Comparison of heat exchange materials for heat exchanger cores
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There is a heat exchanger used to heat nitrogen with steam; the nitrogen flows through the shell side while the steam flows through the tube side. The steam temperature ranges from 190 to 230 degrees Celsius, and the pressure is between 0.4 and 0.6 Mpa. The core of this heat exchanger can be made of grade 10 steel or 316L – what is the difference in their heat exchange efficiency? The size of the cores is the same.
With all other conditions remaining constant, the difference between the two lies in the thermal conductivity of the metals. At 200 degrees, the thermal conductivity of 10 steel is approximately 48.6 W/(m·°C), while that of 316L is around 17.3 W/(m·°C). When the heat transfer formula is applied, the heat transfer coefficient will decrease to some extent, but the impact will not be significant.