UAE UNIVERSITY

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MECH411 Heat Transfer

WEEK 9 Marked tutorial problem: 13-84 (10-73)

Note the problem number in the bracket is for the first edition of the text book.

13-84 (10-73) Hot oil (Cp = 2200 J/kgC) is to be cooled by water (Cp = 4180 J/kgC) in a 2-shell-pass and
12-tube-pass heat exchanger. The tubes are thin-walled and are made of copper with a diameter of 1.8 cm.
The length of each tube pass in the heat exchanger is 3 m, and the overall heat transfer coefficient is 340
W/m2C. Water flows through the tubes at a total rate of 0.1 kg/s, and the oil through the shell at a rate of
0.2 kg/s. The water and the oil enter at temperatures 18 C and 160 C, respectively. Determine the rate of
heat transfer in the heat exchanger and the outlet temperatures of the water and the oil.

Oil
160C
0.2 kg/s

Water
18C
0.1 kg/s
(12 tube passes)
Solutions:

Assumptions 1 Steady-state operating conditions exist. 2 The heat exchanger is well-insulated so that heat loss to the
surroundings is negligible and thus heat transfer from the hot fluid is equal to the heat transfer to the cold fluid. 3
Changes in the kinetic and potential energies of fluid streams are negligible. 4 The thickness of the tube is negligible
since it is thin-walled. 5 The overall heat transfer coefficient is constant and uniform.
Properties The specific heats of the water and oil are given to be 4.18 and 2.2 kJ/kg.C, respectively.
Analysis The heat capacity rates of the hot and cold fluids are
Ch = m h C ph = (0.2 kg / s)(2200 J / kg. C) = 440 W/ C
Cc = m c C pc = (0.1 kg / s)(4180 J / kg. C) = 418 W/ C
Therefore, Cmin = Cc = 418 W/ C
Cmin 418
and C= = = 0.95
Cmax 440
Then the maximum heat transfer rate becomes
Q = C (T T ) = (418 W/ C)(160 C -18 C) = 59.36 kW
max min h ,in c ,in

The heat transfer surface area is

As = n(DL ) = (12)( )(0.018 m)(3 m) = 2.04 m 2
The NTU of this heat exchanger is
UAs (340 W/m 2 .C) (2.04 m 2 )
NTU = = = 1.659
C min 418 W/ C
Then the effectiveness of this heat exchanger corresponding to C = 0.95 and NTU = 1.659 is determined from Fig. 13-
26d to be
= 0.61
Then the actual rate of heat transfer becomes
Q = Q = (0.61)(59.36 kW) = 36.2 kW
max

Finally, the outlet temperatures of the cold and hot fluid streams are determined to be
Q 36.2 kW
Q = C c (Tc ,out Tc ,in )
Tc ,out = Tc ,in + = 18C + = 104.6 C
Cc 0.418 kW / C
Q 36.2 kW
Q = C h (Th,in Th,out ) Th,out = Th,in = 160C = 77.7C
Ch 0.44 kW/C

Further thoughts:
1) Can you tell what is wrong with the above solutions?!
t2 t1
2) Show that the effectiveness of this heat exchanger equals P . The
T1 t1

subscripts 1 and 2 represent the inlet and outlet, respectively. T and t represent

the shell- and tube-side temperatures, respectively. In general, = PR if R > 1

T1 T2
and = P if R < 1. R .
t2 t1