DESIGN PROCEDURE

The design of gasketed plate and frame heat exchanger is highly specialized in nature. Unlike
tubular heat exchangers for which design data and methods are easily available, a gasketed
plate and frame heat exchanger design continues to be proprietary in nature. Manufacturers
have developed their own computerised design procedures applicable to the exchangers that
they market. Therefore, specific and accurate characteristics of specific plate patterns are not
available in the open literature.

Plate and Frame Heat Exchanger Dimensions

Figure Typical PHE dimensions

Plate heat performance is largely dependent on the PHE dimensions. These dimensions include
PHE pack and plate dimensions. PHE dimensions consists of plate length and width, port
diameter, pack length, plate corrugation angle, corrugation pitch, plate pitch, corrugation
amplitude, plate thickness and plate spacing. All these dimensions are responsible for
determining total heat transfer area, heat transfer coefficient, friction factor, pressure drop,
number of plates and other performance characteristics.

A Length of the plate D Port-port centre line distance

B Width of the plate L Movable pack length
C Port-port centre line distance P Plate pack length
Dp Port Diameter
 Figure Basic plate dimensions
According to above Figure, the dimensions shown are provided by the manufacturer to
calculate effective area of the plate and enlargement factor. Figure shows the basic
dimensions used for various calculations for plate heat exchanger. It also shows the plate
corrugation dimensions. This can be explained by the following relations:

𝐿𝐿𝑝𝑝 ≈ 𝐿𝐿𝑣𝑣 – 𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷

Or, 𝐿𝐿𝑣𝑣 ≈ 𝐶𝐶
𝐿𝐿𝑤𝑤 ≈ 𝐿𝐿ℎ + 𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 ≈ 𝐵𝐵
Or, 𝐿𝐿ℎ ≈ 𝐷𝐷
𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 ≈ 𝐵𝐵 – 𝐷𝐷
𝑨𝑨𝒑𝒑 = 𝑳𝑳𝒑𝒑 . 𝑳𝑳𝒘𝒘

Where, L p = Effective plate length

L w = Effective plate width
A p = Projected area
L p and L w can be estimated by plate dimensions listed in above figures. Whereas A p is used
to estimate the surface enlargement factor, φ.
Surface Enlargement Factor
Surface enlargement factor is used to express the increase in the actual plate heat transfer area
due to corrugations. It is defined as the ratio of developed length to the flat or projected
length.

𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙ℎ
𝜑𝜑 =
𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙ℎ

The value of φ is a function of corrugation pitch or wavelength and the corrugation depth or
plate pitch. The value of φ is given as ratio of actual effective area as specified by the
manufacturer A 1 to the projected area A p as specified in Eq
 𝐴𝐴1
𝜑𝜑 =
𝐴𝐴𝑝𝑝
Mean Channel Spacing
Flow channel is a conduit formed by two adjacent plates between the gaskets. The mean
channel spacing, b can be defined as shown in Figure

𝑏𝑏 = 𝑝𝑝 − 𝑡𝑡

Where p is plate pitch and t is plate thickness. Channel spacing is required for the calculation
of mass velocity and Reynolds number and is therefore very important value. It is generally
specified by the manufacturer, but if not known, it can be estimated by plate pitch. The plate
pitch, p can be determined from the compressed plate pack length shown in Figure and total
number of plates N t .
𝑃𝑃
𝑝𝑝 =
𝑁𝑁𝑡𝑡
Channel Hydraulic Diameter
The channel hydraulic diameter D h or effective diameter D e is defined as,

4 × 𝑐𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎

𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒 =
𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝

4. 𝑏𝑏. 𝐿𝐿𝑤𝑤 2𝑏𝑏

𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒 = ≈
2(𝑏𝑏 + 𝐿𝐿𝑤𝑤 . 𝜑𝜑) 𝜑𝜑
Since calculations for corrugated plates are much complex, therefore to ease the calculations
for most of the general cases D h can used as 2b.

Characterization of PHE:
There are five parameters that can be used to characterize the PHE configuration
NCNC, PIPI, PIIPII, ϕϕ, YhYh and YfYf.
Number of channels (NCNC): The space between two adjacent plates is a channel. The end
plates are not considered, so the number of channels of a PHE is the number of plates minus
one. The odd-numbered channels belong to side I, and the even-numbered ones belong to side
II. The number of channels in each side are NICNCI and NIICNCII.
Number of passes (PP): This is the number of changes of direction of a determined stream
inside the plate pack, plus one. PIPI and PIIPII are the number of passes in each side.
Hot fluid location (YhYh): It is a binary parameter that assigns the fluids to the PHE sides.
If YhYh = 1 the hot fluid occupies side I while if YhYh = 0 the hot fluid occupies side II.
Feed connection (ϕϕ): Feed side I is arbitrarily set at ηη = 0 as presented in Figure. The
parameter ϕϕ represents the relative position of side II. The parameter ηη is defined
as η=x/LPη=x/LP.
 Figure Feed connection of a PHE.
The plates of a PHE can provide vertical or diagonal flow, depending on the arrangement of
the gaskets. For vertical flow, the inlet and outlet of a given stream are located on the same
side of the heat exchanger, whereas for diagonal flow they are on opposite sides. Assembly of
the plate pack involves alternating between the “A” and “B” plates for the respective flows.
Mounting of the plate pack in vertical flow mode only requires an appropriate gasket
configuration, because the A and B arrangements are equivalent
This is not possible in the case of diagonal flow, which requires both types of mounting plate
To identify each type of flow, considered the binary parameter YfYf (YfYf = 1 for diagonal
flow and YfYf = 0 for vertical flow). Poor flow distribution is more likely to occur in the
array of vertical flow
General geometrical and operating conditions:
Design of PHE requires two types of parameters;
• Process parameter
• Geometrical parameters
Hot/Cold fluid parameters
• Flow rate
• Inlet/outlet temperatures
• Fluid properties
• Fouling factor
Geometrical data
• Plate Dimensions (Length, width, Thickness, Corrugation angle)
• Plate enhancement factor
• Amplitude of corrugation
• Flow configuration
Overall heat transfer coefficient (OHTC) is very important factor in the
design of plate type heat exchange design OHTC units – Kcal / hr/m 2 / °C or
Kw/m 2 / °C,
It mainly depends upon the following parameters
a. Cold fluid film resistance
b. Hot fluid film resistance
c. Plate resistance – According to MOC (material of construction) of the
plate
 d. Resistance of scale. (fouling factor)
e. Velocity of hot and cold fluid
Some general process and geometrical condition characteristics of plate and frame heat
exchangers are listed below.

Characteristic Value
Maximum Surface area 2500 m2
No. of Plates 3 to 700
Port size Upto 400 mm
Thickness 0.5 to 1.2 mm
Spacing 1.5 to 7 mm
size 0.03 to 3.6 m2
Width 70 to 1200 mm
Length 0.4 to 5 m
Hydraulic diameter 0.05 to 10 mm
Surface area/plate 0.02 to 5 m2
Pressure 0.1 to 0.3 MPa
Temperature -40 to 260˚C
Maximum port velocity 6 m/s
Channel flow rates 0.05 to 12.5 m3/h
Maximum unit flow rate 2500 m3/h
Temperature approach As low as 1˚C
Heat exchanger efficiency Up to 93%
Heat transfer coefficients 3000 to 8000 W/m2
(for water-water duties)
Thermal performance
Thermal performance calculations are needed for two purposes, i.e., performance assessment
of a given design of heat exchanger and selection of configuration and size of a unit to
perform specific duty. The design procedure has been elaborated in the following section.
Method of calculation
The total heat transfer rate for plate heat exchanger is given by eq 4.11 which is also known
as effective mean temperature difference method.

𝑄𝑄̇ = 𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈∆𝑇𝑇𝑀𝑀 = 𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈∆𝑇𝑇𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿

Where, ∆T LM = the log mean temperature difference
A = the total heat exchanger area
F = a correction factor which is a function of R, P and exchanger
configuration

The definitions of R and P are

(𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 )𝑐𝑐 𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜

𝑅𝑅 = =
(𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 )ℎ 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
and
 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
𝑃𝑃 =
𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
R is also known as heat capacity ratio.
Heat transfer Coefficient Calculations
To calculate overall heat transfer coefficient for general configuration of plate and frame heat
exchanger, first we need to calculate some other properties such as channel flow rate, channel
flow velocity, Reynolds number and Nusselt number. For this some parameters are needed to
be specified such as number of plates, number of passes, plate dimensions (plate length, plate
width and channel spacing), hot and cold fluid flow rates, inlet stream temperatures and
physical properties of fluids.
Let N t be the total number of plates, N p be the number of passes, L is the length of plate, W is
the width of the plate and 𝑀𝑀̇ℎ and 𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐 are hot and cold flowrates respectively.

Consider a plate heat exchanger with hot and cold fluid flowing in alternate passages, which
has a total number of plates N t through which heat is being transferred. Each plate is having
an area a, therefore total heat transfer area will be simply N t .a. Since we are using projected
area for our calculations here, therefore
𝐴𝐴 = 𝑁𝑁𝑡𝑡 . 𝑎𝑎 = 𝑁𝑁𝑡𝑡 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿
Where L and W can be defined according to the plate dimensions
The channel mass flowrate of hot and cold fluids is a function of the total number of flow
passages, number of passes, N p and hot and cold fluid flow rates, 𝑀𝑀̇ℎ and 𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐 . The total
number of flow passages including the two end passages with only one heat transfer surface,
is N t + 1. If N t is odd number, the there is an even number of passages shared equally
between two fluids. The channel mass flowrate for hot fluid through each single passage is,

2𝑀𝑀̇ℎ 𝑁𝑁𝑝𝑝
𝑚𝑚̇ℎ =
𝑁𝑁𝑡𝑡 + 1

Similarly, the channel mass flowrate for cold fluid is,

2𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐 𝑁𝑁𝑝𝑝
𝑚𝑚̇𝑐𝑐 =
𝑁𝑁𝑡𝑡 + 1
If N t is even number, then one fluid occupies N t / 2 channels and the other occupies N t / 2 +1
channels. Hence, the total mass flowrates have to be divided by the appropriate numbers to
obtain individual channel mass flow rates for hot and cold fluids. For hot fluid acquiring N t /
2 channels, the channel mass flowrate in such a case is given by,

2𝑀𝑀̇ℎ 𝑁𝑁𝑝𝑝
𝑚𝑚̇ℎ =
𝑁𝑁𝑡𝑡
Similarly for cold fluid acquiring N t / 2 +1 channels, the channel mass flowrate in is given
by,
2𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐 𝑁𝑁𝑝𝑝
𝑚𝑚̇𝑐𝑐 =
𝑁𝑁𝑡𝑡 + 2
The above equations are used for calculation of fluid velocity and then Reynolds number.
Another property used for this purpose is cross-sectional area of the passage which is here
denoted by S, and is given by

𝑆𝑆 = 𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏
Where b is the mean channel spacing.

Hence the water velocity for hot and cold velocity, which is denoted by u h and u c
respectively, is given by

𝑚𝑚̇ℎ
𝑢𝑢ℎ =
𝜌𝜌ℎ 𝑆𝑆

𝑚𝑚̇𝑐𝑐
𝑢𝑢𝑐𝑐 =
𝜌𝜌𝑐𝑐 𝑆𝑆
Where ρ h and ρ c are densities of hot and cold fluids.
Now, the Reynolds number for hot fluid is given by

𝑢𝑢ℎ 𝜌𝜌ℎ 𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒

𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅ℎ =
𝜇𝜇ℎ
Where ρ h is the density of hot fluid, μ h is viscosity of hot fluid and D e is effective diameter.
D e is defined according to the Eq. Since plate geometries are not considered, therefore
surface enlargement factor φ can be neglected. Then, D e is given by
𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒 = 2𝑏𝑏
An approximate expression for Nusselt number is given by Shah and Focke for the turbulent
flow regime, which is being used here. It is given by,
𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁 = 0.338𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 0.33 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 0.667
Where Re is Reynolds number and Pr is Prandtl number and is given as, 𝐶𝐶𝑝𝑝 ⁄𝑘𝑘 , where k is
conductivity.
Hence, for hot stream

𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁ℎ = 0.338𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃ℎ0.33 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅ℎ0.667

and
𝑘𝑘ℎ 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁ℎ
𝛼𝛼ℎ =
𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒
Where α h heat transfer coefficient for the hot stream and k h is thermal conductivity for the
hot stream. Similarly we can use the above equations for the calculations involving cold
stream.

Reynolds number for cold stream is given by

𝑢𝑢𝑐𝑐 𝜌𝜌𝑐𝑐 𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒

𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑐𝑐 =
𝜇𝜇𝑐𝑐

Similarly Nusselt number and heat transfer coefficient are given as

 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑐𝑐 = 0.338𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑐𝑐0.33 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑐𝑐0.667
and
𝑘𝑘𝑐𝑐 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑐𝑐
𝛼𝛼𝑐𝑐 =
𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒
The overall heat transfer coefficient is given as

1 1 1 1
= + + + 𝑅𝑅𝑓𝑓
𝑈𝑈 𝛼𝛼ℎ 𝛼𝛼𝑐𝑐 𝑘𝑘𝑝𝑝
Where, α h is hot stream heat transfer coefficient, α c is cold stream heat transfer coefficient, k p
is plate conductivity and R f is fouling resistance.
In order to obtain a simpler design, plate conductivity and fouling resistance can be
neglected. Therefore, resultant expression for overall heat transfer coefficient is given as

𝟏𝟏 𝟏𝟏 𝟏𝟏
= +
𝑼𝑼 𝜶𝜶𝒉𝒉 𝜶𝜶𝒄𝒄
Calculation of NTU and Effectiveness
NTU depends upon the overall heat transfer coefficient, total heat transfer area and stream
having minimum heat capacity.
E is a function of NTU min and heat exchanger configuration, where

𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈
𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 =
�𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

Effectiveness of heat exchanger or E can be expressed in terms of NTU and the ratio of the
thermal capacities of two streams, R. The solution depends upon which of the streams has
minimum heat capacity.

𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒[(1 − 𝐶𝐶𝑟𝑟 )𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 ] − 1

𝐸𝐸 =
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒[(1 − 𝐶𝐶𝑟𝑟 )𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 ] − 𝐶𝐶𝑟𝑟
Where
�𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
𝐶𝐶𝑟𝑟 =
�𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

If C r = 1, then �𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 = �𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 and 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 = 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁

Therefore,
𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁
𝐸𝐸 =
1 + 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁

Similarly NTU can be expressed in terms of effectiveness in a general form,

ln[(1 − 𝐶𝐶𝑟𝑟 𝐸𝐸)/(1 − 𝐸𝐸)]

𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 =
(1 − 𝐶𝐶𝑟𝑟 )
Total heat transfer rate
From the above equations we are able to calculate effectiveness and NTU for the exchanger.
This further helps us in calculating unknown outlet temperatures and total heat transfer rate.
We can calculate outlet temperature with the help of effectiveness which is illustrated in the
following expressions.

𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 = 𝐸𝐸. (𝑇𝑇ℎ.𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 ) + 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐.𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 When R < 1

𝐸𝐸
𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 = . (𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 ) + 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐.𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 When R > 1,
𝑅𝑅 ℎ.𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖

𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 = 𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑅𝑅(𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 )

Total heat transfer rate be expressed in terms of log mean temperature difference, LMTD. It
can also be expressed in terms of effectiveness, E.
. 𝑄𝑄̇ = 𝐸𝐸�𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 (𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 )

Where subscript min refers to the stream with minimum heat capacity.

(𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 )
When R <1, �𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑐𝑐 = �𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝐸𝐸 =
(𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 )

(𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 )
When R>1, �𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �ℎ = �𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝐸𝐸 =
(𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 )

Or
𝑄𝑄̇ = 𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈∆𝑇𝑇𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿

[�𝑇𝑇ℎ.𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 � − �𝑇𝑇ℎ.𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 �]

∆𝑇𝑇𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿 =
Where, �𝑇𝑇ℎ.𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 �
ln
�𝑇𝑇ℎ.𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 �
Heat transfer rate can be calculated by the help of either of the two expressions, depending
upon the required and specified conditions.
Pressure drop calculations
The pressure drop in a plate heat exchanger consists of three elements, that is, pressure drop
associated with the ports and manifolds, pressure drop within plate passage and pressure drop
due to change in elevation. In the study the end effects which account for pressure drop in
ports, has not been taken into consideration and its effect is assumed to be minimal. Pressure
drop within the plate passage accounts for major part in the pressure drop analysis. The
general

correlation for calculating pressure drop in a plate exchanger has the general form,

4𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑢𝑢2
∆𝑝𝑝 =
2𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒
Where f is fanning friction factor and u is stream velocity within the plates. The fanning
friction factor f is of the form which is given by Shah

𝑓𝑓 = 𝐶𝐶1 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 𝐶𝐶2

Where C 1 , is a constant characterizing each type of plate and C 2 covers different ranges. For
a typical plate, the friction factor is given by APV

𝑓𝑓 = 2.5𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 −0.3
The design procedure discussed above is quite useful in evaluating the performance of a plate
heat exchanger.

Sizing of Plate Heat Exchanger

In sizing problem we have to develop a design procedure which can be used to calculate heat
transfer area required for a given heat load and hence calculate the total number of plates
needed. Sizing problem is more difficult as early decisions are required to decide the flow
arrangement, specific plate patterns and materials. Once these are decided, the problem
reduces to the determination of plate size and number of plates to meet the specified heat
transfer and pressure drop performance. Now let us assume a plate heat exchanger having
one-pass configuration with n number of flow passages and 𝑛𝑛 − 1 number of plates is to be
used. The area and the heat transfer coefficients are to be calculated in terms of n. A step-by-
step procedure is outlined below for a single pass counterflow exchanger having all plates of
the same pattern and single-phase fluids.

1. Specify the input parameters, that is, inlet temperature T h,in , T c,in , Plate size, Plate
spacing, hot and cold fluid flowrates and fluid thermo-physical properties.
2. Determine the fluid outlet temperature for the specified exchanger effectiveness or
heat duty, which, in our case are given or can be calculated by simple heat balance.
3. Calculate heat capacity ratio, R and C r and then calculate effectiveness, E and NTU.

(𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 )𝑐𝑐 𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜

𝑅𝑅 = =
(𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 )ℎ 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖

�𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
𝐶𝐶𝑟𝑟 =
�𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

(𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 ) When R <1,

�𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑐𝑐 = �𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝐸𝐸 =
(𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 )

(𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 ) When R>1,

�𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �ℎ = �𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝐸𝐸 =
(𝑇𝑇ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑐𝑐,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 )
ln[(1 − 𝐶𝐶𝑟𝑟 𝐸𝐸)/(1 − 𝐸𝐸)]
𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 =
(1 − 𝐶𝐶𝑟𝑟 )
4. Area is computed in as a function of number of flow passages, n Similarly cross-
sectional area of flow passage is computed
𝐴𝐴 = (𝑛𝑛 − 1)𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿
𝑛𝑛
𝑆𝑆 = 𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊
2
5. Calculate fluid velocities Reynolds number and Nusselt number.
Hot fluid velocity in calculated

2𝑀𝑀̇ℎ 1
𝑢𝑢ℎ =
𝜌𝜌ℎ 𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝑛𝑛

Reynolds number can be expressed as

4𝑀𝑀̇ℎ 1
𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅ℎ =
𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊ℎ 𝑛𝑛

Similarly, for cold fluid

2𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐 1
𝑢𝑢𝑐𝑐 =
𝜌𝜌𝑐𝑐 𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝑛𝑛
and
4𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐 1
𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑐𝑐 =
𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑐𝑐 𝑛𝑛
Nusselt number can be expressed in terms of n. It is given as,

For hot fluid

0.667
𝑀𝑀̇ℎ 1
𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁ℎ = 2.521𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃ℎ0.33 � � 0.667
𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊ℎ 𝑛𝑛
For cold fluid
0.667
𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐 1
𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑐𝑐 = 2.521𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑐𝑐0.33
� �
𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑐𝑐 𝑛𝑛0.667
6. Once Nusselt number is determined, compute hot and cold stream heat transfer
coefficient as a function of n and hence the overall heat transfer coefficient, U
For hot fluid
1
𝛼𝛼ℎ = 𝐶𝐶ℎ
𝑛𝑛0.667
0.667
𝑀𝑀̇ℎ 𝑘𝑘ℎ
Where, 𝐶𝐶ℎ = 2.521𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃ℎ0.33 � � � �
𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊ℎ 𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒
For cold fluid
1
𝛼𝛼𝑐𝑐 = 𝐶𝐶𝑐𝑐
𝑛𝑛0.667
 0.667
𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐 𝑘𝑘𝑐𝑐
Where, 𝐶𝐶𝑐𝑐 = 2.521𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑐𝑐0.33 � � � �
𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑐𝑐 𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒

Overall heat transfer coefficient, U can be expressed as,

1 1 1
= � + � . 𝑛𝑛0.667
𝑈𝑈 𝐶𝐶ℎ 𝐶𝐶𝑐𝑐

7. As we have determined NTU, Area and U in previous step, we obtain a non-linear

equation with single variable n. It is expressed below
According to 𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈
𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 =
�𝑀𝑀̇𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
By simplifying and rearranging the above expression,

1 1 1
�𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 . �𝑀𝑀̇ 𝑐𝑐𝑝𝑝 �𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 � � + �� �
𝐶𝐶ℎ 𝐶𝐶𝑐𝑐 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿
𝑛𝑛−1
=
𝑛𝑛 0.667
8. The equation is solved to obtain value of n and thus we can determine number of
plates required and total heat transfer area.
Calculate Pressure drop if it is found to be in limits then and design is acceptable. If
pressure drop is off the limits then, increase plate spacing and repeat the procedure

4𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑢𝑢2
∆𝑝𝑝 =
2𝐷𝐷𝑒𝑒
9. Once the design is acceptable, we can calculate other parameters, like U, Re and
friction factors and we can study their effect on the design by varying plate spacing
and
Geometric Parameters Affecting Plate Heat Exchanger
1. Chevron Angle, β: Typically varying from 20° to 65°, β is the measure of softness
(small β, low thermal efficiency and pressure drop) and hardness (large β, high
thermal efficiency and pressure drop) of thermal and hydraulic characteristics of
plates.
2. Surface Enlargement Factor, φ: φ is th e ratio of developed area (based on
corrugation pitch, Pc, and plate pitch, p) to the projected area.
3. Corrugation Depth or Mean Channel Spacing, b: The difference between plate
pitch, p and the plate thickness, t.
4. Channel Flow Area, A c : A c is the minimum flow area between plates and is
estimated as product of plate corrugation depth and width of plate.
5. Channel Hydraulic Diameter or effective diameter, D e : D e is defined as four times
ratio of minimum flow area to wetted perimeter.
6. Wavelength, λ: It is the corrugation pitch for the chevron corrugation arrangement