Discussion on the design of heat exchangers for materials undergoing phase changes
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There was a case where the medium on the hot side did not undergo phase change (from 120 degrees to 40 degrees), while the medium on the cold side did undergo phase change (from 5 degrees to 45 degrees, with a vaporization rate of around 10%). Now it is necessary to design a heat exchanger. Should a medium with a phase transition be placed in the tube side or the shell side? Why?
For conventional shell-and-tube heat exchangers, there are no strict requirements regarding the flow path in the tubes or the shell. In the case of a horizontal design, a kettle-type configuration can be chosen, with the phase-changing medium flowing through the shell； If a vertical configuration is chosen, such as for a reboiler, the phase-changing medium flows through the tube side.
Either the tube side or the shell side can be used; the key is to take into comprehensive consideration factors such as process requirements, flow rate and velocity, purity of the medium, pressure and temperature, as well as structural aspects, and to determine the appropriate option after performing heat exchange calculations. @wiseboy @gjyzb