Thermal Design of Shell & Tube

General Introduction
to the Thermal Design of Shell & Tube Heat

Exchangers
Steve Noe
Calgary
February 26, 2003
2001 AspenTech. All Rights Reserved.

Objectives:
Provide an overview on the general specification
requirements for shell & tube type heat exchangers. Our
discussions will include:
General Heat Exchanger specifications

TEMA Types
Bundle & Tube layout parameters
Operational Variables
Design Limits pressure drops & velocities
Optimization of geometry baffle types / shell type / streams
placements

TEMA Types
TEMA Tubular Exchangers

Manufactures Association
Recommended practices for

the thermal and mechanical
design of shell & tube type
heat exchangers
Design & Manufacturing
tolerances

Exchanger Specifications
Front Head Types

TEMA A The head can be bolted directly to the tubesheet or to a mating
shell flange. The bolted flat cover permits access to the tubes without
interfering with the piping connections.
TEMA B Similar to the A type head, the B head is bolted directly to the
tubesheet or to a mating shell flange. Since the cover is welded to the head
cylinder, the head must be removed to gain access to the tubes and nozzle
to piping connections to be unbolted. Several different types of covers. The
advantage with this design is that it provides the lowest cost head closure.
TEMA C The head cylinder and tubesheet are integral. The shell is bolted
to the back side of the tubesheet which allows for bundle removal. Use for
hazardous tubeside fluids, or when frequent shellside cleaning in necessary.
TEMA N With this construction, the head cylinder and shell cylinder are
welded to the tubesheet. The flat bolted cover permits access to the tubes
without interfering with the piping connections. Used with fixed tubesheets
with hazardous fluids on the tubeside.
TEMA D Is a high pressure enclosure. The channel barrel and the
tubesheet are usually forged. The cover may be bolted to the end of the
head cylinder or inserted into the cylinder and held by a system of shear key
rings.

Shell Types
E-type Is the most common of the shell types. The one shell pass with the
entrance and exit nozzles at opposite ends is the ideal arrangement for
excellent performance. Used with a single tube pass temperature crosses
can be avoided.
F-type A longitudinal baffle divides the shell into two passes. Both the
inlet and exit tube side nozzles are placed at the same end of the
exchanger. The F-shell is typically used when a temperature cross exists
that would otherwise force the design into multiple shells in series. They are
not recommended with removable bundles. A tight seal is required at the
long baffle as the unit will not perform as designed should there be fluid
leakage across the longitudinal baffle. The amount of heat transferred is
greater than for an E-shell, but the shell side pressure drop is also higher
and there is some thermal leakage, radiate heat transfer, across the long
plate.
G-type- The entrance and exit nozzles are placed in the middle of the shell.
The shell side fluid splits into two with the two halves flowing in opposite
directions around a partial longitudinal baffle. It is a hybrid 2-pass shell.

Shell Types:
H-type The H type is similar to the G-type, but with two inlet, two
exit nozzles, and two partial longitudinal baffles. The flow is double
split or in four directions. It is used when there is limited available
pressure drop on the shell side. The arrangement is quite often
used for shell side thermosiphon applications or shell side
condensers with low allowable pressure drop.
J-type It has one nozzle in the middle used for entrance or exit. It
also has two nozzles at opposite ends for exit or entry. Either way,
the flow is divided with each half of the total fluid flowing through
half the shell. It is used when there is limited available pressure
drop on the shell side. It can not be used when the tube side
temperature crossed the temperature on the shell side. The J type
is quite often used for shell side condensers.

Aspen Hetran Exchanger Specifications
Shell Types:
K-type This type of shell is referred to as a kettle pool boiler. The tube
bundle is far smaller then the kettle diameter. A weir normally exists beyond
the tube bundle to maintain a liquid level over the tube bundle. The enlarged
space void of tubes above the bundle serves as a disengagement space,
allowing separation of the liquid and vapor. Kettles are frequently used
under distillation columns to provide vapor reflux and energy back to the
column for distillation.
X-type Flow is distributed along the entire length of the bundle and flows
across the bundle perpendicular to the tubes. The distribution is
accomplished by multiple nozzles along the shell or via open areas at the
top & bottom of the shell. Support plate type baffles are used to support
tubes. With this shell arrangement, the shell side pressure drop is
minimized.

Rear Head Types Non-removable bundle types

TEMA L The head can be bolted directly to the tubesheet or to a
mating shell flange. The bolted flat cover permits access to the
tubes without interfering with the piping connections.
TEMA M Similar to the L type head, the B head is bolted directly
to the tubesheet or to a mating shell flange. Since the cover is
welded to the head cylinder, the head must be removed to gain
access to the tubes and nozzle piping connections to be unbolted.
Several different types of covers. The advantage with this design is
that it provides the lowest cost head closure.
TEMA N With this construction, the head cylinder and shell
cylinder are welded to the tubesheet. The flat bolted cover permits
access to the tubes without interfering with the piping connections.
The cost of construction is slightly higher than that of a B type
head.

Rear Head Types Floating heads with Removable bundles

TEMA P An outside packed joint is provided which allows the rear
tubesheet/cylinder to float independent of the shell. The rear cover is
generally a flat bolted cover but a formed cover welded to the cylinder can
also be used. Due to the packed joint configuration, design pressure and
temperature are generally limited to 250 psi and 400 F, respectively.
TEMA S The S type assembly consists of an internal floating rear
tubesheet. The tubesheet is sandwiched between a split ring backing
flange assembly bolted to the rear head cover. A separate shell cover is
bolted to the rear shell flange. The split ring/rear head cover assembly
must be removed from the rear prior to removing the tube bundle.
TEMA T The T type, with a internal floating rear tubesheeet, is similar to
the S type. The primary difference being that the rear head cover is bolted
directly to the rear tubesheet and can be pulled out with the bundle through
the shell.
TEMA W An outside lantern ring acts as the rear head seal. The rear
head cover is bolted to the lantern ring assembly. Generally the W type
arrangement can be utilized at higher pressures than the P type rear head,
up to 400 psi.
TEMA U The tubes are bent in U shape which as as the rear head. A
very lost cost alternative to a fabricated rear head. The disadvantage is that
the cleaning of the inside of the tubes is difficult.
Tubesheets
Single tubesheets -- The tubesheets act as the interface plate to separate
the shell and tube sides fluids of the exchanger. The tubes are attached to
the tubesheets by roller expansion and/or welding. The tie rods are bolted
to the shell side of the front tubesheet and are used to facilitate the
assembly of the tube bundle.
Double tubesheets -- are used when it is extremely important to avoid any
leakage between the shell and tube side fluids. Double tubesheets shorten
the length of the tube which is in contact with the shell side fluid and
therefore reduces the effective surface area. They also affect the location of
the shell side nozzles and possibly the adjacent baffle spacing. The gap
type double tubesheet has two separate tubesheet plates separated by a
space, usually about 150 mm (6 in.). The integral type double tubesheet is
similar but is made from a single piece of material by machining out a
honeycomb pattern midway inside the plate. If any tube joint leaks develop,
a sensor between the tubesheets will notify the plant operations.

Tubing - Bare
Plain or bare tubes are most commonly used in shell and tube
heat exchangers. They are the lowest cost and easiest to install.
Plain tubes come in straight lengths or bent to form u-tubes. Plain
tubes are either formed from strips and welded or drawn/seamless.
The seamless tubes have better structural integrity, but are more
expensive.
Tubes come in several standard outside diameters from in to 2
inches, and from wall thickness of 0.022 inches to 0.109. The most
common tube sizes are 0.75 in or 1 in. Tubes come in many
different materials. The tube material selection affects the extent of
corrosion, erosion, fouling, vibration, thermal stresses, and the
resistance to heat transfer.
Tubes must be able to withstand the internal and external pressure.
The tubes must also be able to withstand the thermal stresses due
to the differential expansion of the shell and tube sides, and the
corrosive nature of the fluids. The thermal conductivity of the tubing
affects the tube wall resistance to heat transfer.

Tubing Enhanced
Tubes are also available with externally enhanced surfaces such as low fins. These type
tubes enhance the heat transfer as well as provide more surface area per unit length for a
given shell size. They are generally used with a change of phase. You do pay a premium for
the enhanced surface tubes. They normally become economical to use when the ratio of the
tube side to shell side film coefficient is 3:1. They should not be used with fluids that have
high surface tensions. Low fins are most effective in pure cross flow (X shells, NTIW, and
segmental baffles). In longitudinal flow, such as triple segmental baffles, rod or strip baffles,
the fin valleys are not effectively penetrated by the flow. In such situations pressure drop
increases due to the fins acting as a rough surface. While such an increase is not reflected in
heat transfer. Use of low fins in such cases is questionable.
Common fin densities by tubing material (density shown in fins/inch):
Carbon Steel 19 Nickel Alloy 600 (Inconel) 28
Stainless Steel 16, 28 Nickel Alloy 800 28
Copper 19, 26 Hastelloy 30
Copper-Nickel 90/10 16, 19, 26 Titanium 30
Copper-Nickel 70/30 19, 26 Admiralty 19, 26
Nickel Carbon Alloy 201 19 Aluminum-Brass Alloy 687 19
Nickel Alloy 400 (Monel) 28

Twisted Tape Inserts

Twisted tape inserts are used with single phase fluids that are normally in
laminar or transition flow regimes. They can increase the heat transfer by 2 to 3
times with a pressure drop increase between 4 to 10 times. They are relatively
inexpensive and correlations available are quite reliable.

Tube Pitch
Tubes are normally spaced a standard distance from one another.
The center-center distance between any two adjacent tubes is
called the tube pitch. The ratio of the tube pitch to the tube diameter
varies from 1.1 to 1.5, with the most common being 1.25. TEMA
controls the minimum pitch. It will vary by TEMA class, tube layout
type, and size of tubes.
The tube pitch will affect the shell side heat transfer coefficient,
shell side pressure drop, number of tubes for a given shell size, and
capability of mechanically cleaning the outside surface of the tubes.
The larger the pitch the lower the film coefficient, and the lower the
pressure drop.

Tube Pattern
The tube pattern is defined with respect to the flow direction. There are four
different pattern options. They are listed below in order from the layout
producing the highest film coefficient and highest pressure drop to the
lowest.

Tube Layout
The number of tubes in a shell depend upon the tube diameter, pattern, pitch,
type of bundle, outer tube limit, type of shell, number of passes, placement of
impingement plates, location of nozzles, location of tie-rods, etc.
There are several possible ways to layout tubes for four or more passes. The
primary effect on the thermal design is due to the different number of tubes,
which are possible for each type. The Quadrant layout has the advantage of
usually (but certainly not always) giving the highest tube count. It is the required
layout for all U-tube designs of four or more passes. The tube side nozzles must
be offset from the centerline when using quadrant layout. The Mixed layout has
the advantage of keeping the tube side nozzles on the centerline. It often gives a
tube count close to quadrant and sometimes exceeds it. A Ribbon layout nearly
always gives a layout with fewer tubes than quadrant or mixed layout. It is used
for an odd number of tube passes. It is also the layout preferred for X-type shells.
The primary advantage of ribbon layout is the more gradual change in operating
temperature of adjacent tubes from top to bottom of the tubesheet. This can be
especially important when there is a large change in temperature on the tube
side, which might cause significant thermal stresses in mixed and especially
quadrant layouts.

Tube Layout types
Quadrant Mixed Ribbon

Tube Layout deviation in number of tubes per tube side

pass
For multipass layouts, it is desirable to have close to the same number of tubes
in each pass when there is no change of phase on the tube side. However, for
most layouts of more than two passes, this would require removing tubes which
would otherwise fit within the outer tube limit. Since it is preferable to maximize
the surface area within a given shell and minimize the possible shell side
bypassing, a reasonable deviation in tubes per pass is usually acceptable (5% or
less deviation). It is recommended that you avoid large deviations since this
gives significantly different velocities in some passes and wastefully increases
the pressure drop due to additional expansion and contraction losses. Most
computer programs base the tube side calculations on an average number of
tubes per pass, so that such aberrations are not reflected in the thermal design.

Exchanger Specifications Tube Layout
Tie-rods and Sealing Strips

The tie-rods and spacers are necessary to keep the baffles and
tube support plates at their appropriate locations. Their number and
diameter vary with the shell diameter. The number of tubes in an
exchangers will be reduced due to the space occupied by the tie-
rods and spacers. Usually each set of a tie-rod and spacer requires
the removal of four to six tubes around it. The TEMA standards
provide guidance as to the minimum number required.
Sealing strips are used to reduce bypassing of the shell side flow
around the bundle between the shell ID and the outer most tubes.
They are installed in pairs on the baffles usually by welding. In fixed
tubesheet (L, M, & N rear heads) and U-tube heat exchangers the
clearance between shell ID and the outer tube limit is comparatively
small. Therefore sealing strips are seldom needed for these types.
In inside floating head (S & T rear heads), outside packed floating
head (P rear head), and floating tubesheet (W rear head) heat
exchangers, the potential for bypassing is much greater. In these
cases sealing strips are generally required. Generally, one pair of
seals strips is used for every 6 rows of tubes in cross-flow.

Exchanger Specifications Tube Layout
Tie-rods and Sealing Strips Seal strips are added to prevent
bypassing of the flow around the
tube bundle. Tie rods are used to
facilitate assembly and to position
the baffles.

Baffles types
Baffles are used to direct the shell side flows so that the fluid velocity is
increased to a point to maintain a high heat transfer coefficient as well as to
minimize fouling. In horizontal exchangers the baffles also aid in supporting
the tube bundle to prevent the tubes from sagging or vibrating.
Single segmental provides the best thermal performance but also the
highest pressure drop. The multi-segmental types decrease pressure drop
significantly with a corresponding reduction in heat transfer coefficient. The
Rod and Strip types will provide the lowest pressure drop but with a
significant reduction in performance.
Single Double Triple

Full Support
Segmental Segmental Segmental
No Tubes Rod Strip

in Window
Exchanger Specifications - Baffle Types
Single Segmental
The segmental baffles are the most commonly used. They also give the highest heat
transfer coefficient. The clearance between the baffle hole and the tube, and the baffle
OD and the shell is dictated by TEMA. The baffles are made out of round plates with
segments removed. Both the baffle cut and the baffle spacing will influence the shell
side velocity.
The baffle cuts will vary from 15-45% of the shell diameter. A cut of 20-25% will
normally provide the highest film coefficient for a given pressure drop.
The baffle cuts for single segmental baffles are oriented 180 deg from one another.
This allows fluid to flow over the bundle in cross-flow and make contact with the tubes
several times in an exchanger. The baffle orientation applies to the direction of the
baffle cut in segmental baffles. It is very dependent on the shell side application for
vertical heat exchangers; the orientation has no effect. It may affect the number of
tubes in a multipass vertical heat exchanger. For horizontal heat exchangers it is far
more important.
The baffle cut applies to segmental baffles and specifies the size of the baffle window
as a percent of the shell I.D. Single segmental baffles cuts vary between 15% to 45%.
Greater than 45% is not practical because it does not provide for enough overlap of the
baffles. Less than 15% is not practical, because it results in a high pressure drop
through the baffle window with relatively little gain in heat transfer (poor pressure drop
to heat transfer conversion). Generally, where baffling the flow is necessary, the best
baffle cut is around 25%. For double and triple segmental baffles, the baffle cut
generally pertains to the most central baffle window.

Exchanger Specifications Baffle types
No Tubes in Window
There is also a single segmental baffles where no tubes are placed where
the baffle cut creates the baffle window (NTIW). These baffles are normally
used to resolve vibration problems. They provide support for the tubes at
each baffle segment. Intermediate support plates are often used with no
tubes in the window baffles. They provide additional tube support and very
little additional pressure drop. The baffle cut for NTIW is normally limited to
approximately 15%. Otherwise, the sacrifice in the number of tubes/shell
would be too costly.
The advantage of a NTIW arrangement is that

the tube unsupported span can be minimized to
avoid vibration. Additional intermediate support
plates can be also added as shown.
Exchanger Specifications Baffle types
Double / Triple Segmental and Rod / Strip

Double segmental baffles are an excellent selection for moderately reducing the shell
side pressure drop. Double segmental baffles create more of a parallel type flow than a
cross flow that exists with single segmental baffles. There should exist at least a two
row overlap between adjacent baffle segments.
Triple segmental baffles are used infrequently primarily because of their high cost.
Hetrans triple segmental baffles differ from the triple segmental baffles shown in the
TEMA standards. They are used when a significant reduction in the shell side pressure
drop is required.
Rod baffles are licensed through Phillips Petroleum Company. Only a limited number
of fabricators are licensed to use them. Each tube is supported at four circumferential
points at each baffle. The flow is parallel to the bundle. They provide an excellent
remedy when vibration or restrictive pressure drop on the shell side is a problem. They
are only used with square patterns.
Strip or Nest type baffles are used with the triangular pattern. Each tube rests in a v-
shaped cradle and is supported at each baffle. The strips are usually about 25 mm (1
in.) wide and 3 mm (0.125 in.) thick. The strips are placed between every tube row.
Intersecting strips can be notched to fit together or stacked and tack welded. The strips
are welded to a circular ring. They provide the same benefits as the Rod baffles with
the square layouts.

Baffle cut orientation

For a single phase fluid in a horizontal shell, the preferable baffle orientation horizontal,
although vertical and rotated are also acceptable. The choice will not affect the
performance, but it will affect the number of tubes in a multipass heat exchanger. The
horizontal cut has the advantage of limiting stratification of multicomponent mixtures,
which might separate at low velocities. The rotated cut is rarely used. Its only
advantage is for a removable bundle with multiple tube passes and rotated square
layout. In this case the number of tubes can be increased by using a rotated cut, since
the pass partition lane can be smaller and still maintain the cleaning paths all the way
across the bundle. (From the tubesheet, the layout appears square instead of rotated
square.) For horizontal shell side condensers, the orientation should always be vertical,
so that the condensate can freely flow at the bottom of the heat exchanger. These
baffles are frequently notched at the bottom to improve drainage. For shell side pool
boiling, the cut (if using a segmental baffle) should be vertical. For shell side forced
circulation vaporization, the cut should be horizontal in order to minimize the separation
of liquid and vapor. For double and triple segmental baffles, the preferred baffle
orientation is vertical. This provides better support for the tube bundle than a horizontal
cut which would leave the topmost baffle unsupported by the shell. However this can
be overcome by leaving a small strip connecting the topmost segment with the bottom
most segment around the baffle window between the O.T.L. and the baffle O.D.

Impingement Plates
Impingement plates are most commonly located underneath the
inlet shell side nozzle between the nozzle opening and the tube
bundle. They can also be located in a nozzle dome above the tube
bundle. They are used to prevent damage to the tubes due from the
impact of the incoming fluid. A secondary benefit is better flow
distribution of the fluid over the tube bundle. TEMA recommends
that inlet impingement protection be installed under the following
conditions:
When the rho*V2 through the inlet nozzle exceeds 2232 kg/(m*s2)
or 1500 lb/(ft*s2) for non-corrosive, non-abrasive, single phase
fluids
When the rho*V2 through the inlet nozzle exceeds 744 kg/(m*s2) or
500 lb/(ft*s2) for corrosive or abrasive liquids
When there is a nominally saturated vapor
When there is a corrosive gas
When there is two phase flow at the inlet

Impingment plate type
To accommodate an impingement plate on the bundle, tubes will normally be
removed under the inlet nozzle so that the shell entrance area equals the cross-
sectional area of the nozzle. This is approximately equal to removing any tubes
within a distance of 1/4 the nozzle diameter under the center of the nozzle. An
impingement plate that is usually circular, un-perforated, equal in diameter to the
inside diameter of the nozzle, and approximately 3 mm or 1/8 in. thick. An
alternative is to put a plate in a nozzle dome, which means suspending the
impingement plate in an enlarged nozzle neck, which may be a dome or a cone.
Both types have their advantages and disadvantages. If the plate is on the
bundle, the flow is more widely distributed, and there is neither the expense for
the enlarged nozzle neck nor the increased potential of fabrication problems
when cutting a large hole in the shell (as can often happen with vapor inlet
nozzles). However, since tubes are removed, it may require larger diameter
shell, tubesheets, flanges, etc. Especially in cases where the tubesheets and/or
shell are made of alloy and the inlet nozzle is not large, the impingement plate in
the nozzle dome may be significantly less expensive. For some special
applications, the plate may be perforated. The primary advantage being that the
perforations will help reduce the velocity into the bundle. The main concern with
perforated plates is that flow through the holes could cause localized erosion for
certain tube materials. Other arrangements are sometimes used to either further
reduce the velocity or protect the bundle by other means.

Shell Entrance/Exit Variations

It is often necessary to remove tubes from underneath the nozzle to reduce
pressure drop at the entrance, to facilitate the entry of the fluid into the
bundle, or to reduce the velocity to limit the probability of erosion or
vibration.
One option, is to remove tubes within the nozzle projection. This will
eliminate any tubes, which would extend beyond the lowest part of the
nozzle cylinder. In many cases, using this option will have no effect since
nozzles, which are relatively small in comparison to the shell diameter (say
smaller than 1/4 the shell diameter) will not extend to the first row of tubes
anyway. A distributor belt with a full layout is the most effective way to
reduce entrance velocities, but it is usually the most expensive. Another
option is to remove tubes so that the shell entrance area equals the nozzle
entrance area. When you remove tubes so that the shell entrance area
equals the inlet nozzle area, the tube layout is the same as when installing
an impingement plate on the bundle. This is usually a very effective way of
decreasing entrance velocities.

Shell Entrance/Exit types

The bundle entrance velocity must be controlled to prevent tube vibration
and erosion. It is possible to increase the bundle entrance flow area by
removing tubes at the entrance or providing a special distribution device.
TEMA has specific recommendations on the maximum mass flow rates
recommended for various applications. When these are exceeded, the
program will provide a warning to this effect.

Nozzles
Nozzles provide the ports of entry and exit for the shell side and tube
side fluids. Nozzle sizes should be carefully selected. You dont want to
select too small a nozzle for you run the risk of taking too much of a
pressure drop, vibration or erosion problems underneath the nozzle,
and possible fluid mal-distribution. However, you cant specify too large
a nozzle size for then you may have fabrication problems. The criteria
used for the nozzle size is to insure that the nozzle can be constructed
yet will not take too high of a percentage of the available pressure
drop.
Nozzle Orientation
The logical orientation of the nozzles follows the laws of nature, that is,
fluids being cooled should enter the top and exit the bottom, and fluids
being heated should enter the bottom and exit the top.

Nozzles - Vents & Drains

The vent connection is provided to allow all the air in an exchanger to leave the
exchanger as it gradually fills with fluid at startup. It also helps to equalize the
pressure when a liquid is drained at shutdown. It is also important to be able to
vent inert gases that may accumulate in condenser during normal operation.
Should the inerts begin to accumulate, then the condensing film coefficient will
collapse.
The drain connection is provided to drain the liquid at the shutdown for
maintenance, or should the process fluids change. Any liquid allowed to remain
will quickly cause it to foul and corrode.
Typical sizes for drains or vents range from 1 to 3 inches.

Flanges
Body flanges (rings) are used to bolt two adjacent sections of a exchanger
together. The joint is made leak proof by using gaskets.
There are three basic types of flanges. The integral type - where the hub
and the flange are a continuous piece either by originally manufactured or
made so by a full penetration weld. These type are the most costly.
The loose type these either do not have any attachment to the shell or the
attachment is not considered integral with the shell
The optional type these are attached to the vessel wall or nozzle such that
the assembly acts as an integral unit. These differ from the integral type in
not having any hub or n having a very small hub. The vessel wall acts as
the hub.

Expansion Joints
Expansion joints are used to eliminate the excessive stresses caused by the
differential thermal expansion between the shell and the tube bundle due to
cyclic temperature conditions in a fixed tubesheet exchanger. The
requirement for one is determined according to the TEMA standards. It is
necessary to have the mean metal temperatures calculated from a thermal
program to make an accurate calculation. A mechanical design must be
done to determine the requirement for an expansion joint.
The common types of expansion joints are flanged only, flanged and flued,
un-reinforced bellows, and reinforced bellows.

Supports
Heat exchangers can be in either a vertical or horizontal position. In a horizontal
position, saddle supports are used. In a vertical exchanger cylindrical skirts,
brackets, or columns are used for supporting the exchanger.

The user of a computer design program must make selection of all constructional
and operational input items required for design. Sometimes input items are
dictated by others, but these should be critically examined and changed if
needed. Contradictory demands and limitations will often exist. It is up to the
user to select a compromise which will produce the best overall results. The
following sections will provide a general idea of what to watch when specifying
input data.

Maximum Permissible Pressure Drop and Flow Velocity

Convective heat transfer of all types increases with flow velocity and hence
with pressure drop. High flow velocity suppresses fouling. For these
reasons it is advantages to use as high flow velocities as feasible. The
resulting heat exchanger will be less expensive, compact, but the higher
pressure drop will require higher pumping costs. There will be obvious
limitations to both the velocity and pressure drop.
The pressure drop must be in a sound relation to the operating pressure.
The following can be used as a general guide for selecting allowable
pressure drops:
Pressure Allowable Pressure Drop
vacuum operation 0.1 of operating pressure
15 psi 30 psi 0.15 0.3 of operating pressure
> 30 psi 15 psi

Limits of Flow Velocity

Flow velocity limits are dictated by erosion or tube vibration prevention,
regardless of pressure drop. TEMA standards specify the limit for flow within the
tube bundle in terms of v = (4000/density)**0.5 ft/s. For cooling water this
results in approximately 8 ft/s.
Tube side maximum velocity is usually dependent on the tube material with 8 ft/s
being a reasonable value for carbon steel and copper alloys. You can safely
increase this value by 50% for stainless steel, and there is no velocity limit for
titanium. At the low velocity extreme, the minimum of 3 ft/s should try to be
maintained to prevent severe fouling of water.

Fluid Allocation Shell or Tube Side

In some cases the fluid allocation to either tube or shell-side is obvious. It is
dictated by cleaning, pressure, corrosion, or material selection
requirements. In other cases the allocation of the streams must be carefully
considered for optimum performance.
Pressure drop is much easier to adjust by shell and baffle type selection
than on the tube side, and extremely low pressure drop can be obtained in
X-shells. The stream with low or sensitive pressure drop requirements may
have to be tried in both options. High pressure drop is best utilized on the
shell side.
High pressure and corrosive fluids are best placed on the tube side, which
eliminates expensive shells. If corrosion, cant be eliminated but only slowed
down by material selection, the corrodible component must be periodically
replaced. This eliminates fixed tube sheet designs if the baffles are also
affected.
Viscous fluids are preferably placed on the shell side, where the induced
turbulence will result in higher heat transfer. The use of low finned tubes is
often considered, but usually limited to Reynolds Numbers greater than
1000.

Fouling and Cleaning

Fouling will affect not only the exchanger size and its cost, but also the cost of
cleaning, which can be very substantial when plant down-time is considered. Careful
attention should be paid to design elements which can mitigate fouling and/or promote
the ease of cleaning. Area allocated to fouling should adhere to the following
guidelines:
1) The area associated with fouling should not exceed 40%. If higher fouling is required, then
consider allocating two exchangers in parallel, one of which can be shutdown for cleaning while
the other is in operation.
2) At the low end, the area attributed to fouling should be at least 10% in order to provide an
adequate safety factor.
The tube side is much easier to clean mechanically than the shell-side, as no removal
of the bundle is necessary. Therefore, fluids requiring regular cleaning should be
placed on the tube-side in a horizontal position. For cooling tower water, tube-side
velocities should be 6 ft/s (2 m/s) and under no circumstances be below 3 ft/s (1m/s).
Shell side cleaning by chemical means is increasingly accepted. If mechanical cleaning
on the shell-side is required, removable bundle construction is used with square or
rotated square layouts used. Baffle spacing to shell diameter ratio of , with baffle
cuts of 25% will produce a uniform flow which is recommended.
Low profile finned tubes have shown to have an anti-fouling tendency. The edges of
the fins help to break-up the fouling layers and promote their removal.

Tube Vibration Control

Particular combinations of high velocity and the length of
unsupported tube span may conspire under certain conditions to
excite the tubes into a flow-induced vibration. Designs where tube
vibration is indicated can lead to tube damage, a situation that must
be corrected.
There are normally several corrective measures that can correct
the problem. The judgment of the heat exchanger designer is
normally necessary. Any changes made to the constructional
elements will affect the thermo-hydraulic performance, and
consequently require that they be rerun through the design
calculations.
Any one or combinations of remedial actions are possible and
multiple solutions are usually required to decide on the best design.
Acoustic vibration can develop if the shell fluid is gas only. If the
probability of such vibrations is indicated, the most effective remedy
is to install detuning baffles.

Tube Vibration Control

As flow-induced tube vibration is caused by too high velocity over a given
unsupported tube span, there are several logical measures to be
considered for controlling this situation. Some of the changes to be
considered are as follows:
1) Changing baffle type to double or triple segmental results in
decrease of the flow velocity and , because of lower resulting pressure
drop, decrease of the baffle spacing is also possible. Investigating
alternate tube patterns, and opening the tube pitch should also be
considered.
2) Use of the divided flow J-shell, possible with double segmental
baffles.
3) Complete control of tube vibration is possible with no tube in baffle
window designs, where intermediate support baffles can shorten the
tube span to any desired condition, without increasing the pressure
drop. The cost of such an exchanger will be higher. Alternately,
longitudinal flow in rod or strip baffles will offer also complete tube
vibration prevention.

Thermal Design of Shell &amp; Tube

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Thermal Design of Shell &amp; Tube

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General Introduction

to the Thermal Design of Shell & Tube Heat

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General Heat Exchanger specifications

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TEMA Tubular Exchangers

Recommended practices for

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Front Head Types

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Rear Head Types Non-removable bundle types

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Rear Head Types Floating heads with Removable bundles

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Twisted Tape Inserts

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Tube Layout types

Quadrant Mixed Ribbon

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Tube Layout deviation in number of tubes per tube side

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Tie-rods and Sealing Strips

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Single Double Triple

No Tubes Rod Strip

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The advantage of a NTIW arrangement is that

Double / Triple Segmental and Rod / Strip

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Baffle cut orientation

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Shell Entrance/Exit Variations

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Shell Entrance/Exit types

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Nozzles - Vents & Drains

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Maximum Permissible Pressure Drop and Flow Velocity

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Limits of Flow Velocity

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Fluid Allocation Shell or Tube Side

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Fouling and Cleaning

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Tube Vibration Control

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Tube Vibration Control

Thermal Design of Shell & Tube

Thermal Design of Shell & Tube