Study on the Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics in the Tube Side of Spiral-Wound Heat Exchanger

Abstract

In this article, the characteristics of hydrocarbons condensation flow and heat transfer in tube-side of spiral wound heat exchanger under static and sloshing conditions were numerically investigated based on the verified model. It is shown that at static conditions, as the vapor quality increases, the heat transfer coefficient first increases and then decreases, whereas the frictional pressure drop always increases. The pure hydrocarbon shows better flow and heat transfer performances than hydrocarbon mixture. Moreover, sloshing motions could bring about both drag reduction and heat transfer enhancement. These results are helpful to understand condensation flow in a spiral pipe.