2007).
Thome, J. R., Wolverine Engineering Data Book III, available at
www.wlv.com/products/databook/db3/DataBookIII.pdf, Wolverine Tube, Inc., Decatur, AL (20042010).
Webb, R., Principles of Enhanced Heat Transfer, 2nd ed., John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ (2005).
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February 2012
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