S-SS-3-19 Improved Pressure Drop Method for Helical Quadrant Baffle Exchangers
A shellside helical flow path in a shell-and-tube exchanger can provide a number of distinct advantages over the reversing, serpentine flow path of conventional segmental baffles; however, current open literature prediction methods do not provide the confidence engineers need to make sound design decisions. Several fundamental geometric parameters either are not defined clearly in the current correlations or are omitted entirely. Moreover, most published methods and supporting measurements are not sufficiently documented to allow independent evaluation. Using the results of a parametric computational fluid dynamics study bolstered with the experience of several successful simulations of operating helical baffle exchangers, we present an improved method for calculating the pressure drop in a heat exchanger with quadrant helical baffles.