Tube-side fluid

Selection of Flow Path In selecting the flow path for two fluids through an exchanger, several general approaches are used. The tube-side fluid is more corrosive or dirtier or at a higher pressure. The shell-side fluid is a liquid of high viscosity or a gas. 

With an even number of tube-side passes the floating-head cover serves as return cover for the tube-side fluid. With an odd number of passes a nozzle pipe must extend from the floating-head cover through the shell cover. Provision for both differential expansion and tube-bundle removal must be made. 

Tube-Side Passes Most exchangers have an even number of tube-side passes. The fixed-tube-sheet exchanger (which has no shell cover) usually has a return cover without any flow nozzles as shown in Fig. 11-35M Types L and N are also used. All removable-bundle designs (except for the U tube) have a floating-head cover directing the flow of tube-side fluid at the floating tube eet. 

In order to ehminate galvanic action the outer tube material may be stripped from the tube ends and replaced with ferrules of the inner tube material. When the end of a tube with a ferrule is expanded or welded to a tube sheet, the tube-side fluid can contact only the inner tube material, while the outer material is exposed to the shell-side fluid. 

Outdoor operation in cold winter environments may require special consideration to prevent freezing of the tube side fluid or formation of ice on the outside surface. 

Some general considerations to bear in mind are (1) In all start-up and shutdown operations, fluid flows should be regulated so as to avoid thermal shocking the unit, regardless of whether the unit is of either a removable or non-removable type of construction (2) For fixed tubesheet (i.e., non-removable bundle) type units, where the tube side fluid cannot be shut down, it is recommended that both a bypass arrangement be incorporated in the system, and the tube side fluid be bypassed before the shell side fluid is shut down (3) Extreme caution should be taken on insulated units where fluid flows are terminated and then restarted. Since the metal parts eould remain at high temperatures for extended periods of time, severe thermal shock could occur. 

Shell-and-tube exchangers contain several types of baffles to help direct the flow of both tube-side and shelbside fluids. Pass partition baffles force the fluid to flow through several groups of parallel tubes. Each of these groups of tubes is called a pass, . since it passes the fluid from one head to another. By adding pass partition baffles on each end. the tube-side fluid can be forced to take as many passe.s through the exchanger as desired. 

Type S is a floating head type. As the tubes heat up, they expand. As they expand, the floating head moves back and forth, but the pressure seal is not at the sliding joint. The pressure seal is at the fixed shell Joint in the outer head, which contains the pressure. The floating head floats free inside the pressure vessel as the tubes move. Types P and W are floating heads where the movement of the head effects the seal between either the shell-side or tube-side fluid and atmosphere. 

This tube is useful when the shell-side fluid is not compatible with the material needed for the tube-side fluid, or vice versa. The thicknesses of the two different wall materials do not have to be the same. As a general rule, 18 ga is about as thin as either tube should be, although thinner gages are available. In establishing the gage thickness for each component of the tube, the corrosion rate of the material should be about equal for the inside and outside, and the wall thickness should still withstand the pressure and temperature conditions after a reasonable service life. 

Figure 10-11. Duplex tube. Note inside liner is resistant to tube-side fluid and outer finned tube is resistant to shell-side fluid. (Used by permission Wolverine Tube, Inc.)...

Single-pass Tube Side. For these conditions, no baffle is in either the head or the return end of the unit. The tube-side fluid enters one end of the exchanger and leaves from the opposite end. In general, these baffles are not as convenient from a connecting pipe arrangement viewpoint as units with an even number of passes in which the tube-side fluid enters and leaves at the same end of the exchanger. See Figures 10-IC and 10-lG and Table 10-1. 

Tubesheets form the end barriers to separate the shell-side and tube-side fluids. Most exchangers use single plates for tubesheets. However, for hazardous or corrosive materials such as chlorine, hydrogen chloride, sulfur dioxide, etc., where the intermixing due to leakage from shell- to tube-... 

Figure 10-29. Three flow patterns for examining AT and LMTD. Note T = shell-side fluid inlet, and q = tube-side fluid inlet.

Eor one shell and multipass on the tube side, it is obvious that the fluids are not in true counter-current flow (nor co-current). Most exchangers have the shell side flowing through the unit as in Eigure 10-29C (although some designs have no more than two shell-side passes as in Eig-ures 10-IJ and 10-22, and the tube side fluid may make two or more passes as in Eigure 10-IJ) however, more than two passes complicates the mechanical construction. 

Figure 10-135. Tube-side fluid velocity for cascade cooler. (Used by permission SGL Technic, Inc., Karbate Division.)...

Differential expansion must be accommodated by an expansion Joint. Gasket failure can allow tube-side fluid to escape to the atmosphere. 

The effect of cold weather on the freezing of tube-side fluids and increasing horsepower due to increased air density can not be overlooked. Usual practice is to reduce fan output by using a two-speed motor, louvers on variable-pitch fans, or drivers. ... 

Tj, Tj = inlet and outlet tube-side fluid temperature of fin unit FV = face velocity, ft/min, entering face area of air cooled unit... 

Pressure drop on the tube-side of a shell and tube exchanger is made up of the friction loss in the tubes and losses due to sudden contractions and expansions and flow reversals experienced by the tube-side fluid. The friction loss may be estimated by the methods outlined in Section 3.4.3 from which the basic equation for isothermal flow is given by equation 3.18 which can be written as ... 

Essentially, a shell and tube exchanger consists of a bundle of tubes enclosed in a cylindrical shell. The ends of the tubes are fitted into tube sheets, which separate the shell-side and tube-side fluids. Baffles are provided in the shell to direct the fluid flow and support the tubes. The assembly of baffles and tubes is held together by support rods and spacers, Figure 12.2. 

R is equal to the shell-side fluid flow-rate times the fluid mean specific heat divided by the tube-side fluid flow-rate times the tube-side fluid specific heat. 

The tube-plates (tube-sheets) in shell and tube heat exchangers support the tubes, and separate the shell and tube side fluids (see Chapter 12). One side is subject to the shell-side pressure and the other the tube-side pressure. The plates must be designed to support the maximum differential pressure that is likely to occur. Radial and tangential bending stresses will be induced in the plate by the pressure load and, for fixed-head exchangers, by the load due to the differential expansion of the shell and tubes. 

The tube-side fluid now flows into the floating head, which acts as a return header for the tubes. The tube-side flow makes a 180° turn and flows back through the top hah of the floating-head tubesheet. The floating head is firmiy attached to the floating-head tubesheet. But why is it that one end of the tubes must be left free to float The reason is thermal expansion—or, more precisely, the differential rate of thermal expansion between the tubes and the shell. 

The requirement to leave one end of the tubes free to float creates a rather unpleasant process problem. The most efficient way to transfer heat between two fluids is to have true countercurrent flow. For a shell-and-tube exchanger, this means that the shell-side fluid and the tube-side fluid must flow through the exchanger in opposite directions. When calculating the log-mean temperature driving force (LMTD), an engineer assumes true countercurrent flow between the hot fluid and the cold fluid. 

But this is not the case with a floating-head exchanger. The tube-side fluid reverses direction in the floating head. It has to. There is no way to attach the tube-side outlet nozzle to the floating head. It is a mechanical impossibility. So we bring the tube-side fluid back to the top half of the channel head. So, half of the tubes are in countercurrent flow with the shell-side flow. And that is good. But the other half of the tubes are in concurrent flow with the shell-side flow. And that is bad. 

Equation (5.40) is good and applicable for film heat-transfer coefficients for gas-phase, vapor-phase, and condensing fluids. The Cp, K, and U isc input values should be accurate for the tube-side fluid being cooled. 

B) Tubesheets hold the tubes in place and provide the barrier between the tube-side fluid in the tube-side channels or head and the shell-side fluid. The tubesheet is a circular plate, thick enough to withstand any pressure difference between the two fluids and suitably drilled to accept the tubes. The tubesheets may be welded to the shell... 

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