Heat exchanger efficiency issues

That’s a really stupid question to ask. Aren’t you in technology for emotional matters? Everyone only knows a little about it. The plate-fin type is efficient, with an efficiency of over 95%, but it’s not a solution for everything either

What, \"That’s a really stupid question.\" Was there no one to conduct tests? Or any technical standards? Just because you don’t know something doesn’t mean there are no experts out there

The friend on the second floor really used too harsh words. The purpose of coming to a forum is to communicate and discuss, as well as to meet friends in the industry. Firstly, for the author to pose this question, it is necessary to have a conceptual understanding of what \"efficiency\" means. In the case of heat exchangers, the efficiency is typically compared using three criteria: identical mass flow rate, identical pump power, and identical pressure drop. In practice, when aiming to produce more output, it is necessary to consider the allowable pressure drop of the process materials; under the same operating conditions, the comparison of the heat transfer coefficients of different types of heat exchangers reveals the difference in efficiency. Therefore, it is unscientific to speak generally about the efficiency levels of different heat exchangers. It’s not true either that plate-fin heat exchangers have the highest efficiency, as suggested by the friend in the second floor comment. Although they do have advantages over tubular heat exchangers in terms of contact area, under certain operating conditions, plate-fin heat exchangers fail to achieve high efficiency; taking into account factors such as process design and actual installation, they are even inferior to tubular heat exchangers. After all, current enhanced heat exchangers are designed with an emphasis on enhancing turbulence; therefore, the energy loss of such heat exchangers must remain within acceptable limits – the lower, the better – and a comprehensive consideration is necessary.

In the NTU method, the heat transfer efficiency is generally defined as the actual amount of heat transferred divided by the maximum possible amount of heat transfer, and it needs to be calculated based on the actual operating conditions and the type of heat exchanger used

What was said on the 5th floor is conceptual and relatively accurate, while what the friend on the 4th floor mentioned concerns the cost-effectiveness of various heat exchangers under different operating conditions, which is more practical in nature.

Thank you all! :) :victory: