APPENDIX 
HEAT EXCHANGERS 
 
   

1 
 
 Typical overall heat transfer coefficients in tubular heat exchangers 

 
   

2 
 
 Typical overall heat transfer coefficients in 

 
3 
 
 Typical overall heat transfer coefficients in tubular heat exchangers (2) 

4 
 
 Typical overall heat transfer coefficients 

 
   
5 
 
Fouling factors 

 
   

6 
 
LMTD Method (Log Mean of Temperature Difference) 
F for any shell‐and‐tubes heat exchanger with 1 pass on shell and 2n 
passes on tubes (n=1,2,….): 

 1  S  

R 2  1 ln   
 1  RS  
F

 2  S R  1  R 2  1
      
 R  1 
ln 
 2  S R  1  R 2  1
     


F for any shell‐and‐tubes heat exchanger with 2 passes on shell and 4n 
passes on tubes (n=1,2,….): 

 1  S  
R
 1 ln 
2
 
 1  RS  
F
  2 1  S 1  RS  
2
S
 1 R  
 S
  2


R 1   
 
 R  1 ln 

 2 1  S 1  RS  
2
S
 1 R  
 S
  R 1  
2


  

   

7 
 
 F for any shell‐and‐tubes heat exchanger with 1 pass on shell and 2n 
passes on tubes (n=1,2,….): 

F for any shell‐and‐tubes heat exchanger with 2 pass on shell and 4n 
passes on tubes (n=1,2,….): 
8 
 
 F for any cross‐flow heat exchanger with 1 pass and both fluids unmixed 

F for any cross‐flow heat exchanger with 1 pass. One fluid unmixed, one 
fluid mixed. 

9 
 
Effectiveness-NTU Method

* Cr = c = Cmin/Cmax: Heat capacity ratio

10 
 
Effectiveness-NTU Method

 
 

11 
 
  

12 
 
 13 
 
 LMTD for double-tube heat exchanger design
Energy balance. Heat rate. LMTD

Choose geometric configuration:  Do, Di
If limits or 
restrictions are 
not  Calculate Dh
accomplished: 
4  Ac
Split the flow  Dh   (Do  Di )
or increase  P
diameters

No Velocity is adequate?

Yes
Calculate hi and ho and 
any other thermal 
resistances. Calculate U

Calculate A
q  U  A·Tm

Calculate the length (or number of passes for 
given length, NH)

Calculate pressure drop in tubes and annulus

Lt v t2 Pa L v2 v2
Pt  4f t  4f t a t  NH a
Di 2 a Dh 2 2

No P is adequate?

Yes
End

14 
 
 LMTD for shell-and-tubes heat exchanger design

(*) NOTE: F is always below 1, it is desirable to be larger tan 0.85, and it is

unacceptable to be lower than 0.75. If F  0.75, select a different type of heat
exchanger.

15 
 
Effectiveness-NTU Method
Heat exchanger design
1. Calculate  and Cr. Mass and energy balances.
2. Select a type of heat exchanger and calculate NTU*.
3. Assume a suitable value for Uassumed.
4. Calculate A.
5. Decide materials, tubes dimensions, number of tubes.
6. Calculate shell dimensions.
7. Estimate heat transfer coefficients for tubes and Shell
sides. Calculate U including fouling.
8. Compare Ucalc and Uassumed.
9. Estimate pressure drop.
10. Estimate cost.
11. Accept design.

*NTU 3 is not (economically) justified.

Heat exchanger performance

1. Calculate U.
2. Calculate NTU and Cr.
3. Calculate .
4. q = ·qmax
5. Calculate exit temperatures from energy balances.

16 
 
TEMA STANDARDS FOR HEAT EXCHANGERS

17 
 
TUBES
Standard diameters: most used is ¾ to 1 inch (clean fluids) and 1 to 1 ¼ inch
(dirty fluids).

BWG - Birmingham Wire Gauge – Define tube thickness.

Typical tube length: 6ft (1.83m), 8 ft (2.44 m), 12 ft (3.66m), 16ft (4.88m), 20
ft (7.32 m)

Typical tube disposition: (PT=1.25·do)

4(PT2 3 2  do2 8)
De 
do

Typical velocities for fluids in tubes:

• Water and similar fluids: 0.9 - 2.4 m/s (3 to 8 ft/s).
• Vapors: 10-30 m/s at atmospheric pressure, 50-70 m/s under vacuum,
and 5-10 m/s at high pressure.

18 
 
BWG tubing data for heat exchangers

19 
 
SHELL
Shell diameter:

1 Nt= Number of tubes
N  n
Db  d0  t  Db= Shell diameter, mm 
 K1  d0= Tubes external diameter, mm

* Number of TUBE passes

Baffle spacing: B= c∙Ds

Ds= Shell diameter; c: 0,2 – 1 (ranges 20-100% Ds)

Typical velocities for fluids in shell:

• Water and similar liquids: 0.6 - 1.5 m/s (2 to 5 ft/s).
• Vapors: 10-30 m/s at atmospheric pressure, 50-70 m/s under vacuum,
and 5-10 m/s at high pressure.

20 
 
PRESSURE DROP
Shell side: f= friction factor 
GS= Mass velocity in Shell (kg/m2s) 
 L  
f ·Gs2·  1  1·Ds Ds= Shell diameter (m) 
PS   B  
0.14 L= Shell length (m) 
  
2·De ··  De = Equivalent diameter (m) 
 S  B= Baffles spacing (m) 
f  exp 0.576  0.19·ln Res  = density   

Tube side

N p ·L
1
Pt  4f  v 2  N p ·L  1
Dt 2 Ptotal   4f  4N p   v 2
 Dt  2
1 Np: Number of passes in tube side
Pr  4Nr  v 2 Dt: Tube diameter
2 V: tube fluid velocity
L: Length of heat exchanger

f  1.58ln Re   3.28

2 4 6
10 <Re <5∙10

Pressure drop ranges:
Liquids:
Viscosity <1 mN.s/m2, P=35 kN/m2
Viscosity =1‐10 mN.s/m2, P=50‐70 kN/m2
Gases and vapors:
High vacuum: 0.4‐0.8 kN/m2
Medium vacuum: 0.1*(Absolute pressure)
1‐2 bar: 0.5*(gauge pressure)
>10 bar: 0.1*(gauge pressure)

21 
 
Plate heat exchangers
Plates:
Produced by pressing of plates for homogeneous thickness
Plate thickness: 0.5‐3 mm
Plate spacing: 1.5‐5 mm
Plate surface area: 0.03‐1.5 m2
Length/Width: 2‐3

Corrugated plates preferred:
Promote turbulence and heat transfer
Better mechanical resistance for pressure (Pmax: 20 bar)

Effective plate number: N=Ntotal‐2
Materials: Stainless steel, AISI 304, 316; aluminum, titanium, Ti‐Pd,
Inconel, Hastelloy, Diabon F100

Gaskets:
Double function:
Conduct liquids through exchanger
Close the exchanger

For each plate:
a) Main gasket for perimeter
b) Annular gasket for holes (liquid conduction)

Materials: 
Elastomers: nitrile rubber, EPDM, viton, neoprene
Natural rubber, synthetic rubber
High temperatures: Klingerit® (rubber‐asbestos, 250 ºC)

22 
 
Plate heat exchangers

To  Ti for Cmin Nu  0.26  Re 0.65

 Pr 0.4   
· 
0.14
Re  400
NTU   s 
Tlm

Ft = 0.95 for arrangement in series, either with parallel or counter-flow

Pressure drop:
 v p2 
Pressure drop in channels: Pp  8 jf Lp / Dequiv   
 2


 
j f  0.6·Re 0.3 (Turbulent flow )

 v pt
2 
Pressure drop in connections: Ppt  1.3   Np
 2 
   
Np  number of passes

23 
 
Process utilities
  Utility Typical temperature 
range, ºC 
Heating 
     
lps  Low pressure steam, 1‐ 2 bar 120‐135 
mps  Middle pressure steam, 6‐10 bar  162‐185 
hps  High pressure steam, 25‐40 bar  215‐250 
fo  Fuel oil   
fg  Fuel gas   
po  Diesel  315 ºC 
dt  Dowtherm  400 ºC 
Cooling 
bfw  Boiler feed water, boiling temperature   
ac  Water from dry‐coolers (aero‐ Cooled to 30‐35 ºC, 
condensers)  minimum T=5 ºC with air 
rw  River water  Cooled to 26 ºC in cooling 
towers, from 45ºC  
cw  Cold water  Cooled to 26ºC in cooling 
towers, from 50ºC 
cw  Cold water  7 to 32ºC 
rb  Refrigerated water  ‐17ºC to 10ºC 
pr  Refrigeration with propane ‐40 to ‐6ºC 

24