Tutorial 7: Heat Exchangers

ENER 411: Heat and Mass Transfer

Department of Mechanical, Energy and Industrial Engineering

Botswana International University of Science and Technology

1. A double-pipe heat exchanger is constructed of a copper (k = 380W/m◦ C) inner tube of

internal diameter Di = 1.2 cm and external diameter Do = 1.6 cm and an outer tube of di-
ameter 3.0 cm. The convection heat transfer coefficient is reported to be hi = 700 W/m2 ◦ C
on the inner surface of the tube and ho = 1400 W/m2 ◦ C on its outer surface. For a fouling
factor Rf,i = 0.0005 m2 ◦ C/W on the tube side and Rf,o = 0.0002 m2 ◦ C/W on the shell
side, determine (a) the thermal resistance of the heat exchanger per unit length and (b)
the overall heat transfer coefficients Ui and Uo based on the inner and outer surface areas
of the tube, respectively (0.0837 ◦ C/W ; 317 W/m2◦ C; 238 W/m2◦ C)

2. Ethylene glycol is heated from 20◦ C to 40◦ C at a rate of 1.0 kg/s in a horizontal copper
tube (k = 386 W/mK) with an inner diameter of 2.0 cm and an outer diameter of 2.5 cm. A
saturated vapor (Tg = 110◦ C) condenses on the outside-tube surface with the heat transfer
coefficient (in kW/m2 K) given by 9.2/(Tg − Tw )0.25 , where Tw is the average outside-tube
wall temperature. What tube length must be used? Take the properties of ethylene glycol
to be ρ = 1109 kg/m3 , cp = 2428 kJ/kg.K, k = 0.253 W/m.K, µ = 0.01545 kg/ms, and Pr=
148.5. (7.63 m)

3. A double-pipe parallel-flow heat exchanger is used to heat cold tap water with hot water.
Hot water (cp = 4.25 kJ/kg.K) enters the tube at 85◦ C at a rate of 1.4 kg/s and leaves
at 50◦ C. The heat exchanger is not well insulated, and it is estimated that 3 percent of
the heat given up by the hot fluid is lost from the heat exchanger. If the overall heat
transfer coefficient and the surface area of the heat exchanger are 1150 W/m2 K and 4
m2 , respectively, determine the rate of heat transfer to the cold water and the log mean
temperature difference for this heat exchanger. (202.0 kW)

4. A stream of hydrocarbon (cp =2.2 kJ/kg·K) is cooled at a rate of 720 kg/h from 150 to 40◦ C
in the tube side of a double-pipe counter-flow heat exchanger. Water (cp =4.18 kJ/kg·K)
enters the heat exchanger at 10◦ C at a rate of 540 kg/h. The outside diameter of the inner
tube is 2.5 cm, and its length is 6.0 m. Calculate the overall heat transfer coefficient.
(2.31 kW/m2 .K)

5. A shell-and-tube heat exchanger is used for heating 10 kg/s of oil (cp =2.0 kJ/kg·K) from
25 to 46◦ C. The heat exchanger has 1-shell pass and 6-tube passes. Water enters the shell
side at 80◦ C and leaves at 60◦ C. The overall heat transfer coefficient is estimated to be
1000 W/m2 ·K. Calculate the rate of heat transfer and the heat transfer area.
(420 kW; 13.0 m2 )
 6. 6The radiator in an automobile is a cross-flow heat exchanger (UAs = 10 kW/K) that uses
air (cp = 1.00 kJ/kg·K) to cool the engine-coolant fluid (cp = 4.00 kJ/kg·K). The engine fan
draws 30◦ C air through this radiator at a rate of 10 kg/s while the coolant pump circulates
the engine coolant at a rate of 5 kg/s. The coolant enters this radiator at 80◦ C. Under these
conditions, the effectiveness of the radiator is 0.4. Determine (a) the outlet temperature of
the air and (b) the rate of heat transfer between the two fluids. (200 kW)

7. Cold water (cp =4.18 kJ/kg◦ C) enters a cross-flow heat exchanger at 14◦ C at a rate of 0.35
kg/s where it is heated by hot air (cp = 1.0 kJ/kgK) that enters the heat exchanger at
65◦ C at a rate of 0.8 kg/s and leaves at 25◦ C. Determine the maximum outlet temperature
of the cold water and the effectiveness of this heat exchanger. (42.9◦ C; 0.784)

8. Water from a lake is used as the cooling agent in a power plant. To achieve condensation
of 2.5 kg/s of steam exiting the turbine, a shell-and-tube heat exchanger is used, which has
a single shell and 300 thin-walled, 25-mm-diameter tubes, each tube making two passes.
Steam flows through the shell, while cooling water flows through the tubes. Steam enters as
saturated vapor at 60◦ C and leaves as saturated liquid. Cooling water at 20◦ C is available
at a rate of 200 kg/s. The convection coefficient at the outer surface of the tubes is 8500
W/m2 ·K. Determine (a) the temperature of the cooling water leaving the condenser and
(b) the required tube length per pass. (Use the following average properties for water: cp
= 4180 J/kg·K, µ = 8.0 × 10−4 N s/m2 , k = 0.6 W/m·K, Pr = 6). (27.1◦ C, 1.01 m)

9. Air (cp = 1005 J/kg.K) enters a cross-flow heat exchanger at 20◦ C at a rate of 3 kg/s, where
it is heated by a hot water stream (cp = 4190 J/kg.K) that enters the heat exchanger at 70◦ C
at a rate of 1 kg/s. Determine the maximum heat transfer rate and the outlet temperatures
of both fluids for that case. (150.8 kW, 70◦ C; 34.0◦ C)

10. Hot oil (cp= 2200 J/kg.K) is to be cooled by water (cp = 4180 J/kg.K) in a 2-shell-passes
and 12-tube-passes heat exchanger. The tubes are thin-walled and are made of copper with
a diameter of 1.8 cm. The length of each tube pass in the heat exchanger is 3 m, and the
overall heat transfer coefficient is 340 W/m2 .K. Water flows through the tubes at a total
rate of 0.1 kg/s, and the oil through the shell at a rate of 0.2 kg/s. The water and the oil
enter at temperatures 18◦ C and 160◦ C, respectively. Determine the rate of heat transfer in
the heat exchanger and the outlet temperatures of the water and the oil.
(36.2 kW, 104.6◦ C, 77.7◦ C)

11. Consider an oil-to-oil double-pipe heat exchanger whose flow arrangement is not known.
The temperature measurements indicate that the cold oil enters at 20◦ C and leaves at 55◦ C,
while the hot oil enters at 80◦ C and leaves at 45◦ C. Do you think this is a parallel-flow
or counter-flow heat exchanger? Why? Assuming the mass flow rates of both fluids to be
identical, determine the effectiveness of this heat exchanger. (0.583)

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