Shell side vs. tube side fluid selection
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Design of the oil heat exchanger for crude oil products in atmospheric and vacuum distillation units: How should the tubeside and shellside streams for the crude oil and product oil be selected? Does anyone have any suggestions? Here are the conditions provided by the instructor. Process calculation: Product inlet temperature 171°C, outlet temperature 125°C, flow rate: 37,700 kg/h, operating pressure 1.4 MPa ； The inlet temperature of the crude oil is 110°C, the outlet temperature is 143°C, and the operating pressure is 2.1 MPa. Product oil: density ρ1=800kg/m3, specific heat capacity cp1=2.14kj/（kg℃），viscosity μ1=0.000725Pas, thermal conductivity λ1=0.15w/（m℃） ； Crude oil: density ρ1=855kg/m3, specific heat capacity cp1=2.4kj/（kg℃），viscosity μ1=0.00377Pas, thermal conductivity λ1=0.14w/（m℃）
The shell side is used for easy cleaning, while the tube side is used for areas that are difficult to clean.
For the product oil I selected, it flows through the tube side, while the crude oil flows through the shell side; the crude oil has high viscosity and is difficult to clean.