Single-Phase Heat Transfer Characteristics of Water in an Industrial Plate and Shell Heat Exchanger under High-Temperature Conditions

This study investigates the single-phase heat transfer, pressure drop, and temperature distribution of water in an industrial plate and shell heat exchanger (PSHE) under high-temperature conditions. In this experiment, the hot fluid flows downward on the plate side, while the cold fluid flows upward on the shell side. In the single-phase heat transfer experiment on water, the Nu is in the range of 7.85–15.2 with a Re from 1200 to 3200, which is substantially lower than that on the plate heat exchanger (PHE) studied previously. The decrease in the Nu is attributed to the reduced cross-sectional heat transfer area from the flow imbalance in the PSHE. As the Re increases, the pressure drop on the plate side increases more rapidly than that on the shell side because of the difference in the port pressure drop, flow direction, and flow position on the plate. When the Re is 2620, the pressure drops on the plate and shell sides are 52.5 kPa and 25.5 kPa, respectively, a difference of 51.4%. The temperature deviation on the circular plate increases as the Re decreases, especially between the edge and bottom of the plate because of uneven flow distribution on the plate.