Counter Flow Heat Exchanger Example

Two tubes have a liquid flowing in the same direction.

Counter flow heat exchanger example.

The counter current design is the most efficient in that it can transfer. One starts off hot at 60 c the second cold at 20 c. A thermoconductive membrane or an open section allows heat transfer between the two flows. For a parallel flow heat exchanger n 0 and for a counterflow heat exchanger n 1.

The simplest heat exchanger is one for which the hot and cold fluids move in the same or opposite directions in a concentric tube or double pipe construction. There are three primary classifications of heat exchangers according to their flow arrangement. In parallel flow heat exchangers the two fluids enter the exchanger at the same end and travel in parallel to one another to the other side. In counter flow heat exchangers the fluids enter the exchanger from opposite ends.

We combine these two types together with an index n to indicate the flow direction of fluid 2. Crossflow parallel flow and counterflow heat exchanger configurations are three examples. A cocurrent heat exchanger is an example of a cocurrent flow exchange mechanism. Consider a parallel flow or counterflow heat exchanger consisting of fluid 1 fluid 2 and the wall separating these two fluids.

In the parallel flow arrangement of figure 18 8 a the hot and cold fluids enter at the same end flow in the same direction and leave at the same end. A heat exchanger can have several different flow patterns.