Estimation of the Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient in Plate Heat

Exchanger

Data for heat exchanger:

Width of plate..................................................
Width of channel..............................................
Number of channels per stram..........................
Cross sectional area of each channel.................
Equivalent hydraulic diameter of each channel....
Thickness of plate............................................

b 0.215m
w 3mm
n 3
a b w
de 6mm
x 0.5mm
1

Thermal conductivity.........................................

kw 17W m
2

Area of each plate............................................

Number of plates..............................................

Data collected in the laboratory:

10
20

data 30
40

50

32.4 13.9

31.4 13.55 24.65

30.8 13.9

26.4

29.4 13.7

27.1

28.4 13.4

27.35

Flow rate:

Temperatures:

23.3

42.1

42.3
42.15

42.25
41.7

Cold stream........

0
1
Vc data L min

Hot stream.........

Vh Vc

Ap 0.12m
N 5

Hot in...........................

4
Thi data C

Hot out.........................

3
Tho data C

Cold in.........................

2
Tci data C

Cold out.......................

1
Tco data C

Mean hot stream temperatures......

305.65
306.525

Thi Tho
Tmh
307.5 K
2
307.775

307.95

Mean cold stream temperatures....

296.3
295.625

Tci Tco
Tmc
295.5 K
2
294.7

294.05

Estimation of Physical Property Data for Hot Stream

Removing the unit to enable the interpolation and cubic spline fit functions
to operate
Tmh

Tmh
1K

The following matrix contains the data for water taken from Rogers and Mayhew
Thermodynamics Tables, where the column 0 is Temperature (K), column 1 is Specific Volume
(10-2 m3 /kg), column 2 is Specific Heat (kJ/kg.K), column 3 is Viscosity (10-3 kg/m.s) and the
column 4 is Thermal Conductivity (10-3 kW/m.K)

 278.15
283.15
288.15
293.15

298.15
303.15

308.15
313.15
318.15

323.15
properties
328.15
333.15

338.15
343.15

348.15
353.15
358.15

363.15
368.15
373.15

0.10001 4.204 1.501 0.578

0.10003 4.193
0.1001

1.3

0.587

4.186 1.1136 0.595

0.611
0.618

0.625

0.632
0.638

0.643
0.648

0.653

0.658
0.662

0.666

0.67
0.673

0.676
0.678

0.681

0.10018 4.183 1.002 0.603

0.1003

4.181

0.89

0.10044 4.179 0.797

0.1006

4.178 0.718

0.10079 4.179 0.651

0.10099 4.181 0.594
0.1012

4.182 0.544

0.1015

4.183 0.501

0.1017

4.185 0.463

0.102

4.188

0.43

0.1023

4.191

0.4

0.1026

4.194 0.374

0.1029

4.198 0.351

0.1032

4.203

0.1036

4.208 0.311

0.104

4.213 0.294

0.1044

4.219 0.279

0.33

Convertin the columns of the properties matrix into vectors:

0
Temp properties
1
v properties
2
cp properties
3
properties
4
k properties

Fitting a cubic spline to the relationship of each property with temperature

S1 cspline( Temp v )
S2 cspline( Temp cp)
S3 cspline( Temp )

S4 cspline( Temp k )
Interpolation function:
f ( x ) interp( S1 Temp v x )
g ( x ) interp( S2 Temp cp x )
h ( x ) interp( S3 Temp x )
j ( x ) interp( S4 Temp k x )
kJ 1000J

Determining each property at the mean hot temperature

1.005

1.005
3

m
2
vh f ( Tmh)
10 1.006
kg

1.006
1.006
4.178

4.178
kJ
cph g ( Tmh)
4.178
kg K

4.178
4.178

3
10
3
3 m
10
kg
3
10

3
10

10

3
10
2
3 m
10
2
K s
3
10

3
10

10

7.561

7.424
kg
3
h h ( Tmh)
10 7.276
m sec

7.235
7.209

4
10
4 kg
10
m s
4
10

4
10

10

 6.215

6.227
kW
3
kh j ( Tmh)
10 6.241
m K

6.245

6.247

1
10
1 m kg
10
0
3 10
1 K s
10

1
10

10

994.861
994.581

kg
1
h
994.258
vh
994.165 m3

994.105

Calculation of the individual film transfer coefficients for hot and cold
streams
Data for hot water
Total mass flow rate:

Vh
mh
vh
Mass flow rate per unit channel cross sectional area:

mh
Gh

n a
Reynolds number:

flow velocity..................................... uh ( vh Gh)

Reynolds:

 679.963

1.385 103

( uh de)
3
Reh

2.119
10

( vh h)
3
2.84 10

3
3.563 10
Prandtl number:

Nussel number:

5.084
4.982

cph
Prh h
4.871
kh

4.841

4.822

Nuh 0.26 Reh

0.65

0.4

Prh

Finally, the hot side film transfer coefficient hh can be calculated from:

3.58 103

5.648 10
kg
kh
hh Nuh 7.397 103

3
de

K s

3
8.933 10
1.034 104

Estimation of Physical Property Data for Cold Stream

Removing the unit to enable the interpolation and cubic spline fit functions
to operate
Tmc

Tmc
1K

Determining each property at the mean cold temperature

 1.003

1.002
3

m
2
vc f ( Tmc)
10 1.002
kg

1.002

1.002
4.182

4.182
kJ
cpc g ( Tmc)
4.182
kg K

4.182
4.183

3
10
3
3 m
10
kg
3
10

3
10
10

3
10
2
3 m
10
2
K s
3
10

3
10
10

9.312 10 4

4
9.468 10
kg
kg
3
c h ( Tmc)
10 9.496 10 4
m s
m sec

4
9.68 10
9.825 10 4
6.081 10 1

6.07 10

m kg
kW
3

1
kc j ( Tmc)
10 6.068 10
3100
m K

1 K s
6.055 10
6.045 10 1
997.489
997.656

kg
1
c
997.686
vc
997.874 m3

998.018

Data for cold water

Total mass flow rate:

Vc
mc
vc
Mass flow rate per unit channel cross sectional area:

mc
Gc

n a

0.086
0.172
m

flow velocity..................................... uc ( vc Gc) 0.258

0.345 s
Reynolds:

0.431
553.562

1.089 103

( uc de)
3
Rec

1.629
10

( vc c)
3
2.131 10

3
2.625 10

Reynolds number:

Prandtl number:

Nussel number:

6.404
6.522

cpc
6.545
Prc c

kc
6.686

6.799

0.65

Nuc 0.26 Rec

0.4

Prc

Finally, the cold side film transfer coefficient hc can be calculated from:

 3.361 103

5.247 10
kg
kc
hc Nuc 6.823 103

3
de

8.177 103 K s

9.41 103
Calculation of the overall heat transfer coefficient U
1.649

2.519
1

Ucor
3.214
1
x
1

hh hc kw 3.793

4.303

3
10
3 kg
10
3
K s
3
10

3
10
10

Now, let's calculate the experimental value of the overall heat transfer coefficient Uexp :

Heat load for cold stream:

1.286

2.482

Qc [ mc cpc ( Tco Tci) ] 3.526

4.368
5.218
Heat load for hot stream:

4
10
4
10 W
4
10

4
10

10

 1.275

2.417

Qh [ mh cph ( Thi Tho) ] 3.302

4.167

5.157

4
10
4
10 W
4
10

4
10

10

Area for heat exchange:

2

A N Ap 0.6 m

Mean temperature difference:

9.35
10.899

( Thi Tco) ( Tho Tci)

11.993 K
Thi Tco
13.072
ln

Tho Tci

13.9
Experimentally determined U for both hot and cold streams:

2.293 103

3.796 10
Qc
kg
Uc
4.9 103 3
A
K s

3
5.569 10

6.257 103
2.272

3.696
Qh
Uh
4.589
A
5.313

6.184

3
10
3 kg
10
3
K s
3
10

3
10

10

Graphs of Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient versus Flow Rate (U x V)

3

7 10

6 10

Ucor
Uc

5 10

4 10

Uh
3

3 10

2 10

1 10

2 10

4 10

6 10
Vc

Units:
Overall Heat Thansfer Coefficient.............. [kg/K.s 3 ]
Flow Rate...............................................[m3 /s]

8 10

1 10