Steam Fed Heat Exchanger
Steam Fed Heat Exchanger
(OP)
I have a steam fed heat exchanger that is used to heat a gas. Heat exchanger is pipe within a pipe with counter flow. Inner pipe which has fins carries the saturated steam. Outer pipe (shell) has natural gas that is heated before taking a pressure cut. I want to know how to determine (by calculation) if the steam can be replaced by hot water/glycol in this same exchanger and get the same shell side effect.





RE: Steam Fed Heat Exchanger
What you need to do has a name. It's called Rating an exchanger. You calculate what the fluids you are proposing will do when they are applied to the stated double pipe exchanger.
Your internal fins exposed to liquid on the "tube" side of this exchanger will lend little or probably nothing to the heat transfer taking place.
This type of exchanger is not only one of the cheapest made, but it is also limited to relatively very small sizes. It would not surprise me to discover that it is far cheaper to buy a new, custom-specified exchanger for the new service than try to modify this old one.
RE: Steam Fed Heat Exchanger
Not that I can add to what Montemayor has said but it's not clear to me whether the fins are internal or external to the inner pipe.
RE: Steam Fed Heat Exchanger