Why is the heat transfer coefficient on the shell side higher than that on the tube side for a given pressure drop?
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There is a sentence in the widely circulated document titled “TEMA Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Design Principles.pdf” that I don’t understand; I would appreciate an explanation: “For a given pressure drop, the heat transfer coefficient on the shell side is higher than that on the tube side.” ”
Go and ask in the process area; their fundamental knowledge is much more solid than that of those who work with equipment
This sentence must have other premises; it depends on the context.
The premise should be a regular shell-and-tube heat exchanger, right?
“For a given pressure drop, the heat transfer coefficient on the shell side is higher than that on the tube side. ” Upon careful consideration, \"given a specific pressure drop\" does indeed mean the same flow rate. With the flow rate constant, the fluid flowing in the shell side experiences higher turbulence due to the influence of baffle plates, which results in a higher heat transfer coefficient on the shell side compared to the tube side. I also encourage everyone to participate actively in the discussion.
That makes a lot of sense! The correct interpretation needs further confirmation!
“For a given pressure drop, the heat transfer coefficient on the shell side is higher than that on the tube side. ” This statement relies on several prerequisites: firstly, the flow streams on the tube side and the shell side must be similar in phase and properties. Imagine if the fluid on the tube side is water while that on the shell side is heavy oil – in such a case, the heat transfer coefficient on the shell side can never be higher than that on the tube side ； Furthermore, the so-called specified pressure drop should refer to a situation where both the pressure drops on the tube side and the shell side are within acceptable ranges. In this case, as mentioned on floor 5, due to the presence of the tube bundle on the shell side, the turbulence level of the fluid there is much greater than that of the fluid inside the tubes, which means that the heat transfer coefficient on the shell side will be higher.