Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger

Design

By
LKS
 Why shell-and-tube?
S&T accounted for 60% of new exchangers
supplied to oil-refining, chemical,
petrochemical and power companies.
• Can be designed for almost any duty with a very
wide range of temperatures and pressures
• Can be built in many materials
• Many suppliers
• Repair can be by non-specialists
• Design methods and mechanical codes have been
established from many years of experience
The optimum thermal design of a shell and tube heat exchanger involves the
consideration of many interacting design parameters which can be summarized as
follows:

Process
1. Process fluid assignments to shell side or tube side.
2. Selection of stream temperature specifications.
3. Setting shell side and tube side pressure drop design limits.
4. Setting shell side and tube side velocity limits.
5. Selection of heat transfer models and fouling coefficients for shell side
and tube side.
Mechanical
1. Selection of heat exchanger TEMA layout and number of passes.
2. Specification of tube parameters - size, layout, pitch and material.
3. Setting upper and lower design limits on tube length.
4. Specification of shell side parameters – materials, baffle cut, baffle
spacing and clearances.
5. Setting upper and lower design limits on shell diameter, baffle cut and
baffle spacing.
 Scope of shell-and-tube
• Maximum pressure
– Shell 300 bar (4500 psia)
– Tube 1400 bar (20000 psia)
• Temperature range
– Maximum 600oC (1100oF) or even 650oC
– Minimum -100oC (-150oF)
• Fluids
– Subject to materials
– Available in a wide range of materials
• Size per unit 100 - 10000 ft2 (10 - 1000 m2)
• Tube lengths available in multiples of 4 ft, e.g., 8,
12, 16, 20 ft
Can be extended with special designs/materials
 Construction
• Bundle of tubes in large cylindrical shell
• Baffles used both to support the tubes and
to direct into multiple cross flow

Shell

Tubes

Baffle
 Basic calculations
• Determine the outside overall heat transfer
coefficient (Uo)
• Determine shellside heat transfer (QSS)
• Determine tubeside heat transfer (QTS)
 Simplified Process Flow Diagram
Thi

Qin, SS
Qin, TS Qout, TS
Tci Tco
Qout, SS

Tho
 Heat Exchanger Calculations
• Heat transfer rate
QTS = mCp T
QSS = m H + mCp T
• Overall heat transfer coefficient
Uo = QSS/(Ao* TLM)
Log mean temperature
TLM = ((Thi-Tco) – (Tho – Tci)) / ln[(Thi – Tco) – (Tho – Tci)]
 Shell-and-Tube Exchanger
P = baffle pitch
m i m s
P Ds = shell inside diameter

Ds

N tubes Di2
Cross sectional area of tubes: Si
N passes 4
Outside heat transfer area: Ao N tubes Do L
Di = tube inside diameter
Do = tube outside diameter
 Overall Heat-Transfer Coefficients from Correlations

• We can calculate film heat-transfer coefficients inside and outside

the tubes (ho outside, hi inside)
– from Nusselt, Prandtl & Reynolds numbers, which are functions of
– fluid flowrates (inside & outside tubes), tube diameters, fluid properties,
geometry, etc
– The fundamental equation for turbulent heat-transfer inside tubes is:
Nu = 0.027 (Re)^ 0.8 (Pr) ^0.33
or
(hD/k) = 0.027 (DG/ µ ) ^0.8 (µСp/k)^ 0.33
Rearranging:
h = 0.027(DG/ µ ) ^0.8 (µСp/k)^ 0.33 (k/D)
Viscosity influences the heat-transfer coefficient in two opposing ways as a
parameter of the Reynolds number, and as a parameter of Prandtl number
h α (µ ) ^(0.33–0.8)
h α (µ ) ^(–0.47)
 Estimating Overall Heat-Transfer
Coefficients from Correlations
• Heat transfer occurs through the tubes, so the overall heat-
transfer coefficient is a combination of these film
coefficients(hi & ho), fouling resistances (Rfi inside & Rfo
outside) & thermal resistance of tube walls (x = tube wall
thickness, k = thermal conductivity of wall).
1 1 x 1
R fi R fo
U hi k ho
Calculate an estimate of the area and number of tubes

q Ao
Ao Nt
U T Do L
 Selection of number of tube passes

• Inside film coefficient(hi) changes with the 0.8

power of the number of tube passes.
• Pressure drop(ΔP) changes with the 2.8 power
of the number of tube passes.
• Example: N
passes h
i p, psi

1 100 0.2
2 174 1.4
4 303 9.7
6 419 30.2
8 528 67.6
Tubes and Tube Passes
 A large number of tube passes are used to increase fluid velocity and heat transfer
coefficient, and to minimize fouling
 Tube wall thickness is standardized in terms of the Birmingham Wire Gauge (BWG) of the
tube (Tables given in McCabe)
 Small tube diameters for larger area/volume ratios, but limited for in-tube cleaning
 Larger tube diameters suitable for condensers and boilers
 Fins used on the outside of tubes when low heat transfer coefficient fluid is present on
the shell-side
 Longer tubes → fewer tubes, fewer holes drilled, smaller shell diameter, lower cost.
However limitations due to several factors result in 1/5 – 1/15 shell-diameter-to-tube-
length ratio
 It is important to avoid excessive tubeside velocities, which may lead to erosion of the
tube material particularly at the ends. The TEMA recommended limit for the velocity is
such that ρv2 is less than 8928 kg/ms2 (6000 Ib/fts2).
 Where pressure drop is not a consideration, then the maximum allowable fluid velocity
usually limits the minimum nozzle size. This is a metallurgical problem since excessive
velocities can lead to erosion, especially if the fluid contains solids in suspension. The
upper limit for tubeside nozzles is 9000 kg/ms2 (6000 Ib/fts2).
 Baffle Type and Geometry

 Baffles support the tubes for structural rigidity, thus prevent tube vibration and sagging
 They also divert the flow across the tube bundle to obtain a higher heat transfer
coefficient
 Baffles can be transverse or longitudinal
 Transverse baffles are plate type or rod type
Plate baffles
– single and double segmental most common
– baffle spacing is critical (optimum between 0.4 and 0.6 of the shell diameter)
minimum is 20% of Shell ID(D/5).
– triple and no-tubes-in-window segmental baffles for low pressure drop applications
– Minimum spacing recommended by TEMA is 50.8 mm (2 in)
– Small baffle spacings (<0.2 times shell diameter) can reduce the cross flow fraction
due to leakagez
– Maximum baffle spacing usually half maximum unsupported length (given in TEMA)
 Selection of baffle pitch

• Shell fluid velocity is inversely proportional to the baffle pitch (distance

between baffles) recommended shell side liquid fluid velocity 0.9 m/s to 1.52
m/s , we may increase up to 2 m/s keeping the shell side pressure drop limit.
• ho increases with velocity to the 0.6 power
• p increases with velocity to the 2.8 power
(Pitch)P, inches ho p, psi
6 500 100.0
8 421 44.7
10 368 23.9
12 330 14.4
18 259 4.6
Plate Baffle Types
Plate Baffle Types (continued)
 Avoiding vibration (cont.)

Inlet support Double-segmental baffles

baffles

Intermediate baffles

Windows
with no tubes Tubes

No tubes in the window - with intermediate support baffles

 Baffle Cut
Baffle cut is the height of the segment that is cut in each baffle to permit the shell side fluid to
flow across the baffle.
This is expressed as a percentage of the shell inside diameter.
Baffle cut can vary between 15% and 45% of the shell inside diameter.
 It is strongly recommended that only baffle cuts between 20% and 35% be employed.
Reducing baffle cut below 20% to increase the shell side heat transfer coefficient or
increasing the baffle cut beyond 35% to decrease the shell side pressure drop usually lead to
poor designs.
Double-segmental baffles or a divided-flow shell, or even a cross-flow shell, may be used
to reduce the shell side pressure drop.
For single-phase fluids on the shell side, a horizontal baffle cut is recommended, because
this minimizes accumulation of deposits at the bottom of the shell and also prevents
stratification.
 Tube Pitch
Square Triangular
Advantages Ease of cleaning Flow more
turbulent; higher h;
greater packing
density

Disadvantages Lower number of External cleaning

tubes for given shell difficult; higher
diameter pressure drop
 Tubes
• Tube pitch = distance between tube centers.
• Typically, tube pitch = 1.25 x tube O.D.
• Tubes held in tube sheet
– welded
– rolled
– Packed
– As noted earlier, designers generally set the tube pitch at 1.25 times the
tube O.D.
– For square or rotated square pitch, a minimum cleaning lane of 4 in. or 6
mm is recommended by TEMA.
– As far as thermal-hydraulics are concerned, the optimum tube-pitch-to-
tube-diameter ratio for conversion of pressure drop to heat transfer is
typically 1.25–1.35 for turbulent flow and around 1.4 for laminar flow.
• Increasing the tube pitch to reduce pressure drop is generally not
recommended for two reasons.
• First , it increases the shell diameter and , thereby, the cost.
• Second, reducing pressure drop by modifying the baffle spacing, baffle
cut, or shell type will result in a cheaper design.
Tubesheet Layouts
 Tube layouts

Triangular Rotated Rotated

Square square
30o triangular
90o 45o
60o

• Triangular layouts give more tubes in a given shell

• Square layouts give cleaning lanes with close pitch
 Tube Length

• TEMA standard lengths are 2.44, 3.05, 3.66, 4.27,

4.88 and 6.1 m (8, 10,12,14,16 and 20 ft)
• 6.1 m is the sensible maximum length for
petroleum refineries and chemical plants where
space is restricted
• For gas plants and special applications much
longer lengths are possible - 20 m (60 ft) or more
• When specifying long lengths for transportation
problems must be considered.
• Preferred tube length to shell diameter ratio is in
the range 5 to 10 .
 Thermal Expansion
Shell & tube exchangers can be 10 m long
• Thermal expansion problems are possible
• Allow one end (or “head”) to float
 Flow Velocity
Advantages of increased flow velocity
• better heat transfer
• less fouling
BUT
• Increase pressure drop
 Problem Statement
• Design a heat exchanger to meet the customer
requirements for heat transfer and maximum
dimensions, while optimizing the weight and
pressure losses in both the tube and shell sides.
• Chemical Specifications:
– Temperature must be reduced from 40°C to 25°C
– Mass flow rate is 120,000 kg/hr
– Material properties closely approximate that of water
• Cooling Water Specifications:
– Treated city water at 20°C
– Mass flow rate is not fixed
– Exit temperature is function of design
 Customer Requirements

• Must cool the chemical from 40 C to 25 C

• Heat exchanger length can not exceed 7m
• Heat exchanger shell diameter can not exceed 2m
• Minimize heat exchanger shell and tube weight
hence the cost.
• Minimize heat exchanger pressure drop
 ALLOCATIONS OF FLUIDS

• Put dirty stream on the tube side - easier to clean

inside the tubes
• Put high pressure stream on the tube side to avoid
thick, expensive shell
• When special materials are required for one stream,
put that one on the tube side to avoid expensive shell
• Cross flow gives higher coefficients than in plain tubes,
hence put fluid with lowest coefficient on the shell side
• If no obvious benefit, try streams both ways and see
which gives best design.
 SHELL DIAMETER

• Heat exchangers are normally manufactured from standard pipe for diameters up to 610 mm (24
inch) outside diameter and from rolled plate.
• In theory , very large shell diameters are possible. In practice however, most exchanger
manufacturers can not handle or drill tube sheets greater than approximately 3 m (118 inch) in
diameter. For exchangers with 19.05 mm (¾ inch) tubes, 152 or 203 mm (6 or 8 inch) is usually the
minimum shell size used.
• The size of pipe shells is determined by the nominal size of available pipe - normally 152, 203, 254,
305, 406, 457, 508 and 610 mm nominal bore (6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 24 inch).
• For the thermal design engineer, it is the shell inside diameter that is of most interest. For standard
wall pipe, the corresponding inside diameter are, respectively 154, 203, 255, 337, 387, 438, 489
and 591 mm (6.07, 7.98, 10.02, 12.00, 13.25, 15.25, 17.25, 19.25 and 23.25 inch).
• Most exchanger manufacturers can not handle or drill tube sheets greater than approximately 3 m
(120 inch) in diameter, which imposes an upper limit on the shell diameter.
• For sizes up to 610 mm (24 in) normally use standard pipe sizes.
• British / US standard sizes are 152, 203, 254, 305, 356, 406, 508 and 610 mm (6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16,
18 and 24 in) nominal bore.
• Size limited by drilling and machining capacity of manufacturer but can be up to 3000 mm (118 in)
or more.
 Tube Size

• TEMA Class 'C' lists nine standard tubes outside diameters ranging
from 6.35 to 50.8 mm (1/4 to 2 inch).
• Generally tubes less than 12.7 mm (½ inch) are used for small
proprietary type exchangers and tubes greater than 25.4 mm (1
inch) only for applications requiring low pressure drop.
• The standard diameters in general use are therefore, 12.7, 15.88,
19.05 and 25.4 mm (1/2, 5/8, 3/4 and 1 inch) with 19.05 and 25.4
mm being the most common.
• There are several reasons why 19.05 mm (¾ inch) tubes are the
most commonly used;
• This is the smallest size recommended by TEMA Section 'R', smaller
diameters are harder to clean, and tube end welding of smaller
tubes is more difficult. Smaller diameter tubes do, however, give
larger heat transfer coefficients
 Impingement plate required by TEMA

• If shell side nozzle inlet / outlet ρv² is more than the allowable limit, then an
impingement plate is provided. The impingement plate is tack welded on to
the tube bundle immediately under the nozzle. Generally, rectangular
impingement plates are used for exchanger.
• Saturated vapours or two phase fluids
• Non corrosive, non abrasive, single phase fluids with ρv² greater than 2232
kg/m s2 (1500 Ib/ft s2)
• Corrosive, abrasive liquids with ρv² greater than 744 kg/m s2 (500 Ib/ft s2) or
liquids at boiling point
• Whether plate fitted or not, shell entrance and exit area must be such that ρv²
does not exceed 5953 kg/m s2 (4000 Ib/ft s2)
 SHELL SIDE STREAM ANALYSIS

On the shell side, there is not just one stream, but a main cross-flow stream and four
leakage or bypass streams.
• B - main cross-flow stream ( Maximum)
• A - Tube-to-baffle-hole leakage stream (less than 10%)
• C - bundle bypass stream (less than 15%)
• F - pass-partition bypass stream (less than 10%)
• E - baffle-to-shell leakage stream (less than 10%)
 ANALYSIS
• B (main cross-flow) stream is highly effective for heat transfer, the other
streams are not as effective.
• A stream is fairly efficient, because the shell side fluid is in contact with
the tubes.
• C stream is in contact with the peripheral tubes around the bundle, and
the
• F stream is in contact with the tubes along the pass-partition lanes.
• Consequently, these streams also experience heat transfer, although at a
lower efficiency than the B stream.
• E stream flows along the shell wall, where there are no tubes, it
encounters no heat transfer at all.
• Essentially, the five streams are in parallel and flow along paths of varying
hydraulic resistances. Thus, the flow fractions will be such that the
pressure drop of each stream is identical, since all the streams begin and
end at the inlet and outlet nozzles. Subsequently, based upon the
efficiency of each of these streams, the overall shellside stream efficiency
and thus the shellside heat-transfer coefficient is established.
Temperature Profile distortion Factor due to bypass and Leakage
 Stream Flow Fraction correction

• Since the flow fractions depend strongly upon the path

resistances, varying any of the following construction
parameters will affect stream analysis and thereby the
shellside performance of an exchanger:
• baffle spacing and baffle cut;
• tube layout angle and tube pitch;
• number of lanes in the flow direction and lane width;
• clearance between the tube and the baffle hole;
• clearance between the shell I.D. and the baffle; and
• Location of sealing strips and sealing rods.
• To reduce tube to baffle leakage reduce number of
baffle or increase baffle cut
• To reduce shell to baffle leakage provide sealing strips
• To reduce pass partition by pass stream provide seal
rods

Use of sealing strips

Bypass
 AVOIDING VIBRATION
• When a fluid flows across or past a supported tube it can excite vibration of the tube. In some cases this flow-induced vibration can be severe and
result in damage of the exchanger. It is therefore important that the possibility of tube vibration is assessed during the design of shell and tube heat
exchangers.
• There are two types flow induced vibration.
• Acoustic vibration – It occurs if the acoustic frequency of the shell coincides with a exciting frequency due to e.g. vortex shedding

• Tube vibration – It occurs if the natural frequency of the tubes coincides with a exciting frequency due to e.g. vortex shedding
• Some general comments can be presented in order to avoid vibration problems. The main aspects relating to vibration reduction are:
• 1. Reduce tube unsupported length - so increasing Natural Frequency
• 2. Reduce crossflow velocity - so reducing energy given to tube

• Unfortunately these two requirements often conflict while the heat transfer and pressure drop specifications still need to
be satisfied.
• To reduce the tube unsupported lengths, the following can be considered
• Reduce baffle pitch
• Reduce end lengths
• Add Intermediate supports
• Use 'No-tubes in window'
• Use Rod-baffles
•
• To reduce the crossflow velocity, the following can be considered
• Increase baffle pitch
• Increase bundle-shell clearance
• Use double segmental baffles
• Use a split-flow exchanger, such as a J shell
• Use an axial flow exchanger
•
• In general, if there is spare heat transfer and pressure drop capacity the following can be considered
• Reduce baffle pitch
• Reduce end lengths
• Change baffle type
• Remove some tubes
• If heat transfer and pressure drop are near their limits, you could
• Change shell type
• Use a 'No-tubes in window' design
• Avoiding Fluid-Elastic Instability
•
• Decrease fluid velocity.
• Increase the tube natural frequency by decreasing the span lengths (for example by intermediate
support plates between baffles) or by increasing the tube diameter. Note that increasing the tube wall
thickness has almost no effect.
• Increase damping by reducing the clearances between tube and baffle.
• Increase the tube pitch.
• Remove the tubes in the window region which have double length spans.
•
• Avoiding Vortex Shedding Resonance
•
• Alter the vortex shedding frequency by changing (increasing or decreasing) the flow velocity.
• Alter the tube natural frequency (increase or decrease) by changing the span lengths or the tube
diameter. Changing the tube wall thickness has almost no effect.
• Increase the damping by reducing the clearances between tube and baffle. This will reduce the
amplitude of any vibration which does occur, and therefore render it less damaging.
•
• Avoiding Turbulent Buffeting
•
• Reduce the excitation force due to the turbulent flow by reducing the flow velocity. Flow velocity can
be reduced by increasing baffle spacing.
• Increase the tube natural frequency by shortening the span lengths (for example by introducing
intermediate support plates between baffles) or by increasing the tube diameter. Note that increasing
the tube wall thickness has almost no effect.
• Increase damping by reducing the clearances between tube and baffle.
•
 Avoiding Vibration at the Design Stage
• Make certain all possible duties are investigated: plants are often operated at different temperatures
and pressures, even with different fluids, for example during catalyst reduction or during cleaning.
Designers should note that many units are operated at flows beyond that specified. When plant
operation is changed or up-rated, it will be necessary to have the heat exchanger design re- examined.

• Ensure that the design is satisfactory for conditions encountered during start up and shut down: some
failures occur because of prolonged operation at a critical condition during part load.

• Ensure that heat exchangers are included in all hazard/operability studies: in this way abnormal
operation will be routinely considered.

• To produce designs with a low susceptibility to vibration, single segmental baffles should not be used.
Instead to reduce cross flow velocities, double segmental baffles or J-shells should be used. In extreme
cases designs with no tubes in the window or cross flow units should be used. These measures should
be used in combination with low fluid velocities.

• U-tube designs: avoid having the flow from the inlet nozzle impinge directly onto the bend.

• U-tube designs: consider the provision of supports by the use of stiffening bars in the U-bend section.
This alters the natural frequency. This can be conveniently done with square and rotated square tube
layouts, but is difficult with triangular layouts.

• U-tube designs: it is advisable to design the U-bend region so that flow velocities are as low as
practicable. Provision of extra tube support should not be a justification for using a higher than
necessary fluid velocity in this area, since the gain in overall heat transfer will be small and the risk of
producing vibration large.

• Ensure that inlet nozzles are not undersized: the use of perforated impingement plates is sometimes
possible to avoid high local impingement velocities. When using an impingement plate do not have large
escape velocities: larger shells are often needed to accommodate an impingement plates satisfactorily.
Use sealing strips if accurately known fluid velocities are essential to promote long
life: sealing strips should not be too close to the baffle cut line. It should be noted
however that sealing strips can give rise to large local velocities.

Avoid making the end spans any longer than necessary.

If long spans at inlet and outlet are unavoidable for any reason, provide additional
support for the window tubes near the mid-point of the long span.

Partial baffles are widely used to correct problems in inlet and outlet zones: their
use is recommended when impingement plates are necessary (five rows deep).

Avoid liquids being trapped at baffles and so causing high local velocities: adequate
but not excessive drain holes (notches) must be provided.

There is some evidence that certain tube layout patterns are more conducive to the
formation of standing acoustic waves than others. The rotated square tube layout
should be avoided on this account, if possible, when the shell side fluid is gas or
vapour.
Consider the use of solid bars instead of tubes in the first two tube rows if problems are indicated during design or
encountered during operation.

Avoid, where possible, design with tubes located near to Hogging Jets in condensers.

Do not use the minimum number of baffles in kettle and horizontal thermosyphon reboilers: This is false economy.
Particular difficulties can rise in H-shell horizontal thermosyphon reboilers: here a tube support plate should always
be placed at the mid point of the tubes.

Natural frequencies are lowered by the presence of compressive stresses in the tubes. The effect will be to render
the tubes more susceptible to both fluid-elastic instability and vortex shedding resonance. Designs should therefore
be examined critically to see whether compressive stresses arise. If, for any reason, some compressive stress is
unavoidable, its effect on the natural frequencies should be calculated. These natural frequencies should then be
used in any assessment of vibration characteristics.
Avoid sharp bends in inlet pipe work: major swirl can cause excessive velocities.
 TEMA terminology

Rear end
Front end head type
Shell
stationary head type

• Letters given for the front end, shell and

rear end types
• Exchanger given three letter designation
 Front head type
• A-type is standard for dirty tube side
• B-type for clean tube side duties. Use if possible
since cheap and simple.
A B

Channel and removable cover Bonnet integral cover

 More front-end head types
• C-type with removable shell for hazardous tube-side fluids, heavy
bundles or services that need frequent shell-side cleaning. This is
similar to the A-type, except that the tubesheet end of the channel is not flanged,
but is welded directly to the tubesheet, which is then bolted to the shell flange.
• N-type for fixed for hazardous fluids on shell side.This type is similar to
the C-type except that the integral tubesheet is not extended to form a flange but
is instead welded to the shell. Like the A-type, it has the advantage that piping
connections do not have to be broken to clean the inside of the tubes, but it does
have the same disadvantage of the C-type for maintenance of the tube-to-
tubesheet joints. Mechanical shellside cleaning is impossible.

C N

channel integral with tube sheet - removable Channel integral with shell
cover
 More front-end head types
D-type or bonnet welded to tube sheet for high pressure (over 150 bar)
The D-type in TEMA is used to describe a specially designed, non-bolted, closure for high pressure
(>150 bar/ 2100 psi) and is a generalized term since there are several such designs and some of
them are patent.
A common alternative, for high-pressure exchangers, is to use a B-type head, which is then welded
to the tubesheet, thus eliminating bolted joints. Providing the exchanger is large enough, access to
the tubesheet may be achieved via a nozzle fitted with a manway cover.
Although not given a TEMA designation, conical heads are often used for exchangers with one pass on
the tubeside(Axial nozzle). They consist of a single cone, flanged on both ends, the flange at the larger
end being bolted to the tubesheet and the other flange being bolted to the piping.

D
 Basic Components
Shell Types
Front and rear head types and shell types are standardized by TEMA, identified by alphabetic
characters.
E-shell is the most common
– cheap and simple configuration
– one-shell pass and one- or multiple-tube
passes
– if one-tube pass, nominal counter-flow is achieved
– most common for single-phase shell fluid applications
F-shell used when there are two tube passes and pure counter-flow is desired
– longitudinal baffle results in two-shell passes
– units in series, each shell pass represents one unit
– higher pressure drop than that for E-shell
Shell Types (continued)

J-shell has divided flow

– for low pressure drop applications
– normally, single nozzle for shell-fluid at tube
center, two nozzles near tube ends
Divided Flow
– when used for condensing the shell fluid, two inlets for shell-side vapor and
one central outlet for condensate (figure)
X-shell has cross flow
– central shell-fluid entry and exit
– no baffles are used
– very low pressure drop
– used for vacuum condensers and low-pressure gases
Shell Types (continued)
G-shell and H-shell are single- and double-split flow
– G-shell has a horizontal baffle with ends
removed, central shell-fluid entry and exit
– H-shell is similar, but with two baffles,
and two nozzles at the entry and exit
Shell Types (continued)
K-Shell: K-type is only used as a reboiler
• These are "kettle" reboilers and in practice are used exclusively for vaporizing service.
• The fluid to be vaporized normally enters at the bottom of the shell. The shell
diameter is larger than the bundle and boiling liquid flows up through the bundle,
with any unevaporated liquid falling back to the bottom of the shell, before re-
circulating up through the bundle.
• The liquid level is maintained above the bundle by a weir plate (a level control valve
may be used instead of a weir plate). The vapor formed is separated from the liquid
in the enlarged shell and leaves trough a nozzle at the top. Demister pads are
sometimes placed at the vapor outlet to remove any entrained liquid.
• Summary of Shell Types
• E-type shells are standard
• G and H-shells are normally only used for horizontal
thermosyphon reboilers
• J and X-shells are used if allowable pressure drop can
not be achieved in an E-shell
• For services that need multiple shells and removable
bundles, F-shells should be considered as alternative
• K-type is only used as a reboiler
 Rear Head Type

There are eight rear head types for a shell and tube heat exchanger
designated by TEMA, in practice they correspond to three general types:
Fixed tube sheet (L, M,N)
U-tube
Floating head (P,S,T,W)
Use fixed tube sheet if ΔT low (for preliminary studies, take below 50°C as
being low) otherwise use other types to allow for differential thermal
expansion
You can use bellows in shell to allow for expansion but these are special items
which have pressure limitations (max. 80 bar)
For exchangers operating at average pressures, the fixed tubesheet is the cheapest of the
three and hence the most commonly used.
At higher pressures, the U-tube, which has only one tubesheet is the cheapest type.
Floating head types are more expensive and are used when fixed tubesheets or U-tubes
exchangers can not be accommodated.
 Rear Head Selection

• Fixed tube sheet (L, M, N) - low bundle to shell clearance

• U-tube - simple design but difficult to clean - low bundle to
shell clearance
• Floating head (P, S, T, W) - S most common
• S gives higher bundle to shell clearance
• T gives highest bundle to shell clearance
• W limited to 2 (or 1) passes
• U-type (U-tube bundles): With the U or "hairpin" tubes only one
tubesheet is required.
• U-tube units are also useful for handling tube side two phase mixtures
which could separate with consequent maldistribution in the return
headers of two pass straight tube types.
Tube Bundle Types (rear head types)

Main objectives in design are to accommodate thermal expansion and allow easy cleaning
(or to provide the least expensive construction)
U-tube configuration
– allows independent expansion of tubes and shell (unlimited thermal
expansion)
– only one tube sheet is needed (least expensive construction)
– tube-side cannot be mechanically cleaned
– even number of tube passes
– individual tubes cannot be replaced (except those in the outer row)
Tube Bundle Types (continued)
Fixed tube sheet configuration(L,M,N): These are for fixed
tube sheet exchangers and correspond to the A, B and N-
type front end channels.
– allows mechanical cleaning of inside of tubes but not
outside because shell is welded to the tube sheets
– low-cost
– limited thermal expansion
– individual tubes replaceable
L and N types would normally only be used for
single (or odd) tube-pass exchangers, where
they permit access to the tubes without
dismantling the connections.
For exchangers with an even number of tube-side
passes generally an M-type is considered.
 Tube Bundle Types (continued)

• Floating Head Type(P,S,T,W):Floating-head

exchangers are so named because they have one
tubesheet that is fixed relative to the shell, and
another that is attached to the tubes, but not to the
shell, so it is allowed to “float” within the shell.
• Unlike fixed-tubesheet designs, whose dimensions
are fixed at a given dimension relative to the shell
wall, floating-head exchangers are able to
compensate for differential expansion and
contraction between the shell and the tubes.
• Since the entire tube bundle can be removed,
maintenance is easy and relatively inexpensive.
• The shellside surface can be cleaned by either steam
or mechanical means. In addition to accommodating
differential expansion between the shell and tubes,
the floating tubesheet keeps shellside and tubeside
process fluids from intermixing.
 Pull-through floating head

• T-type (pull through floating head): Rear end can be pulled through the shell without first
having to remove the floating head. To achieve this, the shell diameter has to be greater than that of the
corresponding S-type, making the T-type more expensive (except for kettle reboilers).
• S-type (floating head with backing device): This type is usually referred to as a "split
ring floating head" or sometimes abbreviated to SRFH. The backing ring is split, i.e., made in two halves to
permit removal so the floating tubesheet can be pulled through the shell.
• P-type (outside packed floating head): The gap between the shell and floating tubesheet
is sealed by compressing packing material contained between the rear head and an extended shell flange
by means of a ring bolted to the latter. The packed joint is prone to leakage and is not suitable for
hazardous or high pressure service on the shell side.
• W-type (externally sealed floating tubesheet): Sometimes referred to as an "O-ring"
or "lantern ring" type due to the lantern ring seals between the floating tubesheet and the shell and
channel respectively. The packed joints are almost certain to show some leakage and therefore are
suitable for low pressure, non-hazardous fluids on the shell and tube side.
 FLOATING REAR HEAD

• Although the externally sealed, floating-head design is less costly than the
full, internal floating-head exchanger, it has some design limitations:
• Both the shellside and tubeside fluids must be non-volatile or non-toxic
• The tubeside arrangements are limited to one or two passes.
• The packing used in this exchanger limits design pressure and temperature
to 20 barg and 150°C.
• Common TEMA designations are AEW and BEW. Applications include
exchangers handling inter- and after-coolers, oil coolers, and jacket water
coolers.
AES
Shell-side flow
 Fouling
Shell and tubes can handle fouling but it can be reduced by
• Keeping velocities sufficiently high to avoid deposits.
• Avoiding stagnant regions where dirt will collect.
• Avoiding hot spots where coking or scaling might occur.
• Avoiding cold spots where liquids might freeze or where corrosive products may condense for
gases.
• Design for high velocities within erosion and vibration limits. If possible
a.Tubeside velocity should be >= 2 m/s
b. Shellside B-Stream(main crossflow stream through the bundle) velocity should be >=0.6 m/s.
Exceptions to this general high-velocity rule for fouling mitigation include corrosion, geothermal
brines, and slurries that present an erosion limit.
Note the importance of metal selection on corrosion and erosion.
• Keep overdesign between 10 and 20% where industry experience permits.
• Consider larger overdesigns for tubeside laminar flow, mist flow boiling, and shellside mixture
condensation in deep gravity flow.
 Defining Design margin

• HEX Design margin is defined as any heat transfer area exceeding what is required by a clean
heat exchanger to satisfy a specified duty, as defined by equation-1,2 & 3
Uclean
(1)% Excess Area from Fouling 100 1
Uactual
Uactual
(2) % Overdesign 100 1
Urequired
Uclean
(3) % Total Excess Area 100 1
Urequired

Uclean Uactual Urequired

1 1 x 1
R fi R fo
Uactual hi k ho

1 1 x 1 Qspecified
Urequired
Uclean hi k ho A0 LMTD
 Problem with excess Design margin

• The excessive use of design margin has several drawbacks.

• Large heat-transfer area translates directly to unnecessary capital cost.
• Needless heat transfer area also results in a larger, heavier exchanger; weight and foot-print
are very important considerations for offshore applications.
• Worst of all, excessive design margin can also result in accelerated fouling.
• Design engineer often incorporate excess margin by increasing the shell diameter, this
increases the cross-sectional area available for flow, resulting in lower shellside velocities for
a given flowrate.
• Furthermore the number of tubes increases, which reduces tube side velocity, lower velocity
often increase the rate of fouling.
• Over-performance caused by excess heat-transfer area can also accelerate fouling because
the process stream temperature change will be greater than desired, requiring the flowrate
of utility stream to be reduced or other measures to be taken, Turn-Down results in lower
velocities, which can initiate or accelerate fouling.
Example to illustrate the significant impact that excess margin can have on heat exchanger design.
The final heat exchanger in the train is focus of this discussion because experience has revealed that neither
stream fouls under normal operating conditions.
The shell side fluid is chlorine-treated once through seawater and the tube side fluid was modeled as
supercritical methane.
Three configurations for this final heat exchanger were analyzed, and the salient details are presented in
table3.
The base case is the one-shell-pass , four-tube-pass(1-4) CEU TEMA type that is currently in service.
The central baffle spacing was 22.6% of the shell ID resulting in a low B-stream fraction and inefficient heat
transfer.
Individual fouling factors of 0.000176 m2.k/w were used for both streams to yield a total fouling resistance of
0.000429 m2.k/w.
These specification resulted in a heat transfer area requirement of 187 m2 and a total excess area of 106%.
The total excess area is not simply the sum of the overdesign and the excess area from fouling factors; this
demonstrates the compounding of fouling factors in the overdesign.
The second heat exchanger design investigated was a two-shell-pass , four-tube-pass(2-4) BFU TEMA type
with the same fouling factors(0.000176 m2-k/w) for both streams as in the CEU exchanger.
1. A lower cost front head(TEMA Type B) was used because fouling will not be a problem, thereby neglecting the
need for easy access to the tube sheet.
2. An F-shell was selected to reduce the exchanger footprint and weight via increased Effective Mean
Temperature Difference(EMTD) across the exchanger.
3.U-tubes were chosen to prevent thermal expansion problems resulting from the large terminal temperature
difference of this exchanger. Titanium was utilized to avoid corrosion problems.
4.This BFU configuration reduce the heat-transfer area requirement by 18%, with the exchanger cost dropping
concomitantly. The total excess area is still quite high at 99.8%.
5.The third exchanger design considered was an identical BFU except that no fouling resistance was used in
overall heat transfer coefficient calculation equation.
An equivalent overdesign of 21% was achieved by shortening the tubes. Changing the tube length is normally the
most economical approach for adjusting heat transfer area.
Uclean, duty,EMTD, and the velocities were effectively the same between the two BFU designs, confirming the
comparability of this approach.
• Comparing the BFU design with no
fouling factors with the other two Table 3. salient details of the heat exchanger designs
designs reveals striking differences.
Parameter CEU BFU BFU
• For example, the heat transfer area is
reduced to only 93.5m2,resulting in an in-service with Fouling
Factor
exchanger that is 23% less expensive
than the BFU with fouling factors and Heat Transfer area,m2 187 154 93.5
33% less expensive than the in-service
CEU.Because no fouling factors were Tube Material Titanium Titanium Titanium
used, the overdesign and total excess
Relative cost 1.5 1.3 1
area are identical at 21%,a reasonable
value that gives flexibility to the Estimated Wt ,Kg 5700 5350 5000
process. Estimated Footprint,mxm 0.81x7.0 0.78x5.9 0.78x4.6
• The weight and footprint of this
Total Fouling Resistance,m2-k/w 0.000429 0.00043 0
exchanger are also less than the other
designs, which is an important Uclean, w/m2-k 1540 1510 1510
consideration for this offshore Uactual,w/m2-k 928 917 1510
application. Because the in-service
Urequired,w/m2-k 748 757 1250
exchanger does not foul and this
design has similar temperatures, overdesign, % 24.1 21.1 21
velocities, and metallurgy, we are Excess Area from Fouling, % 65.9 64.9 0
confident in the viability of this low
Total Excess Area, % 106 99.8 21
cost design.
Qspecified,MW 4.29 4.29 4.29
EMTD, deg C 30.7 36.8 36.8
B-Stream Fraction 0.382 0.685 0.691
Tube-side Velocity,m/s 2.95 2.88 2.89
B-stream Velocity,m/s 0.86 1.1 1.05
S & T HEX DESIGN USING HTRI
 Optimize the selected best run
according to the guideline given in
presentation