Installation design issues regarding the orientation of the tube ends in spiral heat exchangers
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For the spiral heat exchanger of type I that I’m using, the pipe connections are installed in a certain manner. According to the principles of chemical engineering, the hot fluid should flow from the center of the heat exchanger toward the sides, while the cold fluid should flow from the sides toward the center. However, the heat exchanger manufacturers say that it’s also acceptable for the cold fluid to flow from the center toward the sides and the hot fluid to flow from the sides toward the center; either approach is fine. So, does what’s stated in the principles of chemical engineering hold true, or are both methods acceptable?
Either one should work; it’s just that the heat exchange efficiency will differ, but the impact is likely to be minimal
From a operational perspective, there is no significant impact; flow in either direction is counterflow, and this has little effect on the heat transfer coefficient. However, in terms of energy savings and reducing heat consumption, what is stated in chemical engineering principles holds true: heat loss occurs at a much higher rate when hot fluid flows on the outside compared to when cold fluid flows there. This is similar to the situation in plate heat exchangers where both the first and last flow channels are filled with cold fluid.
Design requirements calculated based on the manufacturing process. Otherwise, the original design requirements cannot be met