Traditional Plate Exchanger Calculation

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TRADITIONAL PLATE EXCHANGER CALCULATION Number of plates Plate Length Plate Width Plate Thickness Hot and Cold gap Hot water temperature Cold water temperature Hot and Cold fluid mass flow Hot and Cold fouling resistance Plate metal conductivity 100 (101) 8.000 0.500 0.002 0.008 353.15 293.15 400.0 0.00005 50 [-] [m] [m] [m] [m] [K] [K] [kg/s] [m2W/K] [W/m/K]

Water properties are taken at average temperatures. As the hot and cold inlet temperatures are 80 and 20 degrees Centigrade, respectively, the average temperature is 50 degree C. The film correction for the heat transfer coefficient is neglected for the hand calculation. It is small and of opposite influence at each process side. Heat exchanging Area Nr of hot and cold channels A_flow/channel Channel Circumference Hydraulic Diameter Flow Area per fluid Fluid Mass Velocity Water viscosity @ 50 deg.C Water conductivity @ 50 deg C Reynolds Prandtl water @ 50 deg C Hot & Cold heat transfer coefficient Plate resistance / m2 Total heat transfer resistance / m2 A_hx = 8.000 * 0.500 * 100 = 400 N_ch = 50 A_fch = 0.008 * 0.5 = 0.004 C_fch = 2 * (0.008 + 0.5) = 1.016 D_hyd = 4 * A_fch / C_fch = 0.015748 A_flow = N_ch * A_fch = 0.2 G = M_flow / A_flow = 400.0 / 0.2 = 2000.0 u_w = 0.000525 k_w = 0.6435 Re = G * D / u_w = 59993 Pr = 3.555 U_w = 0.023 * k_w/D_hydr * Re^0.8 * Pr^0.4 =10372 R_pl = thickness/cond = 0.002 / 50 = 0.00004 R_t = 2/U_w + 2 * R_foul + R_pl = R_t = 2/10372 + 2*0.00005 + 0.00004 = 0.0003328 U_oa = 1 / R_t = 3004.6 [m2] [-] [m2] [m] [m] [m2] [kg/m2/s] [Pa.s] [W/m/K] [-] [-] [W/m2/K] [m2W/K] [m2W/K] [W/m2/K]

Overall Heat transfer Coefficient

Now, the overall heat transfer coefficient is calculated. We have the following equations: Q_transferred = delta_T_mean * U_oa * A_hx Q_fluid = delta_T_fluid * M_flow * Cp_fluid (eq.1) (eq.2)

Because the fluid and the fluid mass flow are identical on both sides, delta_T_mean equals the initial temperature difference (ITD=T_hot,in-T_cold,in) minus the delta_T_fluid, or:

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Traditional Plate Exchanger Calculation

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delta_T_mean = ITD - delta_T_fluid Inserting this into (eq.1), equating (eq.1) and (eq.2), we get: (ITD - delta_T_fluid) * U_oa * A_hx = delta_T_fluid * M_flow * Cp_fluid Solving for delta_T_fluid : delta_T_fluid = ITD * U_oa*A_hx / (U_oa*A_hx + M_flow*Cp_fluid)

(eq.3)

(eq.4)

(eq.5)

delta_T_fluid = 60.0 * 3004.6*400.0 / (3004.6*400.0 + 400.0*4035) = 25.61 [K] Q_fluid = M_flow * Cp * delta_T_fluid = 400.0 * 4035 * 25.61 = 41334540 [W], or 41.33 [MW] This results in: outlet temperature of 80 - 25.61 = 54.39 degree Centigrade (hot side) outlet temperature of 20 - 25.61 = 45.61 degree Centigrade (cold side) The results of AHTL are 55.41 degree C (hot side) 44.64 degree C (cold side) Heat transferred: 41.16 [MW]. The hand calculation is 0.4% in error. It is interesting to inspect the output of AHTL. The effect of varying fluid properties on heat transfer is significant. Overall effects on heat transfer cancel out to great extent. However, the effect on metal temperatures is much greater. The hot inlet side plate temperatures should by at around the average of hot flow inlet- and cold flow outlet temperatures, i.e. 0.5 * (80.0 + 44.64) = 62.32 degree C. Average plate temperature calculated by AHTL at this location is 63.197 degree C. This example is exceedingly simple, but in more complex cases, with phase transitions and for technically difficult problems it pays to have a solution that is as accurate as possible. back

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13/04/2013