Heat Exchangers in ASPEN Plus
Objective
Introduce the unit operation models used for
heat exchangers
Introduce the HeatX & MHeatX block
Model a shell and tube exchanger
Heat Exchanger Models
• Heater - Heater or cooler
• HeatX - Two stream heat exchanger
• MHeatX - Multi-stream heat exchanger
Heater
Heater performs these types of single phase or
multiphase calculations:
• Bubble or dew point calculations
• Add or remove any amount of user specified heat
duty
• Match degrees of superheating or subcooling
• Determine heating or cooling duty required to
achieve a certain vapor fraction
Working with the Heater Model
• The Heater block mixes multiple inlet streams to produce a
single outlet stream at a specified thermodynamic state.
• Heater can be used to represent:
» Heaters
» Coolers
» Valves
» Pumps (when work-related results are not
needed)
» Compressors (when work-related results are not
needed)
• Heater can also be used to set the thermodynamic
conditions of a stream.
Heater Input Specifications
• Allowed combinations:
» Pressure (or Pressure drop) and one of:
Outlet temperature
Heat duty or inlet heat stream
Vapor fraction
Temperature change
Degrees of subcooling or superheating
» Outlet Temperature or Temperature change and one of:
Pressure
Heat Duty
Vapor fraction
Heater Input Specifications (cont’d)
• For single phase use Pressure (drop) and one of:
» Outlet temperature
» Heat duty or inlet heat stream
» Temperature change
• Vapor fraction of 1 means dew point condition, 0 means
bubble point
Heat Streams
• Any number of inlet heat streams can be specified
for a Heater.
• One outlet heat stream can be specified for the net
heat load from a Heater.
• The net heat load is the sum of the inlet heat
streams minus the actual (calculated) heat duty.
• If you give only one specification (temperature or
pressure), Heater uses the sum of the inlet heat
streams as a duty specification
• If you give two specifications, Heater uses the heat
streams only to calculate the net heat duty.
Heater (Example)
HeatX Model
• HeatX can perform simplified or rigorous
rating calculations
• Simplified rating calculations (heat and
material balance calculations) can be
performed if exchanger geometry is
unknown or unimportant
• For rigorous heat transfer and pressure
drop calculations, the heat exchanger
geometry must be specified.
HeatX Model (Cont’d)
HeatX can model shell-and-tube exchanger types:
» Counter-current and co-current
» Segmental baffle TEMA E, F, G, H, J and X
shells
» Rod baffle TEMA E and F shells
» Bare and low-finned tubes
HeatX Model (Cont’d)
• HeatX performs:
» Full zone analysis
» Heat transfer and pressure drop calculations
» Sensible heat, nucleate boiling, condensation
film coefficient calculations
» Built-in or user specified correlations
• HeatX cannot:
» Perform design calculations
» Perform mechanical vibration analysis
» Estimate fouling factors
HeatX Calculation Modes
• Shortcut
Performs simple material and energy balance calculations,
and is used where geometry is unknown or unimportant.
Can be used for design, rating and simulation calculations.
• Detailed
Geometry needs to be specified. Can be used for rating and
simulation calculations only.
• Rigorous
Is used for design, rating, simulation and maximum fouling
calculations. Integrates Aspen Plus with more detailed
exchanger design/rating softwares.
HeatX Calculation Type
• Design:
Area/Geometry is determined.
• Rating
Determined whether given exchanger is over-designed or
under-designed for a given duty
• Simulation
Outlet conditions are predicted for inlet conditions
• Maximum Fouling
Determined maximum fouling reached in an exchanger at
which duty can be fulfilled
HeatX Input Specifications
• Select one of the following
» Heat Transfer Area or Geometry
» Exchanger Duty
» Constant UA
» For cold or hot outlet stream
Temperature
Temperature Increase/Decrease
Temperature Difference
Temperature Approach
Degrees of Superheat/Subcool
Vapour Fraction
HeatX Input Specifications
• Other inputs include:
» Inside Shell diameter
» Tube length, diameter (inner/outer), pitch,
number
» Baffle type, number, cut
» Nozzle diameters for shell/tube
HeatX (Example)
98 Kmol /hr
•Find area for above duty.
• Simulate for 25 sq.ft and find the exit temperature.
• Rate for 25 sq.ft.
HeatX Example
• Cooling 100 lbmol of methanol (14.7 psia, 150 F) to
100 F using 3000 lbmol of water (14.7 psia, 50 F).
• Find area for above duty.
• Simulate for 155 sq.ft and find the exit temperature.
• Rate for 155 sq.ft.
• (Use RKS-BM property method)
Plots
• Plots can be made with variables heat duty, temperature,
vapour fraction and pressure
• Plots for both hot side and cold side can be plotted
Exercise (Detailed Mode)
• Run the exchanger under detailed mode.
• Geometry to be supplied as:
» Shell Diameter 3 ft, tube pass 1
» 60 bare tubes, 15 ft length, pitch 31 mm, 21 mm
ID, 25 mm OD,
» 5 Segmental baffles, 15% cut
» All Nozzles 100 mm
• Find the % over-design/under-design in rating mode
• Find the hot outlet temperature in simulation mode
Rigorous Mode
• More detailed and accurate design calculations can be
carried out
• Separate Interface is also available
• Geometry is checked conforming to TEMA Standards
HeatX versus Heater
• Consider the following:
» Use HeatX when both sides are important.
» Use Heater when one side (e.g. the utility) is
not important.
» Use two Heaters (coupled by heat stream,
Calculator block or design spec) or an MHeatX
to avoid flowsheet complexity created by HeatX.
HeatX workshop
Objective:
Compare the simulation of a heat exchanger that uses water
to cool a hydrocarbon mixture using three methods: a shortcut
HeatX, a rigorous HeatX and two Heaters connected with a Heat
stream.
• Hydrocarbon stream
» Temperature: 200 C
» Pressure: 4 bar
» Flowrate: 10000 kg/hr
» Composition: 50 wt% benzene, 20% styrene,
20% ethylbenzene and 10% water
• Cooling water
» Temperature: 20 C
» Pressure: 10 bar
» Flow rate: 60000 kg/hr
» Composition: 100% water
HeatX workshop (cont’d)
-- Start with the General with Metric Units Template.
-- Use the NRTL-RK Property Method for the hydrocarbon streams.
-- Specify that the valid phases for the hydrocarbon stream is Vapor-Liquid-
Liquid.
-- Specify that the Steam Tables are used to calculate the properties for the
cooling water streams on the Block BlockOptions Properties sheet.
HeatX Workshop (cont’d)
• Shortcut HeatX simulation:
» Hydrocarbon stream exit has a vapor fraction of 0
» No pressure drop in either stream
• Two Heaters simulation:
» Use the same specifications as the shortcut HeatX
simulation
• Rigorous HeatX simulation:
» Hydrocarbons in shell leave with a vapor fraction
of 0
» Shell diameter 1 m, 1 tube pass
» 300 bare tubes, 3 m length, pitch 31 mm, 21 mm ID,
25 mm OD
» All nozzles 100 mm
» 5 baffles, 15% cut
» Create heat curves containing all info required
for thermal design.
» Change the heat exchanger specification to
Geometry and re-run.
Exercise
July 06, 2010 26
Example
Exercise
