Heat Exchangers

In this training presentation….

 what is heat transfer and the modes of heat transfer
 conduction
 convection
 radiation
 what is a heat exchanger and basic types
 common shell-and-tube type exchangers
 part, components & profiles
 basic idea of operation of shell & tube type heat exchangers
 maintenance & troubleshooting on shell & tube type HX
 plate type heat exchanger
 parts and components
 basic operation
 maintenance and troubleshooting
 What is Heat
• A form of energy (Thermal)
• Higher the temp.  higher the heat (same body)
• Heat Flow always from hot to cold body
• Unit – Calories / BTU
• 1 Calorie – Heat to raise temp of 1 gm water by 1o C
• 1 BTU – Heat to raise temp of 1 lb water by 1o F
 What is Heat Transfer
• Movement of thermal energy or heat from one place
to another – It is a science
• Driving Force – Delta T

Modes of Heat Transfer

• Conduction
• Convection
• Radiation
 Conduction
• Between 2 regions when they are in physical contact
• Generally in solids by virtue of inter-molecular-
vibrations
• Example – Heating of iron rod
• Q = ktA (T1-T2)/L (Fourier’s Law)
• Q : Quantity of heat (Btu or cal)
• k : Coefficient of thermal conductivity (Btu/((hr)(F)(ft))
• t : Time (hr)
• T1 : Temp at hot end (F)
• T2 : Temp at cold end (F)
• L : Distance between the two ends (in)
• A : Cross sectional area (sq ft)
 Convection
• Because of movement of fluid within larger mass of it
• By virtue of change in density
• Example – Heating of water in a pot
• Two Types – Natural (Density Difference) and Forced
(Use of mechanical devices such as pump, fan etc.)
• Q = h A DT (Newton’s Law)
where Q = heat duty, K Joule/hr
h = heat transfer coefficient K Joule/hr -ft2-oK
A = surface area, m2
DT = temperature difference between the surface and the bulk fluid, o K
 Radiation
• Transfer of energy by electromagnetic wave through
vacuum or a transmitting medium.
• Part of the energy to the receiving body is reflected and
a part is absorbed.
• Only the absorbed portion results in heat.
• Q = se AT4 (Stefan - Boltzmann law)
• where
• Q = emitted energy, K Joule/hr.
• s = radiation coefficient for a black body, K Joule/m2-hr.-oR4
• e = emissivity, dimensionless - ‘e’ ranges from 1.0 for a black body to 0.02-
0.04 for polished metal surfaces
• A = surface area of emitting body, m2
• T = surface temperature of emitting body,
Conduction-Convection-Radiation

Conduction

Convection

Radiation
 Heat Exchanger (HX)
• A device that facilitate the exchange of thermal
energy from one substance that is from hot to cold
bodies
– Heat exchanger is required for process involving reaction
– Major reason for plant shut down is Heat exchanger
– Health of heat exchanger decides the cost of operation and
plant performance

Hot In Hot Out

Cold Out Cold In

Heat Exchange Classification
(Based on Function)

• Exchangers
• Heaters
• Condensers
• Coolers
• Reboilers
• Evaporators
• Vaporizers
• Steam generators/Boilers
 Common Types of HX
• Shell & Tube type Heat Exchanger
• Double Pipe Heat Exchanger
• Plate type Heat Exchanger
• Coil type Heat Exchanger
• Fin Fan Coolers
Shell and Tube Type Heat
Exchangers
Feature of S&T Heat Exchanger
• Suitable for Gas, Liquid or Two Phase Fluids
• Suitable for Condensation, Boiling, or No Phase Change
• Can be installed vertically or horizontally
• Temperature Range < - 200 C TO > 1000 C
• Pressure Range : From High Vacuum to 204 Kg/CM2
• Area varies from 10 to 4000 m2
• Thermal Stresses can be accommodated
• Extended surface area can be accommodated
• Large variety of MOC
• TEMA Standards (Tubular Exchanger Manufacturer’s
Association)
• Easy to Construct, Variety Designs, Mech. Rugged
• Easy to clean and replace
Passes in S&T Type HX
 Single and Multi Pass
• Single pass - One fluid passes the other fluid only once.
• Multi-Pass - One fluid passes the other more than once
via the arrangement of the tubes, inlet/outlet ports, or by
baffles used to guide a fluid through a specific path.

Single tube-side pass Multiple tube-side passes

Nomenclature
• 1-1 : Single Shell and Single Tube Pass
• 1-2 : Single Shell and 2 # of Tube Passes
Single shell-side pass Multiple shell-side passes • 1-4 : Single Shell and 4 # of Tube Passes
• 2-2 : 2 # of Shell and 2 # of Tube Passes
 Parts and Components
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger
Parts and Components
 Shell & Shell Side Nozzle

• Simply a container for fluid at shell side

• MOC-Steel, Carbon Steel
• Min. clearance between shell & baffle reduces by-pass and
maximizes heat transfer
• Inlet nozzle has impingement plate
 Tubes
Standard tube lengths are 8, 12, 16 and
20 ft.

Tubes are drawn to definite wall thickness

in terms of BWG and true outside
diameter (OD), and they are available in
all common metals.

Tubes can either be seamless or welded

Steel alloy, copper-steel-titanium-

aluminum alloys

Corrugated and fin tubes – greater

surface area
 Tubes

Tube
Bundles
 Tube Pitch
The spacing between the tubes
(center to center) is referred to
as the tube pitch (PT). Triangular
or square pitch arrangements are
used. Unless the shell side tends
to foul badly, triangular pitch is
Used.

Tube Sheet
Tubes are either expanded in grooves
or welded in sheet.
Metal-Corrosion Resistant
Sometimes double tube-sheet to
avoid mixing of fluid
 Baffles & Tie Rod
How do baffles help? – support the
tube in position, prevent the
vibration caused by flow eddies,
guide the flow in shell, increase the
turbulence and HT rate
Where are they installed? – Inside
the shell
which fluid is directly affected? –
shell side fluid
What is role of Tie Rod – to keep
the baffles and tube sheet in place

Segment of Baffle - Common practice is to cut away a segment having a height equal to
one-fourth the inside diameter of the shell. Such baffles are called 25 percent baffles.
 Baffle
Arrangement
Baffles and Flow Pattern
Channel Covers & Pass Divider
Channel Covers & Pass Divider
 Other Components
• Supports
• Hooks
• Expansion Joints on Shell
• Internal Bellows
• Floating Heads
• U Tubes

• Vent
• Drains
• Instrumentation
Operational Aspects of S&T
Type Heat Exchangers
Counter Flow
Parallel Flow
Cross Flow
 Operation
1. When placing a unit in operation, open the vent connections and start to
circulate the cold medium only. Be sure that the passages in the exchanger are
entirely filled with the cold fluid before closing the vents. The hot medium
should then be introduced gradually until all passages are filled with liquid.
Then, close vents and slowly bring the unit up to temperature.
2. Start operation gradually. Do not admit hot fluid to the unit suddenly when it
is empty or cold. Do not shock unit with cold fluid when it is hot.
3. In shutting down, flow of hot medium should be shut off first. If it is
necessary to stop circulation of cooling medium, the circulation of hot medium
should also be stopped by by-passing or otherwise
4. Do not operate equipment under conditions in excess of those specified on
nameplate
5. In all installations, there should be no pulsation of fluids since this causes
vibration and strain with resulting leaks
6. All gasketed joints should be rechecked for tightness after the unit has been
heated to prevent leaks and blowing out gaskets.
 Operation
Observe the following precautions to obtain maximum performance:
(A) Exchanger must be full of fluid in both shell and tube sides.
(B) Provide periodic venting if air tends to accumulate in system.
(C) Maintain rated flow of both mediums.
(D) Avoid excessive flow of cooling water in exchangers used as coolers. It is
a frequent cause of tube failure through erosion, and may decrease
cooling efficiency, especially with heavy oils.
(E) Inspect exchanger periodically and clean thoroughly when necessary,
especially inside tubes.
 Installation
1. Sufficient space for removal of tube bundles or floating head from shells.
2. Strong and leveled foundations to avoid strains and settle
3. Provision of by-passes
4. Instrumentation as near as possible
5. Provisions of vent and drain
6. Loosen foundation bolts at one end of the unit to allow free expansion of shell.
Oval holes in foundation brackets are provided for this purpose.
7. Inspect all openings in the heat exchanger for foreign material.
8. Remove all wooden plugs and shipping pads just before installing.
9. Do not expose units to the elements with pads or other covers removed from
nozzles or other openings since rain water may enter the unit and cause sever
damage due to freezing and/or corrosion.
10. Be sure entire system is clean before starting operation to prevent plugging of
tubes or shell side passages with sand or refuse. The use of strainers or
settling tanks in pipelines leading to the heat exchanger is recommended.
 Problems & Troubleshooting
1. External Leakages from gaskets and sealing places
* Tighten or change gasket or sealing stuff
2. Internal Leakages from tubes
* Carryout leak test
* Plug the tube (max. 20%)
3. Fouling
* Water or Chemical Cleaning
* Jet & Mechanical Cleaning
 Leak Test
1. Remove the end covers
2. Close or blind the shell outlet
3. Open the vent
4. Fill in the water till it starts coming out of vent
5. Close the vent
6. Pressurize the shell to test pressure (1.3 times max. allowable operating
press)
7. Observe the drop in pressure and check which tube the water comes out
 Maintenance
Cleaning of heat exchanger
(A) Circulate hot wash oil or light distillate through tubes or shell at a good
velocity or circulate hot fresh water.
(C) If required use commercial cleaning compounds such as “Oakite” or
“Dowell” in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
(D) If no avail - use mechanical means
When the heat exchanger is cleaned, it is important the full characteristics of the
fouling material and the cleaning agent be known and care exercised in
handling them according to instructions.
Frequently and at regular intervals, observe interior and exterior condition of all
tubes and keep them clean. Neglect in keeping all tubes clean may result in
complete stoppage of flow through some tubes, with consequest overheating
of these tubes as compared to surrounding tubes, resulting in severe expansion
strains and leaking tube-to-tube-sheet joints.
When shutting down for repairs it is imperative that all fluids be drained from the
heat exchanger and that no bolting be loosened until the pressures are down to
atmospheric and the temperature of the parts are down to ambient.
 Maintenance
Do not attempt to clean tubes by blowing steam through individual tubes. This
overheats the tube and results in severe expansion strains and leaking tube-to-
tube-sheet joints.
Do not blow out heat exchanger with air when fluids normally handled are of an
inflammable nature.
Do not open heads until all pressure is off equipment and the unit is drained.
Do not handle tube bundles with hooks or other tools which might damage tubes.
Bundles should be moved about on cradles or skids.
Do not tighten bolts until gasket is positioned properly. This precaution will
eliminate one cause for taking down units because of leaks.
Since many of the removable components of the heat exchanger, particularly in
the larger sizes are too heavy for men to handle care must be used to take this
weight with proper rigging to avoid injury.
When a heat exchanger is dismantled for any cause, it is recommended that new
gaskets be used in re-assemble. This will tend to lessen the possibility of
future leaks because composition gaskets become brittle and dry out, they do
not provide an effective seal when reused.
 Maintenance
Exchangers subject to fouling or scaling should be cleaned periodically. A marked
increase in pressure drop and/or reduction in performance usually indicates
cleaning is necessary, if the unit has been checked for air or vapor binding and
this has been found not to be the cause.
To clean or inspect inside of tubes, remove channel covers (or bonnets). Do not
remove channels.
Use only cold water for hydrostatic test. The point where the water escapes
indicates the defective tube or joint.
when removing tube bundles from exchangers for inspection or cleaning, care
should be exercised to avoid damage by improper handling. Although tube
bundles are often of great weight, the tubes are small and of relatively thin
metal. The dead weight of the bundle, therefore, should never be supported
on individual tubes, but should rest on those parts that are designed to carry it
i.e., the tube sheets, support plates or wood blocks, cut to fit the periphery of
the bundle. In order to prevent damage to tube ends. A forged steel eye bolt
which may be screwed into either plate is used for pulling and lifting. In
cleaning a tube bundle, tubes should not be hammered on with any metallic
tool. In case it is necessary to use scrapers, care should be exercised to see
that the scraper is not sharp enough to cut the metal of the tubes.
 Exchanger Fouling

Electron microscope image showing fibers, dust, and other deposited material on a
residential air conditioner coil and a fouled water line in a water heater.
Exchanger Fouling
Plate Type Heat Exchangers
 Distribution Area & Entrance Neck
Main Heat Transfer Zone

Distribution Area Entrance Neck

Performance Limits Performance Limits

• 40 bar • 20 bar
• 180° C (350° F) • 150° C (300° F)
19 1/99
Plate Corrugation and Pr. Drop
Low turbulence Medium turbulence High turbulence
& pressure drop & pressure drop & pressure drop

L + L = L channels L + H = M channels H + H = H channels

• Advantages • Benefits
– Efficient heat transfer – Increased heat recovery
– High wall shear stress – Low fouling
– Variable thermal length – Optimal design
– Strong construction – Insensitive to vibration
 Plate Materials
• Standard materials and typical uses
• AISI 304
– Typically in clean water-water duties
– Example, up to 50 ppm chlorides at 50°C
• AISI 316
– Typically in water-water duties
– Example, up to 250 ppm chlorides at 50°C
• 254 SMO (high-alloy stainless steel)
– Many uses including high-chloride water-water duties
– Example, up to 6000 ppm chlorides at 50°C
• Titanium
– Most frequent use is for sea water (3.5% chlorides)
– Example, up to 130°C in sea water
 Gasket and Sealing System
Homogeneous
“Roof-top”
rubber gasket gasket profile
made in one piece

Gasket material
Synthetic Rubber
Two component oven-
cured epoxy glue
Supporting and ...or glue-free gasket
protecting gasket that do not mix sealing
groove and fastening function
 Gasket - profile and
Alfa Laval groove Competitor
Profile
Higher sealing
pressure
Risk of leakage.
Groove
Full support
to gasket
Openings. Risk of
gasket blow-out.

The difference is life time and reliability

• EDPM Gasket - materials
• Standard material up to 160 °C
• Standard EPDM qualities
– EPDM for glued gaskets (“Crushing resistant”)
– EPDMC for clip-on gaskets at high temperature
– EPDMCT as above but for thin gaskets in models
with low pressing depth (1.5-3 mm)
• Application related EPDM qualities
– EPDMF - food grade
– EPDM AL for increased pressure resistance in certain
chemical duties where normal EPDM swells
 Gasket - glue free
Clip-on
fasteningFastening

Sealing

• Fastening and sealing are kept separate

• If the one of the fastener breaks, the gasket still
stays sealed
• Clip-on is mostly used
 Carrying bar
Frame - components
Suppor
t Frame plate
column

Pressure plate

Guiding Bar
Studbolt
Tightening bolts
connections
All-bolted construction for easy on site assembly
and repair
•
Frame -
Unique 5-point alignment
Larger
Carrying bar

system
– Provides exact positioning
of the plates horizontally
and vertically Plat
– Ensures good sealing e
throughout the plate pack
Guiding
bar
 Frame - Smaller

• First alignment made

by the round carrying
& guiding bar
• Corner guidance locks
the plates in position
and fine-tunes the
alignment
• Effective and cost
efficient
 Frame
• Tightening bolts to -allow
Larger
easy opening
— Bolt head
— Bearing box
— Plastic cover
— Lock washer
— Nut
— Rolled
thread
 Frame - Larger

• Roller on pressure plate

to
allow easy opening and
closing
 Frame - connections
• Studbolts around the connection
•
and linings
Connection pipes are bolted to the
PHE
• Unlined
Three differentRubber
typeslining
of linings Metal lining

• Cheapest • Low cost • More expensive

possible • Limited in • Industrial use
• Clean water temperature • Same as plate
duties • NBR and EPDM material
 Frame - protection
• Safety issue
sheets
• Protects personnel in case of
leakage
• Stainless steel (larger)
• High-resistant plastic
(smaller)
• Customers choice
• Recommended for hazardous
duties
 Frame - painting
• Specifically developed for PHE
systems
– Too thick  Paint is crushed behind end-plates
– Too thin  Inadequate protection
– Alfa Laval system balances hardness & thickness
• Choice of colours
• Choice of tested paint systems
• Examples,
– Standard – Special
– Sandblasting – Sandblasting
– Primer - 2 part epoxy – Primer - zinc rich epoxy
– Finish - 2 part epoxy – 2 coatings - iron oxide
– 90-135 microns epoxy
– Finish - 2 part polyurethane
– 240-315 microns
 Frame
• One man can open and
close a large PHE using
standard tools
• Serviceability
• Less downtime
• Safety
• Longer lifetime
 Plate Heat Exchanger -
• example
Hot water supply for 200 flats
– Heat load: 400 kW
– Temperature program 0C: 80/20 – 50/10
– Design pressure: 16 bar

PHE P22 M6 Comments

Year 1989 2004 Fifteen years R&D
No. Pass 2 1 One pass - easier/cheaper pipe work
Plate thickness / mm 0,6 0,4 Thinner plates - better heat transfer
Required No. plates 53 34 19 pl.or 36% less - cost reducing
Area / m2 6,36 4,95 1,41m2 or 22% less - cost reducing
Weight / kg 178 95,7 82,3 kg or 46% less - cost reducing
Price / EUR 2394 1918 476 EUR or 20% cheaper - cost reducing
k - value W/(m²*K) 3113 4825 1712 or 55% better performance
Flow - distribution Diagonal Parallel Parrallel is more effective
Gasket Glued CLIP-ON CLIP-ON - Easier maintennace - One gasket
 Market Requirement
• Low investment cost

• Low maintenance costs

• Low installation costs

• Better performance

• Flexibility
 AlfaNova™ Heat Exchangers
with AlfaFusion™ inside
• High temperature performance
• High pressure fatique resistance
• Chemical resistance like stainless steel
• High operating pressure
at high temperatures
• Low hold up volume compared
to Shell & Tube
• Small foot print
• Cost efficient
 Technology Platforms

Brazed
Fish Bone pattern
The 1st PHE Semi Welded

1931 1960 1977 1980 1994 2003

x
 AlfaFusion™
New patented technology platform
 AlfaFusion™ Customer Benefits
Pressure fatique
Max temperature
Degree C Cycles
550 2.000.000
resistance

225

Brazed 200.000
Brazed
 Main Applications for Alfa Nova
Heat Exchangers
• Ammonia Chiller
• Clean Water Chiller
• District Heating systems with corrosive
liquids
• Tap Water Heating systems with specific
demands
• High temperature gas Heat Exchanger
• Absorbtion Systems
• Hygienic applications
• Industrial cooling
• High temperature applications
 Heat exchangers
• Introduction to heat echangers, types and
applications.

• The UA factor

• The Logaritmic Mean Temperature

difference (lmtd) method
Principle of heat
exchanger
Condensers and
boilers
 Plate heat
exchangers

Compact and often low cost

The LMTD
Definition