Which is more reliable, the heat exchanger results calculated using HTRI or those obtained through manual calculations?
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The equipment parameters of the heat exchanger calculated using HTRI differ significantly from those obtained through manual calculations; which calculation method is more reliable?
I read an article that said the methods used for manual calculations are too conservative, while the results obtained from HTRI calculations are more realistic
In principle, the results obtained using HTRI are quite accurate, but it is merely a tool – many of the data need to be selected manually. In some cases, the results generated by HTRI are not as accurate as those obtained through manual calculation, so it cannot be generalized.
That makes sense. It depends on who will use it, haha. In fact, whether it’s software or manual calculation, a lot of experience is involved in both
I agree that choosing the appropriate method for calculating experience values is very important. However, my mentor currently asks me to do the calculations manually, following the examples provided in the petrochemical design manuals. He says that once I have fully mastered every detail of manual calculation, then I can use software to carry out the calculations and compare the results.
HTRI is of course accurate. A heat exchanger cannot be deemed successful in just one attempt; whether using manual calculations or HTRI, there are multiple factors that need to be considered, as well as adjustments during the calculation process. For example, in terms of type, equipment diameter, tube diameter, tube length, and number of tube passes, when comparing under the same conditions, HTRI is definitely superior. It was also noted that newly graduated students all use HTRI for calculations, but the results obtained are amusingly absurd – those which should be slender end up looking fat; yet it was said, “The area and other values meet the requirements.”
I still believe in manual calculation; the computer is just a tool.
HTRI also requires you to enter parameters manually, just like when you write calculation formulas with a pen. Both are reliable, provided the calculations are accurate. It’s just that HTRI has a higher efficiency.