PLATE-FIN HEAT EXCHANGER

Prabal Talukdar
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
IIT Delhi
E-mail: prabal@mech.iitd.ac.in
p

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Basic component
This type of extended surface heat exchanger has corrugated fins mostly of
triangular or rectangular cross-sections sandwiched between the parallel plates

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Different types of plate fin

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Plate-fin
Plate
fin with OSP

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Platefin
Plate
fin heat exchanger
Plate
Platefin
finheatexchangershavevariousgeometries
heat exchangers have various geometries
inordertocompensateforthehighthermal
resistance,particularlyifoneofthefluidisgas.
Theplatefinsarecategorizedastriangularfin,
rectangularfin,wavyfin,offsetstripfin(OSP),
louveredfin,andperforatedfin
Generallyusedformoderateoperatingpressuresless
than700kPa(gaugepressure)
h
k (
)
Ithasasurfaceareadensityofupto5900m2/m3.
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 Common
Commonfinthicknessrangesbetween0.05to
fin thickness ranges between 0 05 to
0.25mm.
Finheightmayrangefrom2to25mm
Fin height may range from 2 to 25 mm
Typicalfindensitiesare120to700fins/m,but
couldreachto2100fins/m
ld
h 2100 fi /

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Geometrical Characteristics
Singlepass
Single passcrossflowplateheatexchangeris
crossflow plate heat exchanger is
considered.

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Total number of passages

The
Thenumberofpassagesforthehotfluidside
number of passages for the hot fluid side
andcoldfluidsideareNp andNp +1.
Thetopandbottompassagearedesignatedto
The top and bottom passage are designated to
becoldfluid.
Thenumberofpassagescanbeobtainedas:
Th
b
f
b b i d
L = N p b + N + 1 b + 2 N + 1 w
3
1 P 2 P
Length of fluid 1
Solving for Np
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Length of fluid 2

L b 2 w
Np = 3 2
b + b + 2 w
1 2

Thickness of total plates

No of fins

Thetotalnumberoffinsforfluid1(hot):
L
n = p 1 Np
f1 f1

where pf1 is fin pitch.

Thetotalnumberoffinsforfluid2(cold):
L
n = p 2 Np +1
f2 f2

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Primary Area
Primaryareaforfluid1is:
Primary area for fluid 1 is:
A

= 2L L N p 2L n + 2b L N + 2 b + 2 w L N p +1
p1
1 2
2 f1
1 2 P 2

Total plate area

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Fin base area

Passage side wall area Passage front and

back wall area

No of offset strip fins

No.
The
Thenumberofoffsetstripfinsperthenumber
number of offset strip fins per the number
L
offinsisobtainedfrom:
n
= 1
off 2
2

L
n
= 2
off 1
1

Where1,2
p
g
1 2 istheoffsetstripfinlengthforfluid
1and2.

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Total Fin Area

ThetotalfinareaconsistsofthefinareaAf1 andoffsetstrip
edge areas:
edgeareas:
A

f1

n + P n
= 2 b L n + 2 b n
1 n + 2P n
2 f1
off 1 f 1
f1
f1 f1
1
1
f1
off 1

Fin surface areas

(d-e
(d
e and g-f)
g f)

Offset-strip edge areas Internal offset strip edge area

2(b
2(b-c-d-e)
c d e)
2(i-j-k-l-i)
2(i j k l i)
First and last offset strip edge area
2(a-b-i-j-a)

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Total heat transfer area

Thetotalheattransferareais
The total heat transfer area is

A =A +A
t1 p1 f1
Thefreeflow(crosssectional)areaAc1 is
A = b P n
c1 1 f1 f1

The
Thefrontalareaforfluid1where
frontal area for fluid 1 where
fluid1isenteringisdefinedby
A
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fr1

=L L
1 3

Fin efficiency
Thehydraulicdiameter:

4A L
D = c1 2
h1
A
t1

Forthefinefficiencyf oftheoffsetstripfin,itisassumed
thattheheatflowfrombothplatesisuniformandthatthe
p
adiabaticplateoccursatthemiddleoftheplatespacingb1.
HencetheprofilelengthLf1 isdefinedby L = b1
f1 2

Themvalueisobtainedas:
Thesinglefinefficiencyis
Theoverallfinefficiencyis
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m = 2h 1+
1 k
1
f

t hmL
tanh
1 f1
=
f
mL
1 f1
A
=1 f 1 1
o1
f
A
t1