Design Considerations for Heat Exchangers
If you plan to design a heat exchanger, do you know where you should start? You’ve done it before, unfortunately you hate the feeling of getting half way through the design and realizing that you forgot to consider one other important element. The thought process involved is just as important as the calculations involved. Let’s map out a heat exchanger design strategy. We’ll do so with a series of questions. We’ll let you think first and in a few days, we’ll gradually post the answers.
1. Is there a phase change involved in my system?
2. How many “zones” are involved in my system?
3. What are the flowrates and operating pressures involved in my system?
4. What are the physical properties of the streams involved?
5. What are the allowable pressure drops and velocities in the exchanger?
6. What is the heat duty of the system?
7. What is the estimated area of the exchanger?
8. What geometric configuration is right for my exchanger?
9. Now that I have a geometry in mind, what is the actual overall heat transfer coefficient?
10. What is the actual area of the exchanger using the ‘actual’ heat transfer coefficient?
11. What are the materials of Construction, ease of maintenance, cost of exchanger and overall heat integration
Think of the questions…
We’ll provide answers for it in latter posts.
