Title: Exergy analysis of a shell and tube heat exchanger using DETHE software

Authors: Joaquín Zueco; Sergio Ayala-Miñano

Addresses: ETS Ingeniería Industrial, Departamento de Ingeniería Térmica y Fluidos, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30202, Cartagena (Murcia), Spain ' ETS Ingeniería Industrial, Departamento de Ingeniería Térmica y Fluidos, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30202, Cartagena (Murcia), Spain

Abstract: In this paper, a sensibility study of irreversibility due to geometrical parameters variation of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger is proposed by using an exergy analysis. The irreversibility calculation model has been implemented on design tubular heat exchangers (DETHE) software, where thermohydraulic calculations are based on Bell-Delaware method. A prior evaluation of thermohydraulic results of DETHE is provided against a commercial software. Through an exergetic analysis in the study case, formulation to be implemented in the software for irreversibility calculation is developed. A real case study of a heat exchanger located in a pre-heat train of atmospheric crude distillation unit is analysed. Irreversibility results due to key design parameters variation for this heat exchanger are provided and discussed.

Keywords: heat exchanger; exergy method; irreversibility; design tubular heat exchangers; DETHE; Bell-Delaware; second law thermodynamics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2020.109988

International Journal of Exergy, 2020 Vol.33 No.2, pp.198 - 213

Received: 19 Jul 2019
Accepted: 10 Apr 2020
Published online: 30 Sep 2020 *

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