Simulating Analysis on Performances of Shell-Side in Trefoil-Hole and Quatrefoil Hole Baffle Heat Exchangers

This paper provides a comprehensive heat transfer devices and their relative merits for wide variety of industrial applications. The effectiveness of a heat transfer enhancement technique is evaluated by the Thermal Performance Factor which is a ratio of the change in the heat transfer rate to change in friction factor. Various types of inserts are used in many heat transfer enhancement. Shell-side performances of trefoil perforated plate baffle heat exchanger with equilateral triangle tube layout and quatrefoil-hole baffle heat exchangers with square tube arrangement have been studied numerically. Through establishment of periodic model of heat exchangers with three different trefoil and quatrefoil opening heights of 2.0mm, 2.5mm and 3.0mm, the influence of opening height on the shell-side performances has been studied. The results indicate that the enlargement of opening height decreases pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient while the reduction of it causes dramatic pressure loss with a modest increase of heat transfer coefficient. The heat transfer coefficient per unit pressure drop of trefoil-hole baffle heat exchangers is higher than that of heat exchangers with quadrifoil-hole baffles.