Experimental Investigation of Heat Transfer Performance in Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers

Abstract

Shell-and-tube heat exchangers remain a standard choice for process, power, refrigeration, and waste-heat-recovery applications because they combine mechanical robustness with broad operating flexibility. This methodology paper presents a controlled experimental framework for evaluating the thermal and hydraulic performance of a laboratory-scale shell-and-tube heat exchanger under variable shell-side water flow. The proposed rig uses hot water on the tube side and cold water on the shell side, with calibrated measurements of inlet and outlet temperatures, volumetric flow rates, and shell-side pressure drop. Heat duty is obtained from hot- and cold-stream energy balances, while the log-mean temperature difference method is used to calculate the overall heat-transfer coefficient. Heat-exchanger effectiveness and hydraulic penalty are also evaluated. The experimental design holds tube-side flow rate and inlet temperatures approximately constant while the shell-side flow rate is increased through five operating points. A representative methodology dataset shows the expected trend: increasing shell-side flow enhances turbulence, increases the overall heat-transfer coefficient and effectiveness, but simultaneously raises pressure drop. The procedure is suitable for validating conventional designs, comparing baffle arrangements, and generating reliable data for subsequent design optimization or CFD validation.

pressure drop