Mapa Institute of Technology

School of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biological Engineering, and

Materials Science and Engineering
Chemical Engineering Laboratory 2
Experiment No. 2

Double-Pipe Heat Exchange

CHE151-1L/B41, School of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biological Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering,
Mapa Institute of Technology, Intramuros

1. Introduction
Heat transfer is an essential process in chemical processes, in thermodynamic
systems, and has a vital use in the applications of the First Law of Thermodynamics. Heat
transfer is said to be the exchange of thermal energy between two or more physical
systems. However, the rate of heat transfer is affected by different factors such as the
temperatures of the systems and the properties of the dominant medium through which
the heat is transferred. In this experiment, heat transfer is shown with the use of a heat
exchanger. [1]
Heat exchangers are devices that are used to transfer heat between one or more
fluids. The transfer of energy in heat exchangers is from a fluid with the higher
temperature to another fluid at a lower temperature. In this process of heat exchange, the
hot and cold fluids do not come in direct contact with each other, but are both separated
by a solid wall, either a tube wall or a flat tube surface. [2] Heat exchangers are widely
used in space heating, refrigeration, air conditioning, etc.[3]
The simplest type of heat exchanger is the concentric-pipe heat exchanger or more
commonly known as the double-pipe heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is a
subcategory of shell-and-tube heat exchanger with low-cost configuration which is
normally preferred for applications that require heat transfer that is less than about 10 m 2.
Typical double-pipe heat exchangers consists of an inner tube, where the cold fluid flows,
surrounded by a larger pipe, where the hot fluid flows in countercurrent flow arrangement
with the cold fluid. Thus, heat transfer is present in the inner pipe surface.[4]
This experiment aims to evaluate the overall heat transfer coefficient for the
steam-water countercurrent flow system and to determine the effect of variable water
flow rates on the overall heat transfer coefficient. [2]

References:
[1] Abbott, J.M. Smith, H.C. Van Ness, M.M. (2005). Introduction to chemical engineering
thermodynamics (7th ed.). Boston ; Montreal: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-310445-0.
[2] Gutierrez, C. L., & De Guzman, M. R. (2005). Chemical Engineering Laboratory Manual
Part 2. pp. 16-19
[3] Perry, Robert H. and Green, Don W. (1984). Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook (6th
ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-049479-7.
[4] Sadik Kaka and Hongtan Liu (2002). Heat Exchangers: Selection, Rating and Thermal
Design (2nd ed.). CRC Press.ISBN 0-8493-0902-6.