LMECA2854 - Heat and mass transfer II

Heat Exchanger Laboratory

26 March 2023

Berlo Lissa 51401900

Denis Noélie 48391900
Heat Exchanger Laboratory LMECA2854 - Heat and Mass Transfer

1 Introduction
In the laboratory, the installation is composed of two coaxial assemblies and two circuits for the hot
and cold fluids. The purpose of the experiments is to estimate the overall heat transfer coefficient in both
assemblies, compare the different configurations investigated and draw an ϵ − N T U curve.

We use 8 thermocouples to measure the temperature. They are located at all the extremities of the
coaxial assemblies for the cold and the hot circuit. The mass flow rates are measured using the rotame-
ters Rc and Rh placed in both circuits. They can measure up to a flow rate of 40[kg/h]. The hot fluid
is heated using an electrical resistance with a power of 972[W ]. It is located just after the Ch,1 connection.

An overview of the laboratory’s installation can be found in the figure 1.

Figure 1 – Overview of the installation

1.1 Data

— Presistance = 972W
— 20[kg/h] < ṁh ≤ 40[kg/h]
— 0[kg/h] ≤ ṁc ≤ 40[kg/h]

Figure 2 – Characteristics of the coaxial assemblies

2 Fluid’s flow
2.1 Show that both flows in one coaxial assembly (annular and interior) are
laminar.
We use the highest flow rates for the hot and cold fluids to maximize the Reynolds number : ṁh =
40kg/h and ṁc = 40kg/h.
If Re ≪ 2300, the flow is laminar.

ρ · um · DH um · DH ṁ · DH
Re = = = (1)
µ ν µA
For the value of the dynamic viscosity µ, we need to know at which temperature the fluids are.
The hot fluid is heated using an electrical resistance which dissipates P = 972W . We have :
P = ṁh cp ∆T
⇒ ∆T = 20.93K

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Heat Exchanger Laboratory LMECA2854 - Heat and Mass Transfer

We consider that the hot fluid is at 20°C originally. It gives us that the hot fluid is at 40.93°C = 314.08
K. ⇒ µ(40.93°C) = 0.6421 · 10−3 mskg

The cold fluid is considered at 20°C. ⇒ µ(20°C) = 10−3 ms kg

Hot fluid

ṁh = 40kg/h = 0.0111kg/s

Ah = π(rh − eh )2 = 0.085 · 10−3 m2
DH,h = 2(rh − eh ) = 0.0104m
ReD,h = 2115.119 < 2300
⇒ The hot flow is laminar.

Cold fluid

ṁc = 40kg/h = 0.0111kg/s

Ac = π((rc − ec )2 − rh2 ) = 1.8862 · 10−4 m2
4 · Ac 4 · Ac
DH,c = = = 0.0076m
perimeter 2π(rc − ec + rh )
ReD,c = 447.248 < 2300
⇒ The cold flow is laminar.

⇒ The two flows are laminar.

2.2 Are they fully developed or should you consider the effect of the entry ?
A flow is fully developed if we can neglect the hydraulic and thermal entries.

µcp
Pr = (2)
k
xhyd = 0.05 · ReD · D (3)
xth = 0.05 · ReD · D · P r (4)

Hot fluid

P rh = 4.329
xhyd,h = 1.0999m ≪ L
⇒ We cannot neglect hydraulic entries.
xth,h = 4.7613m > 2L
⇒ We cannot neglect thermal entries.

⇒ Overall, we have a combined entry for the hot fluid’s flow.

Cold fluid

P rc = 6.742
xhyd,c = 0.16995m ≪ L
⇒ There is no hydraulic entries.
L
xth,c = 1.1458m ≈
2
⇒ We cannot neglect thermal entries.

⇒ We have a thermal entry for the cold fluid’s flow.

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Heat Exchanger Laboratory LMECA2854 - Heat and Mass Transfer

3 Overall heat transfer coefficient between the hot and cold fluids

1
U= (5)
Rtot A
Rtot = Rcond + Rconv,h + Rconv,e (6)
h·L
Nu = (7)
k

3.1 Conduction in the wall

log( rroi ) log( rhr−e

h
) K
Rcond = = h
= 2.41 · 10−4
2πLk 2πLkwall W

3.2 Convection in the inner pipe

Tm,i +Tm,o
We compute the fluid properties for 2 = 30.465◦ C :
kg
µ(30.465◦ C) = 7.89 · 10−4
ms
ṁh DH,h
ReD = = 1721.315
µ(30.465◦ C)Ah
µ(30.465◦ C)cp,H2 O
Pr = = 5.3194
k H2 O
Baehr and Stephan’s relation for combined entry with uniform Tw gives us :
ReD P r
GzD = L
= 45.346
DH,h
3.66 −1
−1/3 −2/3 + 0.0499GzD · tanh(GzD )
tanh(2.264·GzD +1.7·GzD )
N uD = −1/6
= (5.665 + 0.0499)/0.936 = 6.106
tanh(2.432 · P r1/6 Gzd )
N uD kH2 0 W
⇒ hh = = 364.012 2
DH h m K
1 K
Rconv,h = = 0.04
hh L2π(rh − eh ) W

3.3 Convection in the outer annulus which can be obtained by approximating

the annulus by a plane channel
3.3.1 Compute analytically the value of the Nusselt number for the fully-developed channel
configuration where one wall is insulated and the other is heated.
By conservation of energy and the use of the expression for a Poiseuille’s flow, we get the following
expression :
3 y ∂T ∂(T − Tw )2
cp,H2O ρ um (1 − )2 =k (8)
2 h ∂x ∂y 2
with h = rc −ec . We integrate and develop this equation (8) in order to find the heat flux qw and compute
the Nussel number.

cp ρ 9 136h2
Tm − Tw = − um (Tc,o − Tc,i ) = −3.655K
k 4 630
Th,i − Th,o P
⇐⇒ = = 13.28
L cp,H2 O ṁh L
∂T ṁh W
⇐⇒ qw = cp ρ h = 644.9 2
∂x ρA m
2hqw
Nu = = 2.565
k(Tm − Tw )

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Heat Exchanger Laboratory LMECA2854 - Heat and Mass Transfer

3.3.2 How does this approximation compare with the actual Nusselt number for the an-
nulus configuration Nu = 2.94 (based on the annulus width d = (ro,c − ec ) − ro, h
and for d/ro,h = 0.63), which can also be obtained analytically after quite lengthy
computations ?
This approximation Nu = 2.565 is less than the actual Nusselt number.
If we use Nu = 2.94, we have :
N u · kH2 O W
h= = 239.842 2
DH,c m K
1 K
Rconv,c = = 0.05267
2πLrh W
At the end, we obtain :
K
Rtot = Rcond + Rconv,h + Rconv,c = 0.105006
W
1 1 W
U= = = 120.2916
Rtot A Rtot 2πrh L Km2

3.4 The conductive resistance is usually much smaller than the convective
ones. Verify that it is effectively the case here.

Rcond
= 4.6257 · 10−3 ≪ 1
Rconv,h
Rcond
= 4.5757 · 10−3 ≪ 1
Rconv,c

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Heat Exchanger Laboratory LMECA2854 - Heat and Mass Transfer

4 Investigated cases
4.1 Configuration settings
The configuration settings for each case we will study are gathered in the following list. Schematic
representations for each case are all included in the figure 3.
1. Only assembly 1 in co-flow (fig. 3a)

The distribution valves VA102 and VA202 leading to the first coaxial assembly are open as well
as the connections Ch,1 , Ch,2 and Cc,1 , Cc,2 . In order to have a co-flow configuration, the supply
valves ATR102 and ATR103 must be open while Cc,1 is used as the cold fluid’s inlet and Cc,2 as
the outlet.

2. Both assemblies in series, in co-flow (fig. 3b)

The distribution valves VA102 and VA202 and the connections Ch,1 and Cc,1 remain open but
we close the connections Ch,2 and Cc,2 so the fluid can flow into the second coaxial assembly. The
open outlets are the connections Ch,3 and Cc,3 . The supply valves remain in the same position
than the case 1 but the new cold fluid’s outlet is Cc,3 .

3. Both assemblies in series, in counter-flow (fig. 3c)

The open and closed distribution valves and connections are the same than in the case 2. In order
to have a counter-flow configuration, we close the supply valves ATR102 and ATR103 and open
ATR101 and ATR104 while we switch the inlet and outlet for the cold fluid with Cc,2 used as the
inlet and Cc,1 as the outlet.

4. Extra : both assemblies in parallel, in co-flow (fig. 3d)

All the distribution valves (VA102, VA103, VA202, VA203 ) are open as well as the connections
Ch,1 , Ch,2 and Cc,1 , Cc,2 . In order to have a co-flow configuration, we go back to the settings 1 for
the supply valves.

4.2 Mass flow rates

We will observe several situations with different flow rates in each circuit.
• Same mass flow rates :

ṁh = ṁc = 30kg/s

• Different flow rates

— ṁh > ṁc :

ṁh = 40kg/s
ṁc = 20kg/s

— ṁh < ṁc :

ṁh = 20kg/s
ṁc = 40kg/s

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Heat Exchanger Laboratory LMECA2854 - Heat and Mass Transfer

(a) Only assembly 1 in co-flow

(b) Both assemblies in series, in co-flow

(c) Both assemblies in series, in counter-flow

(d) Both assemblies in parallel, in co-flow

Figure 3 – Configuration settings for each case studied