Performance enhancement of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger using a novel baffle design
Samiul Hasan, Saeed Iqbal, Ibrahim Khan, Ali Javaid, Muhammad Sajid
Abstract
This study introduces a novel baffle design that merges beneficial features from both trefoil and three-zonal configurations. The primary objective of this innovative design is to enhance heat transfer while simultaneously minimizing pressure drop. Theoretical analysis involved detailed meshing and simulated modeling of the heat exchanger, with experimental investigations measuring temperature variations and pressure losses using a dedicated setup. The findings suggest the suitability of the proposed baffle design in terms of overall performance per pressure drop. The conventional baffles exhibited higher heat exchange (16.67 % experimentally) across various flow rates. This came at the cost of a significantly higher pressure drop (peak at 41.46 % experimentally). The novel baffle achieved a favorable thermohydraulic trade-off, demonstrating a 13.07 % improvement in heat transfer per unit pressure drop. Furthermore, simulations showed that the proposed design led to a significantly reduced pressure drop, up to 17.7 %. The presented design can be set as a suitable reference for refining future baffle configurations in STHEs, directly contributing to the development of more efficient thermal management solutions that hold the potential to drive significant energy savings and operational efficiency in heat exchanger applications.