Large heat exchangers, preliminary

Example 2.1 A new heat exchanger is to be installed as part of a large project. Preliminary sizing of the heat exchanger has estimated its heat transfer area to be 500 m2. Its material of construction is low-grade stainless steel, and its pressure rating is 5 bar. Estimate the contribution of the heat exchanger to the total cost of the project (CE Index of Equipment = 441.9). 

For a preliminary design, except for very large or expensive heat exchangers, it is usually adequate to use approximate heat transfer coefficients. These can be found in references 22,23 and 24. When calculating individual heat transfer coefficients, it may simplify calculations to note that for streams that have a viscosity greater than 5 cp the tube-size coefficient is two or three times what the shell-side coefficient would be for the same material.2 This is often the deciding factor in determining which fluid should flow within the tubes. 

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