Numerical Comparison of Tube Bank Pressure Drop of an SHTX Using Elliptical and Flat Face Header with Different Nozzle Positions

Abstract

Among distinguishing types of a heat exchanger, this report analyzes the pressure drop in the tube bank in a shell and tube heat exchanger. Pressure drop is one of the most important parameters that describe the efficiency of a shell and tube heat exchanger and its acceptance in any engineering application. Studies show that if the pressure drop across the tube side is more, the heat transfer rate decreases; hence, it affects the performance of the heat exchanger, and a greater pumping power is required, thereby increasing the cost. This paper numerically compares pressure drop in the tube bank in single-pass shell and tube heat exchanger using: (1) Elliptical face header (2) flat face header at different nozzle position, i.e., conventional nozzle position and inline nozzle position. The numerical comparison is done with the help of ANSYS 14.5, considering the flow to be steady and isothermal.