Baffle (heat transfer)

Baffles are flow-directing or obstructing

vanes or panels used in some industrial
process vessels (tanks), such asshell and tube
heat exchangers, chemical reactors, and static
mixers. Baffles are an integral part of the
shell and tube heat exchanger design. A
baffle is designed to support tube bundles and
direct the flow of fluids for maximum
efficiency.

Contents
Use of baffles
Types of baffles
Installation of baffles
References

Use of baffles
The main roles of a baffle in a shell and tube heat
exchanger are to:

Hold tubes in position (preventing sagging), both

in production and operation
Prevent the effects of vibration, which is
increased with both fluid velocity and the length of
the exchanger
Direct shell-side fluid flow along tube field. This
increases fluid velocity and the effective heat
transfer co-efficient of the exchanger
In a static mixer, baffles are used to promotemixing.[1]

In a chemical reactor, baffles are often attached to the

interior walls to promote mixing[2] and thus increase heat
transfer and possibly chemical reaction rates.
Cross-sectional diagram ofstirred tank reactor

Types of baffles
Implementation of baffles is decided on the basisof size, cost and their ability to lend support to the tube bundles and direct

Longitudinal Flow Baffles (used in a two-passshell)

Impingement Baffles (used for protecting bundle when entrance velocity is high)
Orifice Baffles
Single segmental
Double segmental
Support/Blanking baffles
 Deresonating (detuning) baffles used to reduce tube vibration

Installation of baffles
As mentioned, baffles deal with the concern of support and fluid direction in heat exchangers. In this way it is vital that they are
spaced correctly at installation. The minimum baffle spacing is the greater of 50.8 mm or one fifth of the inner shell diameter. The
maximum baffle spacing is dependent on material and size of tubes. The Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association [3] sets out
guidelines. There are also segments with a "no tubes in window" design that affects the acceptable spacing within the design. An
important design consideration is that no recirculation zones or dead spots form – both of which are counterproductive to effective
heat transfer.

References
1. SPE/ANTEC 1999 Proceedingsedited by SPE Staff pp. 163–164
2. Chemical reactor modeling: multiphase reactive flowsby Hugo A. Jakobsen, published in 2008 by Springer-V
erlag in
Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 681–683
3. Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association, Inc. (http://www.tema.org/)

(Editors)Perry, R.H. and Green, D.W. (Oct,2007) Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook(8th ed.) McGraw-Hill
ISBN 0-07-142294-3
Wolverine Tube Inc, (2008) Heat Transfer Data Book Available [1]
Professor J. Kavanagh (2009)Heat Transfer Lectures 4&5 Usyd Chemical Engineering Department

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