THERMOFLUIDS AND COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS

OF A SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3

Literature Review............................................................................................................................3

Technical Background.....................................................................................................................5

Comment about the project..............................................................................................................5

Methodology of Design...................................................................................................................6

Results..............................................................................................................................................7

3D Analysis.................................................................................................................................7

2D Analysis...............................................................................................................................10

Discussion......................................................................................................................................13

3D Analysis...............................................................................................................................13

2D Analysis...............................................................................................................................15

Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................16

Reference List................................................................................................................................17

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Introduction
One of the popular ways of transferring heat from one fluid to another is through the heat
exchanger with a shell and tubes. A tube bundle, wherein fluid flow is through inner tubes and
above them through outer tubes comprise cylindrical shell. Shell and tube heat exchangers are
widely used in many areas, such as, power generation, chemical processing, cooling, and air
conditioning systems, because they can move the heat very quickly and still keep the two fluids
separated. Several factors affect the performance of the shell and tube heat exchanger, including
flow rates, thermophysical properties, shape of the heat exchanger, presence of gaps or other
elements used to control the flow. However, to ensure efficient transfer of heat and energy
storage, these issues need to be dealt with and planned out.
In the study, a shell-and-tube heat exchanger was modeled using CFD. The purposes of the
research were to examine the heat movement, the temperature distribution, and the fluid flow
through the heat exchanger for different uses and designs. With the data from this test, there will
be improvements made to the way shell and tube heat exchangers are built and function, thus
increasing productivity and reducing costs.
Literature Review
According to author Bellahcene et al, 2021, a study will investigate how nanofluids and
scattering approach can be applied to a shell and tube heat exchanger in order to enhance its
performance. The objective of their experiment was to analyze how the application of these
methods can promote the rate of heat transfer and pressure drop within the heat exchanger.
In order to illustrate stream and heat motion inside the surface of heat exchanger, the authors
employed the CFD simulations. They tried different types of nanfluids which contained
nanoparticles of different materials (Al2O3, CuO, TiO2) and found that there was a suitable
amount of nanoparticles for water. Besides, it considered how heat exchanger operated with
different baffle designs such as segmental baffles and spiral baffles.
When the researchers compared the heat transfer rate of the nanofluids with plain water, they
realized that it was much faster. From the performed tests it is evident that the water-Al2O3
nano-fluid gives the best heat transfer among the ones we tested. The assembly was water-CuO
and water-TiO2 nanofluids, respectively. Along with the baffles in the shell-side flow path, the
spiral baffle design was found to be much more efficient in improving the heat transfer
performance than the segmental baffle design.

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According to author Perumal et al. 2022, investigate the impact of nanofluid on the
orchestration of heat transportation through tube-in-shell heat exchangers. The purpose of the
research was to establish whether the nanofluids can be employed to enhance the thermal
efficiency of the typical heat exchangers used in industries. Researchers applied CFD as a
method of conducting computer simulations of flow and convection in the shell and tube heat
exchanger. The company then considered various kinds of nanofluids like water-based
nanofluids with various amounts of Al2O3, CuO, and TiO2 nanoparticles.
According to the outcomes, nanofluids significantly sped up the process of heat transfer
compared to using the base fluid, which was pure water. The nanofluid created by mixing water
with Al2O3 showed the best heat transfer compared to the other fluids tested. This was the
strategy that was then reproduced using water-CuO and water-TiO2 nanofluids, respectively.
Nanofluids have better thermophysical properties, i.e., higher thermal conductivity and better
heat transfer characteristics at the solid-liquid contact, so they provide heat transfer
enhancement. The authors also came to the conclusion that a higher volume fraction of the
nanoparticles results in a more favorable heat transfer coefficient. Such a statement implies that
the component of nanofluid could be further improved to outperform the current performance.
On the other hand, the higher dosage of nanoparticles also resulted in higher fines, which were
responsible for a decrease of the system efficiency in general.
According to author Tuncer et al. 2021, examined the heat transfer effectiveness of the new
shell with the helical coil design using heat exchanger in this research. The purpose of this study
was to look into the possibility of adding helically coiled tubes to the shell of a standard shell and
tube heat exchanger. The authors implemented CFD studies (CFD) to create the prototype of the
proposed heat exchanger channel's flow and heat transfer characteristics. They determined how
well the spirally coiled technique performed against a straight shell and tube heat exchanger
under various operating conditions and scenarios.
The results demonstrated a superior heat transfer performance of the coiled helical tube
arrangement over the standard design. Turbulence was much higher due to the fact that spiral
coils caused more mixing of the fluid and better fluid mixing lead to higher convective heat
transfer rates. The spiral coil design also had an increase in the heat transfer surface area within
the same shell volume and this led to an improvement in thermal efficiency.

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Technical Background
The main advantage of this type of heat exchanger is its flexibility and versatility that’s why it’s
used in many companies. The heat exchanger consists of a cylindrical shell containing numerous
wrapped tubes. One fluid, known as the "tube-side fluid," is flowed through the tubes which
comprise the heat exchanger. The other liquid, which is referred to as "the shell-fluid", runs over
the tubes' outsides inside a shell.
There are two types of heat transfer in a shell and tube heat exchanger: convective heat transfer
of the fluids across the walls of the tube with no additional heat transfer through the tube itself.
The efficiency of any heat transfer process is influenced by many factors including heat transfer
rate, flow pattern of fluids, physical properties of the fluids, shape of the heat exchanger, and the
presence of flow control devices such as vents.
The baffles are an indispensable factor in the development of the heat exchangers of the shell and
tube type. They mostly, in the stream direction of fluid, installed on the shell side, have two tasks
to fulfill. Firstly, they hold the tube and try to let it be fixed so that they will keep from shaking
off caused by the eddies in the flow. Second and most important, they alter the angle of the fluid
flow on the shell side making the fluid flow over the tube bundle more than once. Thus, the
coefficient of convective heat transfer becomes larger.
The use of various types of baffles such as segmental baffles, spiral baffles, or disc-and-
doughnut baffles has been explored and applied to shell and tube heat exchanger designs. Every
baffle type has its upside as well as downside in smooth heat movement and low pressure. CFD
has turned out to be a powerful tool for studying and enhancing thermal performance of shell and
tube heat exchanges. CFD models can give you a lot of knowledge about the complicated flow
patterns, temperature ranges, and heat transfer processes inside these systems. CFD testing
allows to develop and upgrade heat exchangers by accurately modeling fluid flow and heat
transfer processes. The result of this is more effective energy saving and cheaper bills for the
future.
Comment about the project
This study is expected to utilize the CFD simulations to analyze in details the performance of a
shell and tube heat exchanger. The key purpose of the study is to check how the fluid flow
patterns, temperature profiles, and the heat transfer intensity change under different baffle
configurations. That is because of shell and tube heat exchangers’ resilient construction and

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adaptability, they are widely used in different industrial applications that involve multiple types
of working environment. On the other hand, in terms of energy efficiency and cost reduction, the
optimization of their performance is of utmost importance. Through governing the shell-sided
fluid stream and inducing turbulence and convection heat transfer coefficients, baffles function
to enhance heat transfer.
During the project, the models of the heat exchanger with the suitable geometrical parameters
and boundary conditions will be reproduced in the comprehensive computer environment. The
important point is to achieve reliable and accurate results, so there will be a close look into mesh
production and numerical precision.
The results of the study might be used to increase the collective knowledge of the complex
relations that prevail between baffle design, flow patterns and heat exchange between the shell
and the tube. By using this data, it can be feasible to develop heat exchanger designs that are
created for maximum energy efficiency, minimal cost of operation and enhanced environmental
sustainability.
Methodology of Design
The first part in the process was to use Ansys Spaceclaim software to develop a 3D geometric
model of the shell and tube heat exchanger. Model’s configuration included the shell diameter,
tube outer diameter, the shape of the tube bundles, and heat exchanger length.
The model was assembled geometrical, and then imported to ANSYS Fluent for meshing and
simulation preparation. For hydraulic domains I made the structured hexahedral grid; at the same
time, a special care was paid to the grid resolution in areas with a strong gradient and closer to
solid boundaries.
Some of the simulation models took conjugate heat transfer effects into account by defining fluid
flow and heat transfer problem within the shell and tube domains. The fluctuation of
temperatures, flow rates, heat transfer coefficients constituting the boundary conditions were
determined based on the problem statement and the main assumptions.
CFD is the most common analysis method used to study geometrical configurations, temperature
distributions, velocity profiles, and heat transfer rates. The post-process of simulation data
provided all the relevant information. At this point, it was then necessary to determine which
baffle design was the best for improving the shell and tube heat exchanger's heat transfer
efficiency by analyzing and comparing the data.

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Results
3D Analysis

Figure 1: Geometry
(Source: self-created in Ansys Workbench)

Figure 2: Mesh
(Source: self-created in Ansys Workbench)

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 Figure 3: Inlet and Outlet
(Source: self-created in Ansys Workbench)

Figure 4: Temperature Contour

(Source: self-created in Ansys Workbench)

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 Figure 5: Velocity Streamline
(Source: self-created in Ansys Workbench)

Figure 6: Rotational velocity

(Source: self-created in Ansys Workbench)

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 Figure 7: Pressure Gradient
(Source: self-created in Ansys Workbench)
2D Analysis

Figure 8: 2D geometry
(Source: Self-created in Ansys)

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 Figure 9: Mesh
(Source: Self-created in Ansys)

Figure 10: Axial direction streamline

(Source: Self-created in Ansys)

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 Figure 11: Pressure
(Source: Self-created in Ansys)

Figure 12: Velocity streamline

(Source: Self-created in Ansys)

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 Figure 13: Velocity streamline at the boundary
(Source: Self-created in Ansys)

Discussion
3D Analysis

Figure 14: Graph of mass and momentum

(Source: self-created in Ansys Workbench)

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 Figure 15: Heat Transfer
(Source: self-created in Ansys Workbench)

Figure 16: Turbulence

(Source: self-created in Ansys Workbench)

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2D Analysis

Figure 17: Moment and mass graph

(Source: Self-created in Ansys)

Figure 18: Heat transfer graph

(Source: Self-created in Ansys)

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 Figure 19: Turbulence graph
(Source: Self-created in Ansys)
Conclusion

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Reference List
Journals
Bellahcene, L., Sahel, D. and Yousfi, A. (2021) Numerical study of shell and tube heat
exchanger performance enhancement using nanofluids and baffling technique. Journal of
Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences, 80(2), pp.42-55.

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