OPTIMIZATION OF

HEAT EXCHANGER
DESIGN FOR OIL
AND GAS A Combined Chemical Process

RECOVERY
Design and CFD Approach
Chen et al. (2024)
PRESENTED BY PETER PAUL ANUNCIADO
OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION D E TA I L E D D E S I G N

METHODOLOGY CFD NUMERICAL

S I M U L AT I O N
H E AT E X C H A N G E R C A S E S T U DY
SELECTION
P R E L I M I N A RY D E S I G N EXPECTED OUTCOME
Problem:
High summer temperatures reduce oil and
gas recovery efficiency in oil depots.

Solution:
· Optimize heat exchanger design to
improve cooling and recovery.

INTRODU
CTION
Objectives:

• Enhance adsorption tank

performance

• Improve oil and gas recovery

rates

INTRODU
• Minimize energy consumption

CTION
METHODO
LOGY
COMBINE CHEMICAL PROCESS
DESIGN AND CFD SIMULATION
4 STEPS APPROACH
 Heat
Exchanger
CRITERIA

Selection
TEMPERATU
RE

RE NTS
CL IRE
RE U

QU
S

EA
ES

G
NI
PR

N
ME
 Heat
Exchanger
CHOICE

Selection
TYPE
ADVANTAG DISADVA
E NTAGE
Low pressure, lower
Compact, versatile, heat transfer
Spiral Plate
easy to maintain efficiency, higher
cost

Higher cost, lower

High efficiency,
Plate pressure, difficult
small, easy to clean
maintenance

High efficiency, Small flow path,

Plate-Fin compact, suitable for clogging, difficult
limited space cleaning
 Heat
Exchanger
CRITERIA

Selection
• Simplify in design
• Ease of manufacturing
• Convenience in cleaning
• Suitability for high-pressure and high-
temperature environment

Thus, Tube and shell heat exchangers are ideal for

applications requiring high pressure and temperature
due to their robust design and construction. They are
relatively easy to manufacture and clean, making
them a practical choice for many industrial processes.
 Preliminary Design
Calculations

The preliminary design of a shell and

tube heat exchanger determines the
required heat exchange area and heat
load according to the given condition
parameters, including flow rates of cold
and hot fluids, inlet and outlet
temperature, and inlet pressure
parameters

When calculating two-phase flow, it is

necessary to satisfy the energy
conservation model

Models
 Preliminary Design
Calculations

Q: Heat load (energy transferred)

mc: Mass flow rate of cold fluid
mh: Mass flow rate of hot fluid
cp,c: Specific heat of cold fluid
cp,h: Specific heat of hot fluid
Tc,i: Inlet temperature of cold fluid
Tc,o: Outlet temperature of cold fluid
Th,i: Inlet temperature of hot fluid
Th,o: Outlet temperature of hot fluid
Models
 Preliminary Design
Calculations

The Peng-Robinsion (PR) equation of state can be

used to calculate all thermodynamic properties, and
reasonable results can be obtained under various
temperature and pressure ranges:

• p: Pressure
• R: Ideal gas constant (8.3144
J/mol·K)
• T: Absolute temperature
• V: Molar volume
Models • a, b: Parameters specific to the
DETAI
LED
DESIG
N
DETAILED
DESIGN
PARAMETERS
This equation calculates the rate of heat transfer in a heat
exchanger
based on the size of the heat exchanger, the temperature
difference
between the fluids, and the efficiency of the heat transfer
process.
Q: Heat transfer rate (heat load)
K: Overall heat transfer coefficient
A: Heat exchanger area
Δtm: Mean temperature difference
ΔtF: Correction factor for logarithmic mean
temperature difference
Δtm': Logarithmic mean temperature difference
DETAILED FACTORS

DESIGN
Fouling:
Deposits build up on both the oil and water sides of the heat exchanger.
These deposits can reduce heat transfer efficiency and increase flow
resistance.
High flow velocity (over 3 m/s) can help minimize fouling.
The fouling coefficient values used in the detailed design are shown in Table
2.
 CFD
Numeri
cal
Simulat
ion
 GOVERNING
EQUATIONS
(1) Mass conservation equation
The mass conservation formula of the medium in the heat
exchanger
(2) Momentum conservation equation
The law of conservation of momentum is Newton’s second law.
(3) Energy conservation
equation
CASE
STUDY
Utilizing the aforementioned heat
exchanger optimization design method,
this section takes an oil depot’s heat
exchanger as an example. CFD
simulation is used to verify whether the
detailed design results can meet the
requirements
· Oil Depot: under the design
conditions.
o Gasoline steam (40°C) to
water (30°C)
o Size constraints (1.2m x
6m)
· Design Parameters: Flow
rates, temperatures,
 CASE STUDY

Given the cleaning challenges and higher costs associated with U-tube
and floating-head heat exchangers, fixed tube sheet heat exchangers
were chosen for their simpler design, lower maintenance costs, and
compact size.

Physical Structure. Three-dimensional structure of the fixed tube sheet

heat exchanger
 CASE
the fixed tube sheet heat exchanger was carried out.
STUDY
According to the detailed design results, the CFD numerical simulation of

The arrangement of fixed tube sheet heat exchanger heat

There are 164 heat exchange tubes exchange
in the tube
model, with length of 4.5 m, wall
thickness of 2 mm, outer diameter of 25 mm, and tube pitch of 22.6 mm. The
inlet and outlet of the cold and hot flow of the heat exchanger feature an outer
diameter of 159 mm and a wall thickness of 4.5 mm. The shell has an outer
diameter of 530 mm and a wall thickness of 9 mm. Internally, 20 baffles with a
thickness of 2.5 mm and a spacing of 200 mm (center distance between the
front and back baffles) are employed to secure the heat exchange tubes and
direct the flow. The heat exchange tube is made of steel.
EXPECTED
OUTCOME
CFD
VERIFICATION
In this simulation, polyhedral mesh is used to mesh the heat exchanger (as shown below), and five
boundary layers are set in the shell layer and the tube layer of the heat exchanger

The final model used a dense mesh of approximately 25 million elements, requiring 60 GB of memory.
This mesh density was found to be sufficient for accurate results while minimizing computational
costs.
EXPECTED
OUTCOME
CFD
VERIFICATION
The hot fluid enters the heat exchanger and flows through the tubes, being cooled by the cold fluid
in the shell. As it travels through the tubes, the hot fluid's temperature gradually decreases. When
it exits the heat exchanger, its weighted average temperature is 27.54 degrees Celsius.

The heat exchanger's interior was analyzed by examining its cross-sectional velocity,
temperature, and pressure fields. The results show that the hot fluid enters the tubes at a high
velocity but quickly stabilizes to a constant value. The cold fluid's velocity does not affect the
hot fluid's flow, which remains uniform throughout the tubes.
EXPECTED
OUTCOME
CFD
VERIFICATION
Illustrates the heat flow velocity variations at different locations within the heat
exchanger. Initially, when L = 0 mm, the hot fluid enters the pipe at a relatively higher
velocity. Upon entering the pipe, its velocity stabilizes, ultimately reaching a constant value
of 9.94 m/s when L = 4500 mm.

The hot fluid enters the pipe at a high velocity but quickly stabilizes to a constant speed.
The cold fluid's movement doesn't affect the hot fluid's flow rate, which remains
consistent throughout the pipe.
EXPECTED
OUTCOME
CFD
VERIFICATION
Figure 12 depicts the temperature distribution of the hot fluid at various locations within the
heat exchanger in a steady state. When L = 0 mm (the start of the pipe), the hot fluid has not
cooled, so the temperature is higher. As L increases to 2250 mm and 4500 mm

The cooling water gets colder as it flows through the shell. The hot fluid flows through the top
of the pipe, cools down, and then flows to the bottom before exiting. At the exit, the hot fluid's
temperature is much lower than when it entered, showing that the heat exchanger is working
as it designed.
EXPECTED
OUTCOME
CFD
VERIFICATION
The hot fluid pressure at different positions of the heat exchanger in a steady state
is shown in Figure 13

The hot fluid pressure is highest at the entrance of the upper pipe section and decreases as
it flows through the heat exchanger. The pressure of the oil and gas also reaches its lowest
point at the outlet. The overall pressure drop from the inlet to the outlet is about 1.275 KPa.
EXPECTED
OUTCOME
CFD
VERIFICATION

The CFD results align closely with the detailed design outcomes, except for the
pressure drop. The inlet and outlet parameters obtained in Aspen's detailed design
are consistent with the CFD simulation results.
CONCLUSION
This study integrates chemical process design with CFD simulation to
optimize heat exchanger design for oil and gas recovery.

Key findings:

⚬ The designed heat exchanger can efficiently cool oil and gas, reducing energy
consumption and improving operational stability.
⚬ The heat exchanger can handle a significant flow rate, reducing harmful
pollutant emissions.
⚬ The CFD results validate the accuracy of the chemical process simulation
software.

Future directions:

⚬ Experimental data verification is planned to further validate the model.

⚬ The findings offer valuable guidelines for designing and optimizing fixed tube
sheet heat exchangers.
Thank
you!