Abstract
Abstract Round rod baffle (RRB), plain plate baffle (PPB), wavy-shaped plate baffle (WSB) and polygonal-shaped plate baffle (PSB) are four commonly used baffles in parallel flow shell and tube heat exchangers (STHXs). Comparative study of these four different baffles are numerically carried out using different performance indicators including Nusselt number, friction factor, performance evaluation criterion, entropy generation ratio, and entransy dissipation ratio for flow in full turbulent regime. Heat transfer mechanism has also been discussed. Correlations for Nusselt number and friction factor are fitted and the cost estimation using Hall’s method is compared. It is found that the Nusselt number of STHX-PPB, STHX-WSB, and STHX-PSB increased by 20.9%, 15.2%, and 23.9% averagely compared with STHX-RRB, respectively. The friction factor can be increased on average by 142.0%, 154.5%, and 242.4%, respectively. However, the overall performance of them is only 90.1%, 84.4%, and 82.3% that of STHX-RRB, respectively. The sequence of entropy generation and entransy dissipation is STHX-RRB > STHX-WSB > STHX-PPB > STHX-PSB. The inlet Re and baffle distance have significant effects on different performance indicators while the baffle width does not. Finally, the results show that the STHX-PSB can reduce the total cost as it has better ability on heat enhancement.
Highlights
Heat exchanger is a common equipment used in many industrial departments
Various heat exchangers are designed for different industry processes, in which more than 35–40% of heat exchangers used in industrial areas are shell and tube heat exchangers (STHXs) because of their easy maintenance and reliability [1]
Wang et al [9] experimentally investigated the heat transfer and flow performance of a double-shell pass rod baffle heat exchanger (DS-RBHX), the results revealed that the overall heat transfer performance of the DS-RBHX is higher than that of the singleshell pass RBHX (SS-RBHX)
Summary
Heat exchanger is a common equipment used in many industrial departments. Various heat exchangers are designed for different industry processes, in which more than 35–40% of heat exchangers used in industrial areas are shell and tube heat exchangers (STHXs) because of their easy maintenance and reliability [1]. Chen et al [12] compared the thermal hydraulic performance of five heat exchangers that have different baffle patterns. With the developing of computer technology, flow and heat transfer numerical simulation based on CFD is widely used to replace the experiments to explore the thermal performance of different heat exchangers. Various performance indicators are proposed to evaluate different design schemes of heat exchanger. Webb and Kim [20] deduced a performance indicator named performance evaluation criterion (PEC) based on Figure 1: Flow-induced tube vibration failure in STHX-RRB [14]. Entropy generation [21] and entransy dissipation [22] are two different performance indicators based on the second law of thermodynamics They can be used to weigh the irreversibility of different design schemes of heat exchangers. The heat transfer mechanism of four different STHXs is illustrated
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
