Performance Evaluation and Structure Optimization of a New Type of Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger with Embedded Louver Segmental Baffle Support

Xiao Yang, Rui Hu, Zheng Zhao, Yuanyuan Zhang and Yu Zhang ()
Additional contact information
Xiao Yang: School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Rui Hu: School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Zheng Zhao: School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Yuanyuan Zhang: School of Architecture and design, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Yu Zhang: School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 22, 1-20

Abstract: Noticing the low efficiency caused by fluid flow retention phenomena and the high pressure loss in the shell-and-tube heat exchanger with common segmental baffle, an embedded louver shell-and-tube heat exchanger is designed, and numerical simulation of fluid heat transfer and flow characteristics of this novel heat exchanger is carried out. Results reflect that the structure with embedded louvers can significantly reduce the area of the flow retention zone and increase the fluid disturbance on the leeward side of the baffle, making the pressure drop of the shell side fluid 20.5–21.3% lower and the heat transfer coefficient 8.75–16.4% higher. At the shell side fluid inlet, outlet, and middle section of the heat exchanger, the average fluid temperatures are 0.34 °C, 2.12 °C, and 3.08 °C higher, respectively, compared to those in the common segmental baffle shell-and-tube heat exchanger. On this basis, the influence of the louver geometrical parameters, including louver angle and louver length, on the performance is also analyzed. The comprehensive evaluation factor is proposed and applied to evaluate the improvement of heat exchangers with different design parameters. The results showed that the evaluation factor is higher when the louver angle is 60°. However, when the louver length increases from 1/7 to 1/3 of the distance between adjacent baffles, the evaluation factor is almost unchanged.

Keywords: segmental baffle; louver; heat transfer coefficient; evaluation factor; pressure drop (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: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/22/5971/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/22/5971/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:22:p:5971-:d:1793996

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Cassie Shen

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().