Shell-and-tube heat exchangers are the most common type of heat exchangers in oil refineries and other large chemical processes. In this manuscript, we demonstrate that the shell-side flow in a cylindrical shell was not as homogeneous as that in a rectangular shell. According to the periodic flow field and the arrangement of tubes in the rectangular shell, the solid-fluid coupling heat transfer model consisting of a single tube section and the outer and inner fluids was developed to represent the whole heat exchanger. Using this model, the relationship among four temperatures, namely the inlet and outlet temperatures of tube-side fluid and the upstream and downstream temperatures of shell-side fluid, was established. By dividing each tube into several tube sections at the sites of baffles, a method for predicting the temperature field of the rectangular shell-and-tube heat exchanger was proposed. Based on the node temperature correlation, all the node temperatures were obtained by iterative computation using the established relationship between the four temperatures and the operating conditions. It was found that the temperature distribution of the fluid in tube was approximately linear along axial direction, but the temperature of tube showed nonlinear regularity. The axial deformation compatibility condition for the tube bundle and shell was considered when resolving the stresses in tubes. For the model established in this paper, the mean temperature of the tube at lower position was found to be larger than that at higher position; hence the thermal expansion of the tube at the lower end is larger. In the case the tube-side fluid was heated, all tubes were pulled because of the larger axial thermal expansion of shell, and the stress in the tube with higher temperature is smaller because of the smaller strain.

References

1.
Jin
,
W. Y.
,
Gao
,
Z. L.
,
Liang
,
L. H.
,
Zheng
,
J. S.
, and
Zhang
,
K. D.
,
2004
, “
Comparison of Two FEA Models for Calculating Stresses in Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger
,”
Int. J. Pressure Vessels Piping
,
81
, pp.
563
567
.10.1016/j.ijpvp.2004.02.003
2.
Yasar
, I
.
,
2004
, “
Finite Element Model for Thermal Analysis of Ceramic Heat Exchanger Tube Under Axial Non-Uniform Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient
,”
Mater. Des.
,
25
, pp.
479
482
.10.1016/j.matdes.2004.01.004
3.
Li
,
Y.
,
Jiang
,
X. M.
,
Huang
,
X. Y.
,
Jia
,
J. G.
, and
Tong
,
J. H.
,
2010
, “
Optimization of High-Pressure Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger for Syngas Cooling in an IGCC
,”
Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer
,
53
, pp.
4543
4551
.10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2010.04.038
4.
Li
,
H. S.
, and
Mei
,
C.
,
2005
, “
Thermal Stress in SiC Element Used in Heat Exchanger
,”
J. Cent. South Univ. Technol.
,
12
, pp.
709
713
.10.1007/s11771-005-0074-1
5.
Peng
,
J.
,
Yu
,
E. L.
, and
Jiang
,
W.
,
2007
, “
Numerical Simulation of a Three-Dimensional Velocity Field Coupled With a Temperature Field for the Heat Exchange Process in a Spirally Grooved Tube
,”
J. Eng. Therm. Energy Power
,
22
, pp.
395
398
. (in Chinese)
6.
Ender
,
O.
, and
Ilker
,
T.
,
2010
, “
Shell Side CFD Analysis of a Small Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger
,”
Energy Convers. Manage.
,
51
, pp.
1004
1014
.10.1016/j.enconman.2009.12.003
7.
Zhang
,
J. F.
,
He
,
Y. L.
, and
Tao
,
W. Q.
,
2009
, “
3D Numerical Simulation on Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers With Middle-Overlapped Helical Baffles and Continuous Baffles-Part I: Numerical Model and Results of Whole Heat Exchanger With Middle Overlapped Helical Baffles
,”
Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer
,
52
, pp.
5371
5380
.10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2009.07.006
8.
Masters
,
J. S.
,
2007
, “
Optimization and Thermal Stress Analysis of an Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Heat Exchanger
,”
Collection of Technical Papers-43rd AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference
,
Cincinnati, OH
,
4
, pp.
3195
3205
.
9.
Belyayev
,
N. M.
,
Zavelion
,
V. I.
, and
Ryadno
,
A. A.
,
1984
, “
Thermal Stresses in Heat-exchanger Components of Complex Shape
,”
Heat Transfer-Sov. Res.
,
16
, pp.
126
129
.
10.
Picard
,
F.
,
Averous
,
D.
,
Joulia
,
X.
, and
Barreteau
,
D.
,
2006
, “
Modelling and Dynamic Simulation of Thermal Stresses in Brazed Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger
,”
16th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering and 9th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering, Garmisch-Partenkirchen
,
Germany
, pp.
659
664
.
11.
Long
,
H.
,
Yu
,
Y. J.
, and
Feng
,
Z. Q.
,
2009
, “
Three-Dimensional Temperature Field Simulation of Ground Heat Exchangers With Groundwater Flow
,”
Proceedings-6th International Symposium on Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning
,
ISHVAC Nanjing, China
, pp.
716
723
.
12.
Li
,
X. Y.
,
Huang
,
F. L.
,
Qian
,
S. W.
,
Cen
,
H. Z.
, and
Wu
,
Z. Q.
,
1994
, “
Analysis of the Temperature and Stress Fields in Multiple-Pass Heat Exchanger Allotype Tubesheet
,”
Int. J. Pressure Vessels Piping
,
270
, pp.
105
111
.
13.
Bielski
,
S.
, and
Malinowski
,
L.
,
2005
, “
An Analytical Method for Determining Transient Temperature Field in a Parallel-Flow Three-Fluid Heat Exchanger
,”
Int. Commun. Heat Mass Transfer
,
32
, pp.
1034
1044
.10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2004.10.031
14.
Malinowski
,
L.
, and
Bielski
,
S.
,
2004
, “
An Analytical Method for Calculation of Transient Temperature Field in the Counter-Flow Heat Exchangers
,”
Int. Commun. Heat Mass Transfer
,
31
, pp.
683
691
.10.1016/S0735-1933(04)00055-7
15.
Yang
,
Y. T.
, and
Hwang
,
M. L.
,
2009
, “
Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics in Heat Exchangers Fitted With Porous Media
,”
Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer
,
52
, pp.
2956
2965
.10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2009.02.024
You do not currently have access to this content.