Issues with the refrigerant process layout in vertical coolers
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A vertical cooler, with the tubes arranged vertically; hot material flows through the tube side, entering at the bottom and exiting at the top. The refrigerant (circulating water) flows through the shell side. The hot and cold materials remain in a liquid state throughout the process, with no phase change. Is it better for the refrigerant to enter from above and exit from below, or to enter from below and exit from above? Is there that much difference between the two?
Heat exchange is better when the fluid enters from above in counterflow; entering from below is more in line with safety principles. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages – it depends on your process conditions. If it’s all liquid, it’s better to arrange it horizontally, as that solves all problems.
Heat enters from above and exits from below; currently, counterflow heat exchange is preferred as it results in a larger average temperature difference for heat exchange, which allows for a reduction in the required heat exchange area. Counterflow heat exchange is only used in cases where rapid cooling or heating is necessary
From the perspective of heat exchange, an arrangement with flow from top to bottom and exit from bottom is more effective. However, if it is a graphite heat exchanger installed at a high position, this arrangement is not suitable; instead, flow from bottom to top is safer for the equipment
If heat transfer efficiency is a concern for shell-and-tube exchangers, you can choose a spiral-wound heat exchanger based on the properties of the material involved; it offers high heat transfer efficiency, requires less installation space, and is less prone to scaling
In terms of heat transfer efficiency, under the same conditions, counterflow improves efficiency by about 20% compared to coflow