What are the flow velocity limits for crossflow and windows in heat exchanger design?
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Could some expert advise me: what are the allowable flow rate ranges for crossflow and windows in heat exchanger design? Or provide a reference, thank you
I couldn’t find an answer to the poster’s question, but I believe that for a good design of a heat exchanger, the flow rate limits for crossflow and windows are not that important (of course, this is on the condition that the pressure drop does not exceed the allowable value). What matters is the fraction of crossflow in each stream of flow. I have here the flow fractions for different flow paths on the shell side, as summarized by a predecessor based on experimental data: Flow path, Turbulent, Laminar, Crossflow B – 30~65%, 10~50%; Tube-sheet leakage flow A – 9~23%, 0~10%; Bundle-shell bypass flow C – 15~35%, 30~80%; Plate-shell leakage flow E – 6~21%, 6~48%. Flow paths B (i.e., crossflow), A, and C combine to form the “window” region; I believe that if the design meets the ranges specified above, it should be sufficient. Last edited by Houfei Benniao on 2009-4-3 22:44
In our company, a ratio of crossflow to windows flow within 1:2 is generally considered acceptable. 1:1 would be best. We mainly deal with liquid-liquid heat exchange; I’m not very familiar with gases