1.1.1.

EXTENDED SURFACES (FINS)

Fins are the extensions attached to accelerate heat transfer rate. The heat is

transferred from the body to the fins by means of conduction, then this heat

from the fins is transferred away by convection and is governed by Newton’s

law of cooling.

Q = h A (Ts – T∞)

It is apparent from above equation that heat transfer rate can be enhanced

by increasing either

• Convective heat transfer coefficient, h.

• Or the area of heat transferring surface, A.

• Or the temperature difference, (Ts – T∞)

It is not possible always to increase the value of convective heat transfer

coefficient, h, by increasing velocity of flow of fluid surrounding the hot

surface or to increase temperature difference by lowering temperature of

fluid which is in contact with the hot surface. Therefore, heat transfer rate is

generally enhanced by increasing area of heat transferring surface. Fins

increases the area exposed to convective heat transfer leading to increased

rate of heat transfer.

Properties of Fins

The materials of fins are usually selected based on the properties such as:

• High thermal conductivity

• Light weight

• Easy of castability

• Corrosion resistance
Types of Fins

1) Straight fins: The straight fins are generally arranged perpendicular to

the surface of the body and in parallel directions.

2) Radial fin: Radial fins are fitted on the cylindrical surface as shown in

the figure.

3) Annular fin: The annular fins are of annular shape fixed on the periphery

of the cylindrical body.

4) Pin fin: The pin fins have a lower cross-section area but, in this case, the

surface area exposed to the convection is more.

Fig. Types of fins

Applications of Fins

• Heat exchangers
• Electric transformers
• Condensers and refrigerators
• Compressors
• Engine surfaces
• Automobile radiators
• Electric motors
• Heat sink on electronic circuit boards
 Electric motor Heat exchanger

Electronic circuit board Electric transformer

Fig. applications of fins

Analysis of Fins

In the design of fins, understanding of temperature profile along the fin is

critical. The following assumptions are necessary for the analysis of heat

transfer through the fin:

• Steady state heat conduction

• No heat generation within the fin

• Uniform heat transfer coefficient over the entire surface of the fin

• Constant thermal conductivity

 • Negligible contact thermal resistance

• One dimensional heat conduction

• Negligible radiation

Heat transfer through a fin of uniform cross-section

The increase in heat transfer obtained by attaching fins to a surface can be

determined by fin analysis.

Consider a small element of thickness ‘Δx’ at a distance ‘x’ from the base of

fin and its perimeter and cross-sectional area are expressed as

Perimeter, P = 2w + 2t = 2 (w + t)

Cross-sectional area, Ac = wt

Surface Area, A = P Δx

Under steady state conditions, energy balance on this element can be expressed as
 Qcond, x = Qcond, x+Δx + Qconv

where Qconv = h(pΔx) (T – T∞) substituting and dividing by Δx, we obtain,

Taking the limit as Δx→0 gives

𝑑𝑄𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑
= ℎ𝑝(𝑇 − 𝑇∞ )
𝑑𝑥

from Fourier’s law of heat conduction, we have

𝑑𝑇
Qcond = −𝐾𝐴
𝑑𝑥

Where A is the cross-section area at location x.

𝑑𝑄𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑇
From = ℎ𝑝(𝑇 − 𝑇∞ ) and Qcond = −𝐾𝐴 we have,
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥

𝑑 𝑑𝑇
𝑑𝑥
(𝐾𝐴 𝑑𝑥 ) − ℎ𝑝(𝑇 − 𝑇∞ )= 0

In the special case of constant cross-section area and constant thermal

conductivity, the equation reduces to:

𝑑2𝑇 ℎ𝑝
− ((𝑇 − 𝑇∞ )= 0
𝑑𝑥 2 𝑘𝐴

𝑑2Ɵ ℎ𝑝
or −m2Ɵ = 0 where m2 =
𝑑𝑥 2 𝑘𝐴

and Ɵ = 𝑇 − 𝑇∞ is the temperature excess. At the fin base we have

Ɵb = 𝑇𝑏 − 𝑇∞

𝑑2Ɵ
The general solution of the differential equation −m2Ɵ = 0 is
𝑑𝑥 2

Ɵ(x) = C1𝑒 𝑚𝑥 + C2𝑒 −𝑚𝑥 or C1Cosh mx + C2Sinh mx

 where C1 and C2 are arbitrary constant, whose values are determined from

the boundary conditions.

Fin Temperature Distribution Equations

Case1: Convection from the tip

At the base of fin, its temperature is equal to the wall temperature.
Therefore,
At x = 0; T = Tb
T - T∞ = Tb - T∞
or θ = θb
θb represents temperature difference between the fin base and the fluid
surrounding the fin.
Applying the boundary conditions x = 0, to the general solution
C1Cosh mx + C2Sinh mx we get,
C1 = θ b
At x = L
𝑑𝑇
−𝐾𝐴 = ℎ𝐴(𝑇(𝐿) − 𝑇∞ )
𝑑𝑥
𝑑𝑇
0r −𝐾 = ℎ(𝜃b)
𝑑𝑥

Solving for C2 we have, θ = θb Cosh mx + C2Sinh mx

Differentiating with respect to x and rearranging yields,

ℎ
𝑇𝑥 − 𝑇∞ 𝐶𝑜𝑠ℎ 𝑚(𝐿 − 𝑥) + ( ) sinh 𝑚(𝐿 − 𝑥)
= 𝑚𝑘
𝑇𝑏 − 𝑇∞ ℎ
𝐶𝑜𝑠ℎ 𝑚𝐿 + ( ) sinh 𝑚𝐿
𝑚𝑘
This is the temperature distribution equation for convection from the fin tip
The rate of heat transfer is given by:

ℎ
𝑑𝑇 𝑠𝑖𝑛ℎ 𝑚𝐿+( ) Cosh 𝑚𝐿
Qconv = −𝐾𝐴 = √ℎ𝑝𝐾𝐴(𝑇𝑏 − 𝑇∞ ) 𝑚𝑘
ℎ
𝑑𝑥 𝐶𝑜𝑠ℎ 𝑚𝐿+( ) sinh 𝑚𝐿
𝑚𝑘

Case 2: Adiabatic tip

Temperature distribution

𝑇𝑥 − 𝑇∞ 𝐶𝑜𝑠ℎ 𝑚(𝐿 − 𝑥)
=
𝑇𝑏 − 𝑇∞ 𝐶𝑜𝑠ℎ 𝑚𝐿

Heat transfer rate

𝑑𝑇
Q = −𝐾𝐴 = √ℎ𝑝𝐾𝐴(𝑇𝑏 − 𝑇∞ )tanhmL
𝑑𝑥

Case 3: Defined temperature

𝑇(𝐿) − 𝑇∞
𝑇𝑥 − 𝑇∞ [ 𝑇 − 𝑇 ] sinh 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑠𝑖𝑛ℎ 𝑚(𝐿 − 𝑥)
𝑏 ∞
=
𝑇𝑏 − 𝑇∞ sinh 𝑚𝐿
𝑇(𝐿) −𝑇∞
[ ]
𝑑𝑇 𝑇𝑏 −𝑇∞
Q = −𝐾𝐴 =√ℎ𝑝𝐾𝐴(𝑇𝑏 − 𝑇∞ ) cosh 𝑚𝐿 −
𝑑𝑥 sinh 𝑚𝐿

Case 4: Infinite fin

𝑇𝑥 −𝑇∞
= e-mx where m = √ℎ𝑝/𝐾𝐴
𝑇𝑏 −𝑇∞

The performance of the fins is measured by using the following parameters.

Fin Efficiency: - Fin efficiency gives the relationship between the actual

rate of heat transfer and maximum possible heat transfer through fin

𝑸𝒇𝒊𝒏 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧

η= =
𝑸𝒇𝒊𝒏,𝒎𝒂𝒙 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

Fin Effectiveness: The fin effectiveness shows the relation between the rate

of heat transfer by using fins and by without the use of fins.

Mathematically, fin effectiveness is given by,

𝑸𝒇𝒊𝒏 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐀𝐛

£fin= 𝑸 =
𝒏𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐀𝐛
 CONVECTION HEAT TRANSFER

Under convection mode, the heat is transferred between a solid surface and
the adjacent liquid or gas that is in motion. It thus involves the combined
effect of conduction and fluid motion.

Dependence of Convection Heat Transfer

• Effectiveness depends on the mixing motion of the fluid
• Heat flow depends on properties of fluid
• The shape of the surface

Classification of Convection Heat Transfer

Free (natural) convection
• The flow is caused by buoyance forces induced by density differences
due to the variation of temperature in the fluid
Forced convection
• Here the fluid is forced to flow over the surface by external means
such as pumps, fan, etc.

Illustration of forced and free (natural) convection

The rate of convection heat transfer is expressed by Newton’s law of cooling

and it is given as:
Qconv = h A (Ts – T∞) (W)
Or
 qconv = h (Ts – T∞) (W/m2)

The convective heat transfer coefficient h strongly depends on the fluid

properties and roughness of the solid surface, and the type of the fluid flow
(laminar or turbulent).

h = f(ρ, V, D, μ, Cp, K)

where, ρ = density, V = velocity, D = diameter, μ = viscosity, Cp = specific heat

capacity, and K = thermal conductivity

BOILING AND CONDENSATION

Boiling is a liquid-vapour phase change process like evaporation although
the two processes are different.
Evaporation: Occurs at the liquid-vapour interface when the vapour
pressure is less than the saturation pressure of the liquid at a given
temperature.
Boiling: Occurs at the solid-liquid interface when a liquid is brought into
contact with a surface maintained at a temperature Ts sufficiently above the
saturation temperature Tsat of the liquid
Evaporation

Boiling

The boiling heat flux from the solid surface to the fluid is expressed from
Newton’s law of cooling as

qboiling = h(Ts –Tsat) = h∆T (W/m2)

Where (Ts –Tsat) =∆T is the excess temperature, which represents the

excess temperature above the saturation temperature of the fluid

Classification of boiling
Boiling is called Pool boiling in the absence of bulk fluid flow
Boiling is referred to as Flow boiling when bulk fluid flow is present

Pool and flow boiling are further classified as subcooled boiling or

saturated boiling depending on the bulk temperatures.
Subcooled (local) boiling: Occurs when the temperature of the main
body of the liquid is below the saturation temperature.
Saturated boiling: Occurs when the temperature of the liquid is equal
to the saturation temperature.

Boiling regimes and the boiling curve

a) Natural convectional boiling: The fluid motion in this mode is
governed by natural convection currents. Natural convection
boiling ends at an excess temperature of about 5 oC for water.
b) Nucleate boiling: Bubbles form at an increasing rate at a number
of nucleation sites. Occurs at 10 oC ≤ ∆T ≤30 oC of excess ∆T for
water (i.e., between point A and C on the curve).
c) Transitional boiling: Here both nucleate and film boiling occurs
partially. The increase in excess temperature at this stage causes
the decrease in heat flux. This is because a large fraction of the
heater surface is covered by a vapour film which acts as insulation.
 For water, transitional boiling occurs over excess temperature
between 30 oC and 120 oC. ( from point C to D on the curve)
d) Film boiling: In this mode, the heater surface completely covered
by a continuous stable vapour film. The presence of a vapour film
between the heater surface and the liquid is responsible for the low
heat transfer rate in the film boiling region. The heat transfer
increases with increasing excess temperature because of radiation
to the liquid

Boiling regimes equations

1. Nucleate boiling
3
𝑔(𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑣 ) ½ 𝐶𝑝𝑙 (𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑠𝑎𝑡 )
𝑞̇ 𝑛𝑢𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒 = µ𝑙 ℎ𝑓𝑔 [ ] [ ]
𝜎 𝐶𝑠𝑓 ℎ𝑓𝑔 𝑃𝑟𝑙𝑛

where
µl =viscosity of the liquid (kg/m.s)
hfg =enthalpy of vaporization (J/kg)
g =gravitational acceleration (m/s2)
ρl = density of the liquid (kg/m3)
ρv = density of the vapour (kg/m3)
σ =surface tension of liquid-vapour interface (N/m)
 Cpl =specific heat of the liquid (J/kg.oC)
Ts = surface temperature of the heater (oC)
Tsat = saturation temperature of the fluid (oC)
Csf = experimental constant that depends on surface-liquid combination
Prl =Prandtl number of the liquid
n = experimental constant that depends on the fluid

2. Peak heat flux

𝑞̇ 𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝐶𝑐𝑟 ℎ𝑓𝑔 [𝑔𝜎𝜌𝑣2 (𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑣 )]¼
3. Minimum heat flux
¼
𝑔𝜎(𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑣 )
𝑞̇ 𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 0.09𝜌𝑣 ℎ𝑓𝑔 [ ]
(𝜌𝑙 +𝜌𝑣 )2

4. Film boiling
¼
𝑔𝑘𝑣3 𝜌𝑣 (𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑣 )[ℎ𝑓𝑔 + 0.4𝐶𝑝𝑣 (𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑠𝑎𝑡 )]
𝑞𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚 = 𝐶𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚 [ ] (𝑇𝑠 −𝑇𝑠𝑎𝑡 )
𝜇𝑣 𝐷(𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑠𝑎𝑡 )

K= the thermal conductivity

D = diameter
Note: Cfilm = 0.62 for horizontal cylinders and 0.67 for spheres

Condensation: Occurs when the temperature of the vapour is

reduced below its saturation temperature.
Types of Condensation
1. Film condensation: Occurs when the condensate wets the surface
and forms a liquid film on the surface that slides down under the
influence of gravity.
2. Dropwise condensation: Occurs when the condensed vapour
forms countless droplets of varying diameters on the surface
instead of a continuous film.
The simplified expression for the determination of the average heat transfer
coefficient for film condensation on a vertical plate of length L is:
 ∗ ¼
𝑔𝜌𝑙 (𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑣 )ℎ𝑓𝑔 𝑘𝑙3
ℎ𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡 = 0.943 [ ]
𝜇𝑙 (𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑠𝑎𝑡 )𝐿
Note: All properties of the liquid to are to be evaluated at the film temperature
Tf = (Tsat + Ts)/2. The hfg and ρv are to be evaluated at Tsat.

The average heat transfer coefficient for film condensation on the outer
surface of a horizontal tube is determined by:

∗ ¼
𝑔𝜌𝑙 (𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑣 )ℎ𝑓𝑔 𝑘𝑙3
ℎℎ𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧 = 0.729 [ ]
𝜇𝑙 (𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑠𝑎𝑡 )𝐷
Where D is the diameter of the horizontal tube
• The condensate flow is smooth and wave-free laminar for Re≤30
• The condensate flow is wavy-laminar in the range 30<Re<1800
• The condensate flow is turbulent for Re>1800
Heat transfer coefficients in the wavy-laminar and turbulent flow regions are
determined from:

⅓
𝑅𝑒𝑘 𝑔
ℎ𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡,𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑦 = 1.08𝑅𝑒 1.22𝑙 −5.2 (𝑣2 ) For 30 < Re < 1800
𝑙

⅓
𝑅𝑒𝑘 𝑔
𝑙
ℎ𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡,𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 = 8750+58𝑃𝑟 ±0.5 (𝑅𝑒 ( )
0.75 −253) 𝑣 2
For Re > 1800
𝑙

The average heat transfer coefficient for film condensation on the outer
surface of a sphere is:
∗ ¼
𝑔𝜌𝑙 (𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑣 )ℎ𝑓𝑔 𝑘𝑙3
ℎ𝑠𝑝ℎ = 0.815 [ ]
𝜇𝑙 (𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑠𝑎𝑡 )𝐷

For low vapour velocities, film condensation heat transfer inside horizontal
tubes can be determined from:
 ¼
𝑔𝜌𝑙 (𝜌𝑙 − 𝜌𝑣 )𝑘𝑙3 3
ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 = 0.555 [ (ℎ𝑓𝑔 + 𝑐𝑝𝑙 (𝑇𝑠𝑎𝑡 − 𝑇𝑠 ))]
𝜇𝑙 (𝑇𝑠𝑎𝑡 − 𝑇𝑠 ) 8

The heat transfer coefficient for dropwise condensation of steam

on copper surface is given by:
ℎ𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑒 = 51104 + 2044𝑇𝑠𝑎𝑡 22 oC < Tsat < 100 oC
ℎ𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑒 = 255,310 for Tsat > 100 oC

Heat Exchangers
Definition
Is a device which transfer the energy from a hot fluid to a cold fluid
Types of Heat Exchangers (direct or indirect contact)
• Double pipe heat exchanger:
• Consists of two concentric pipes of different diameters.
• Have two possible flow arrangements (Parallel and Counter flow)
• Parallel flow: Both the hot and cold fluid enter the heat exchanger
at the same end and move in the same direction
• Counter flow: Here the hot and cold fluids enter the heat exchanger
at opposite ends and flows in opposite directions
• Compact heat exchanger: here the two fluids move perpendicular to
each other in a configuration known as cross-flow
Shell and Tube heat exchanger: this type consist of a shell and an array of
tubes or a single shell and a tube
 Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Analysis of Heat Exchangers

Heat transfer in heat exchangers usually involves convection in each fluid

and conduction through the wall separating the two fluids. In the analysis of
heat exchangers, it is convenient to work with the overall heat transfer

coefficient U or total thermal resistance R expressed as:

𝟏 𝟏 𝟏 𝟏 𝟏
= = =R= + 𝑹𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍 +
𝑼𝑨𝒔 𝑼𝒊 𝑨 𝒊 𝑼𝒐 𝑨𝟎 𝒉𝒊 𝑨𝒊 𝒉𝒐 𝑨𝟎
Where i and o stands for the inner and outer surface of the wall that

separates the two fluids, respectively

When the wall thickness of the tube is small and the thermal conductivity of

the tube material is high, the relation simplifies to;

𝟏 𝟏 𝟏
= + where u ≈ 𝑼𝒊 ≈ 𝑼𝒐
𝑼 𝒉𝒊 𝒉𝒐

Fouling Factor

• The performance of heat exchangers usually deteriorates with time as

a result of accumulation of deposits on heat transfer surfaces. This
layer of deposits represents additional thermal resistance to heat
transfer.
• The measure of thermal resistance introduced by scaling (fouling)
is called fouling factor (𝐑 𝐟 )
• The effect of fouling on both the inner and outer surfaces of the tubes
of heat exchangers can be accounted for by:

𝟏 𝟏 𝑹𝒇𝒊 𝒍𝒏(𝑫𝒐 ⁄𝑫𝒊 ) 𝑹𝒇𝒐 𝟏

= + + + +
𝑼𝑨𝒔 𝒉𝒊 𝑨𝒊 𝑨𝒊 𝟐𝝅𝒌𝑳 𝑨𝒐 𝒉𝒐 𝑨𝟎
Where 𝐴𝑖 = 𝜋𝐷𝑖 L and 𝐴𝑜 = 𝜋𝐷𝑜 L are the areas of the inner and outer
surfaces, and 𝑅𝑓𝑖 and 𝑅𝑓𝑜 are the fouling factors of those surfaces,

respectively.
For a well-insulated heat exchanger, the rates of heat from the hot fluid is
equal to the rate of heat transfer on the cold one

Q = 𝒎𝒄 𝑪𝒑𝒄 (𝑻𝒄 𝒐𝒖𝒕 − 𝑻𝒄 𝒊𝒏 ) = 𝒎𝒉 𝑪𝒑𝒉 (𝑻𝒉 𝒊𝒏 − 𝑻𝒉 𝒐𝒖𝒕 )

Where 𝑚ℎ , 𝑚𝑐 = mass flow rates
𝐶𝑝𝑐, 𝐶𝑝ℎ = specific heats
𝑇𝑐 𝑜𝑢𝑡 , 𝑇ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑡 = outlet temperatures
𝑇𝑐 𝑖𝑛 , 𝑇ℎ 𝑖𝑛 = inlet temperatures

Methods of Heat Exchangers Analysis: Parallel and Counter flow

• The Log Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD) is one of the methods

used to analyze heat exchangers.
• This method is suited for determining the size of heat exchangers
when all the inlet and outlet temperatures are known.
• In LMTD the rate of heat transfer is determined from:

∆𝑻𝟏 −∆𝑻𝟐
Q = 𝑼𝑨𝒔 ∆𝑻𝑳𝑴 where ∆𝑻𝑳𝑴 = ∆𝑻
𝐥𝐧 ( 𝟏⁄∆𝑻 )
𝟐

Where ∆𝑇1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ∆𝑇2 represents the temperature differences between the two
fluids at the two ends (inlet and outlet)

Steps for selection of heat exchangers using the LMTD

• Select the type of exchanger suitable for the application
• Determine any unknown inlet and outlet temperature and the heat
transfer rate using an energy balance
• Calculate the LMTD and the correction factor F if necessary
• Obtain (select or calculate) the value of the overall heat transfer
coefficient
• Calculate the heat transfer area

Analysis of Heat Exchanger: Multi-pass and Cross-flow

Correction factor
• The LMTD is limited to parallel and counter flow heat exchangers only
• In the case of cross flow and multipass shell and tube heat
exchangers, the LMTD is related to the counter flow ∆𝑇𝐿𝑀 𝐶𝐹 as;
 ∆𝑻𝑳𝑴 = 𝑭∆𝑻𝑳𝑴 𝑪𝑭
• Where F is the correction factor which depends on the geometry of the
heat exchanger and inlet and outlet temperatures of the cold and hot
fluid streams
• The value of F is determined from charts using two temperature ratios
defined as:
𝒕𝟐 − 𝒕𝟏 𝑻𝟏 − 𝑻𝟐
P= and R =
𝑻𝟏 − 𝒕𝟏 𝒕𝟐 − 𝒕𝟏

where the subscripts 1 and 2 represents inlet and outlet, respectively.

• For Shell and tube heat exchangers T and t represents the shell and
tube side temperatures, respectively

Analysis of Heat Exchanger: Effectiveness – NTU Method

• This method is used to predict the outlet temperatures of the hot and
cold fluid streams in a specified heat exchanger
• The effectiveness of a heat exchanger is defined as:
𝑸 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒
ϵ= =
𝑸𝒎𝒂𝒙 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒

Where 𝑄𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝐶𝑚𝑖𝑛 (𝑇ℎ, 𝑖𝑛 − 𝑇𝑐, 𝑖𝑛 )

𝐶𝑚𝑖𝑛 is the smallest of 𝐶ℎ = 𝑚ℎ 𝐶𝑝, ℎ and 𝐶𝑐 = 𝑚𝑐 𝐶𝑝, 𝑐

𝐶𝑚𝑖𝑛
the ratio = C is called the capacity ratio
𝐶𝑚𝑎𝑥

• The number of transfer units (NTU) is expressed as:

𝑈𝐴𝑠 𝑈𝐴𝑠
NTU = =
𝐶𝑚𝑖𝑛 (𝑚𝐶𝑝 )
𝑚𝑖𝑛

• The following are the heat transfer effectiveness for various exchanger

configurations:

𝟏 −𝑬𝒙𝒑[−𝑵𝑻𝑼 (𝟏+𝑪)]
1. Parallel configuration ϵ = 𝟏+𝑪

𝟏 −𝑬𝒙𝒑[−𝑵𝑻𝑼 (𝟏− 𝑪)]

2. Counter flow ϵ = 𝟏−𝑪 𝑬𝒙𝒑[−𝑵𝑻𝑼(𝟏 −𝑪)]

3. Shell and tube, one shell pass

 𝟏+𝑬𝒙𝒑[−𝑵𝑻𝑼√𝟏+𝑪𝟐 −𝟏
ϵ = 2{1+C +√𝟏 + 𝑪𝟐 . }
𝟏−𝑬𝒙𝒑[−𝑵𝑻𝑼√𝟏+𝑪𝟐

4. All heat exchangers with C = 0, ϵ = 1-Exp(-NTU)

*The effectiveness heat exchangers can be determined from effectiveness relations on

charts