ABSTRACT

This paper presents the study of the flow, structure, heat transfer, and correlations of Log
Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD) to the heat flow process of heat exchangers: Parallel
Flow and Counter Flow using Solidworks heat transfer simulation. The investigations focus
on heat transfer efficiency of the heat exchangers in terms of cooling and heating processes.
To identify the efficiency of the heat exchangers constant values in the inlet was injected to
the varying mediums of heat exchangers. The heat exchange is performed between hot and
cold water.

Heat exchangers are used widely in many industries for heat recovery or cooling purposes.
Heat exchange is an important unit operation that contributes to efficiency and safety of many
processes. This experiment serves as an introduction to the determination of a heat
exchanger’s performance and calculation of the fundamental quantities involved in the
operation of a heat exchanger, such as the heat exchanger’s overall heat transfer coefficient,
fluid velocity, and the working temperatures.

I. Introduction

Currently, heat exchangers have a wide range of industry applications. They are widely used
in space heating, refrigeration, power plants, petrochemical plants, petroleum refineries and
sewage treatment . There are many types of heat exchanger designs for various applications.
The major types of heat exchanger include double pipe, shell-tube, plate and shell, plate fin,
and phase change heat exchangers. The flow in a heat exchanger can be arranged as parallel
flow, counter flow, and cross flow. 1

The general function of a heat exchanger is to transfer heat from one fluid to another. The
basic component of a heat exchanger can be viewed as a tube with one fluid running through
it and another fluid flowing by on the outside. There are thus three heat transfer operations
that need to be described:2

1. Convective heat transfer from fluid to the inner wall of the tube,
2. Conductive heat transfer through the tube wall, and
3. Convective heat transfer from the outer tube wall to the outside fluid.

Heat exchangers are typically classified according to flow arrangement and type of
construction: Parallel Flow, Counter Flow and Cross Flow

1Heat Exchanger. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2017, from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_exchanger

218.5 Heat Exchangers. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2017, from
http://web.mit.edu/16.unified/www/FALL/thermodynamics/notes/node131.html
 Parallel Flow

In parallel-flow heat exchangers, the two fluids enter the exchanger at the same end, and
travel in parallel to one another to the other side.

Counter Flow

In counter-flow heat exchangers the fluids enter the exchanger from opposite ends. The
counter current design is the most efficient, in that it can transfer the most heat from the
heat (transfer) medium per unit mass due to the fact that the average temperature
difference along any unit length is higher
Cross Flow

In a cross-flow heat exchanger, the fluids travel roughly perpendicular to one another through
the exchanger.

Log Mean Temperature and Heat transfer

The logarithmic mean temperature difference (also known as log mean temperature
difference or LMTD) is used to determine the temperature driving force for heat transfer in
flow systems, most notably in heat exchangers. The LMTD is a logarithmic average of the
temperature difference between the hot and cold feeds at each end of the double pipe
exchanger. The larger the LMTD, the more heat is transferred. The use of the LMTD arises
straightforwardly from the analysis of a heat exchanger with constant flow rate and fluid
thermal properties. 3

Heat Transfer in heat Exchanger

Q=UA(LMTD)

Q- Heat Transfer
U- Overall Heat transfer Coefficient
LMTD- Log Mean Temperature difference

3Logarithmic mean temperature difference. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logarithmic_mean_temperature_difference
Mean Temperature Difference

Logarithmic Mean Temperature Difference - LMTD

The rise in secondary temperature is non-linear and can best be represented by a logarithmic
calculation. A logarithmic mean temperature difference is termed

LMTD (or DTLM) - Logarithmic Mean Temperature Difference

LMTD can be expressed as

LMTD = (dto - dti) / ln(dto / dti) where

LMTD = Logarithmic Mean Temperature Difference (oF, oC)

For parallel flow:

dTi = Tpi - Tsi = inlet primary and secondary fluid temperature difference (oF, oC)
dTo = Tpo - Tso = outlet primary and secondary fluid temperature difference (oF, oC)

For counter flow:

dTi = Tpi - Tso = inlet primary and outlet secondary fluid temperature difference (oF, oC)
dTo = Tpo - Tsi = outlet primary and inlet secondary fluid temperature difference (oF, oC)

The Logarithmic Mean Temperature Difference is always less than the Arithmetic Mean
Temperature Difference
Arithmetic Mean Temperature Difference - AMTD
An easier but less accurate way to calculate the mean temperature difference is the

AMTD (or DTAM) - Arithmetic Mean Temperature Difference

AMTD can be expressed as:

AMTD = (Tpi + Tpo) / 2 - (Tsi + Tso) / 2 where

Tpi = primary inlet temperature (oF, oC)

Tpo = primary outlet temperature (oF, oC)
Tsi = secondary inlet temperature (oF, oC)
Tso = secondary outlet temperature (oF, oC)

A linear increase in the secondary fluid temperature makes it more easy to do manual
calculations. AMTD will in general give a satisfactory approximation for the mean
temperature difference when the smallest of the inlet or outlet temperature differences is
more than half the greatest of the inlet or outlet temperature differences.4

4Arithmetic and Logarithmic Temperature Difference. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2017, from
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/arithmetic-logarithmic-mean-temperature-d_436.html Difference
When heat is transferred as a result of a change of phase like condensation or evaporation the
temperature of the primary or secondary fluid remains constant. The equations can then be
simplified by setting 5
Tp1=Tp2 Or Ts1=Ts2

II. Methodology

The comparative study and analysis of Counter flow and Parallel flow heat exchangers were
conducted through Solidworks flow simulations. The Computational fluid dynamic (CFD)
study of the heat exchangers began after the construction of the model geometry that shows
the simplified elements of the system. The model was constructed for the two types of
exchangers but the same input parameters were provided. The working fluid in the tests is
water at different temperatures: one at high temperature and the other at the relative ambient
temperature. The data calculated and the graphs were retrieved from running the simulation
tests.

Schematic Diagram

Selecting the Constructing the Heat Injecting parameters

Parameters Exchanger Model to Solidworks flow
Geometry Simulation Wizard

Analysis of the Running the Examining parameters

Soliwoks data results Solidworks flow and structure for errors
Simulation

5Pagare, A., Tripathi, K., & Choudhary, N. (2016). HEAT EXCHANGER. NUMERICAL
ANALYSIS OF PARALLEL FLOW HEAT EXCHANGER. Retrieved October, from
http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1607013.pdf
Simulation Parameters
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger
Material: Copper
Initial Properties
Over all Heat Transfer Coefficient=1419 W/m2-K
Pin Tube=Pin Shell= 101.325 kPa
Tin Shell= 400 K
Tin Tube= 300 K
(Mass in=Mass out) tube= 3.783 kg/s
(Mass in=Mass out) Shell= 1.892 kg/s
(Velocity in) Tube and Shell= 0.366 m/s

III. Heat Exchanger Simulation

PARALLEL FLOW

Flow Trajectory
Shell Surface Temperature Distribution

Tube Surface Temperature Distribution

COUNTER FLOW
Flow Trajectory

Shell Surface Temperature Distribution

Tube Surface Temperature Distribution
 IV. Results and Discussion

In the parallel flow heat exchanger, the shell fluid temperature decreased by 37.14 C and the
tube fluid temperature increased by 11.9 C.
In the counter flow heat exchanger, the shell fluid temperature decreased by 38.25 C and the
tube fluid temperature increased by 12.02 C.
The difference of the temperatures in each end of the heat exchanger is larger for counter
flow arrangement than for parallel flow.

The resulting heat transfer rate from Solidworks flow simulation for the counter flow heat
exchanger is also larger than for parallel flow. The difference in the heat transfer rate between
the two heat exchanger is 3477.668 W.
Parallel flow

Counter flow

CALCULATIONS

PARALLEL FLOW
TH1 = 400 K TH2 = 362.86 K
TC1 = 300 K TC2 = 311.9 K
COUNTER FLOW
TH1 = 400 K TH2 = 362.86 K
TC1 = 300 K TC2 = 311.9 K

Parallel flow
Q=UA(LMTD)
=(1419 W/m2 C) (0.2 m2)(72.71 C)
= 20603.098 W

% error =[|(19228.152 – 20603.098)| /19228.152]*100% = 7.15 %

Counter flow

Q=UA(LMTD)
=(1419 W/m2 C)(0.2 m2)(74.09 C)
= 21026.742 W

% error =[ |22705.82-21026.74|/22705.82]* 100% = 7.39%

 V. Conclusion

The comparison between the two heat exchangers was based on their heat transfer
performance. It is concluded that the counter current flow of fluids in heat exchangers is more
efficient than parallel flow. The higher temperature difference (LMTD) calculated for the
counter flow also supports the heat transfer rate values obtained through the solidworks
simulation. The result implies better performance in favor of the counter flow heat exchanger.

References
1. Heat Exchanger. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2017, from
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_exchanger

2. 18.5 Heat Exchangers. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2017, from

http://web.mit.edu/16.unified/www/FALL/thermodynamics/notes/node131.html

3. Logarithmic mean temperature difference. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logarithmic_mean_temperature_difference

4. Arithmetic and Logarithmic Temperature Difference. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26,

2017, from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/arithmetic-logarithmic-mean-
temperature-d_436.html Difference

5. Pagare, A., Tripathi, K., & Choudhary, N. (2016). HEAT EXCHANGER.

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF PARALLEL FLOW HEAT EXCHANGER.
Retrieved October, from http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1607013.pdf
6. Holman, J. P. (2010). Heat transfer (10th ed., Ser. 2010). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill
Higher Education.