Rate, simulate, and design plate-and-frame heat exchangers

Xphe^® is an incremental program that contains HTRI’s latest pointwise methods based on literature and proprietary experimental data. The heat transfer and pressure drop correlations are continually improved as a result of our ongoing research. 

As a module in Xchanger Suite^®, Xphe lets you quickly transfer applicable case data to other components like Xist^® or Xace^®.

Features

• Handles virtually any plate-pack arrangement.
• 2D incrementation calculates localized profiles for heat transfer and pressure drop.
• Detailed output reports provide overall and localized results.
• Extensive visualization tools show exactly how the exchanger is performing.
• Integrated physical property system eliminates requirement for additional property generation software. Xchanger Suite includes VMGThermo™, an extensive and rigorous fluid physical property generator from Virtual Materials Group, Inc.
• Includes built-in interface to most process simulators.
• Can be embedded as a unit operation in any process simulator supporting CAPE-OPEN.
• Both input and output can be displayed in multiple unit sets, including user-defined sets. Dynamic display of values in all unit sets. 
• Session view allows tracking and retrieval of all runs made during a session. 
• Includes live configuration drawing for easy specification of complex flow arrangement. 

Geometry Specifications

• Herringbone plates with chevron angles from 0 to 90 degrees
• Built-in databank of plate geometries from multiple vendors
• Custom plate geometries defined and saved for future use
• One to six passes for each fluid
• Cocurrent or countercurrent flow in channels
• Up to five different plate types per plate pack
• Single or multiple packs in series

Calculation Features

• Rigorous heat transfer and pressure drop calculations using a 2D incrementation scheme that divides the exchanger into a large number of zones
• Flexible process input allowing specification of known process information (temperature, weight fraction vapor, and/or flow rates) with the program calculating missing information based on energy balance
• Three modes: rating (known duty and geometry), simulation (unknown duty and known geometry), and design (known duty and unknown geometry)
• Built-in port maldistribution model for calculating flow in each channel
• Optional specification of heat transfer coefficients and safety factors
• Support for non-Newtonian process fluids

Design Tools

• Classic design mode to automatically determine pack configuration, including number of hot/cold passes and required number of plates
• Grid design option to vary geometry over user-specified ranges and step sizes
• Design constraints to prevent selection of undesirable designs

Outputs

• Extensive set of spreadsheet-style output reports can be printed or exported to Microsoft^® Excel^®
• Summary reports with overall results in one or two pages
• Detailed reports for local profiles of all important parameters (temperature, pressure, heat transfer coefficients, heat flux, etc.)
• Standard API 662/ISO 15547 style specification sheet
• 2D scaled drawing provides visual confirmation of exchanger geometry, allowing for quick identification of performance issues
• Design and Series views allow plotting of variables across alternative designs and between frames in series
• User-defined graphs for easy accessibility