PHE-16-TR Phase-change Testing in Shell-and-plate Heat Exchanger

L. Huang and A. Worstell

2016

HTRI collected phase-change data in a shell-and-plate heat exchanger provided by Tranter, Inc. In the exchanger, steam condensed on the plate side, and process fluids—pure n-pentane and a mixture of n-pentane and p-xylene—boiled on the shell side. The data cover wide ranges of flow rate, temperature difference, and pressure. This report discusses the data and analysis, including data evaluation using methods in Xphe. These methods, developed for plate-and-frame heat exchangers (PHEs), predict pressure drop on the boiling side reasonably well and can be modified to account for differences between port and annulus flow distribution. Modified heat transfer methods for PHEs can also apply to shell-and-plate exchangers.