Advantages of brazed aluminum heat exchangers

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996 · Hydrocarbon Processing

OSTI ID:260681

Lunsford, K M ^[1]

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1. Bryan Research and Engineering, Bryan, TX (United States)

Brazed aluminum heat exchangers have superior heat transfer capabilities and can be cost-effective for noncorrosive gases and liquids compared to traditional shell-and-tube exchangers. Even so, brazed aluminum exchangers are often not considered due to complicated design equations and complex stacking arrangements. The simpler, yet less efficient, shell-and-tube exchangers or networks of shell-and-tubes are used instead. Even though brazed exchangers should only be used with relatively clean process streams, the advantages of close temperature approaches, true countercurrent flow and a unique ability to exchange heat with multiple streams make them viable alternatives to traditional shell-and-tube exchangers. Recently, process simulators have added design equations for multistream brazed aluminum heat exchangers for both single- and multi-phase flow. Thus, engineers can more readily make comparisons between the different exchangers. Guidelines for designing a brazed exchanger are presented and the brazed exchanger is compared with traditional shell-and-tube exchangers and networks of exchangers in four examples. For these examples, the brazed exchangers occupy significantly less volume than the corresponding shell-and-tube exchangers or networks. Given the power to make these exchanger comparisons easily, engineers can make informed decisions about heat exchanger equipment, resulting in increased performance and profits.

• OSTI ID: 260681
• Journal Information: Hydrocarbon Processing, Journal Name: Hydrocarbon Processing Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 75; ISSN HYPRAX; ISSN 0018-8190
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
42 ENGINEERING
ALUMINIUM ALLOYS
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN
COST ESTIMATION
EFFICIENCY
HEAT EXCHANGERS
LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GASES
MATERIALS
MATERIALS RECOVERY
NETWORK ANALYSIS
PRESSURE DROP
PROPANE
RECOMMENDATIONS
REFRIGERANTS
SIZE
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY