Physical Dimensions as a Design Objective in Heat Transfer Equipment: The Case of Plate and Fin Heat Exchangers

Jorge García-Castillo and Martín Picón-Núñez
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Jorge García-Castillo: Department of Environmental Sciences, Division of Life Sciences, University of Guanajuato, El Copal km 9, Irapuato 36500, Mexico
Martín Picón-Núñez: Department of Chemical Engineering, Division of Natural and Exact Sciences, University of Guanajuato, Noria Alta S/N, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: To incorporate exchanger dimensions as a design objective in plate and fin heat exchangers, a variable that must be taken into consideration is the geometry of the finned surfaces to be used. In this work, a methodology to find the surface geometry that will produce the required heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop to achieve the design targets was developed. The geometry of secondary surfaces can be specified by the fin density, which represents the number of fins per unit length. All other geometrical features, as well as the thermo-hydraulic performance, can be derived from this parameter. This work showed the way finned surfaces are engineered employing generalised thermo-hydraulic correlations as a part of a design methodology. It also showed that there was a volume space referred to as volume design region (VDR) where heat duty, pressure drop, and dimensions could simultaneously be met. Such a volume design region was problem- and surface-specific; therefore, its limits were determined by the heat duty, the pressure drop, and the type of finned surface chosen in the design. The application of this methodology to a case study showed that a shell and tube heat exchanger of 227.4 m 2 , with the appropriate fin density using offset strip-fins, could be replaced by a plate and fin exchanger with any combination of height, width, and length in the ranges of 0–0.58 m, 0–0.58 m, and 0–3.59 m. The approach presented in this work indicated that heat exchanger dimensions could be fixed as a design objective, and they could effectively be achieved through surface design.

Keywords: volume design region; plate and fin heat exchangers; secondary surfaces; thermo-hydraulic model; surface engineering; exchanger volume (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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