Design of Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger with Double Passes
Ikenna Chukwudi Nwokedi
Department of Chemical Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.
Chinenye Adaobi Igwegbe *
Department of Chemical Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The exchange of heat is one of the most important processes in the chemical industry. The shell and tube heat exchanger is the major equipment used to transfer heat from one medium to another. This research work on the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) of shell and tube heat exchangers with double passes aims to provide an easy way to design the shell and tube heat exchanger. A case study question was stated and all the necessary calculations in the thermal design were carried out using the Kern’s method of heat exchanger design. The thermal design was then used as a guide to the CAD using computer codes. The computer software program, Visual Basic NET (VB.NET) was used because of its numerous advantages over the other software. The result gotten from the computer-aided design was compared to the result from the thermal design. The computer-aided design software was equally used to test other problems on shell and tube heat exchanger. The computer-aided design was found to be more accurate, quicker and efficient and, it is recommended for use in companies and industries.
Keywords: Visual basic NET, computer-aided design, heat exchanger, log mean temperature difference