Boiling, condensation, and heat exchanger

1/ In a gas-fired boiler, water is boiled at 150°C by hot gases flowing through 50-m-long, 5-cm-outer-
diameter mechanically polished stainless steel pipes submerged in water. If the outer surface
temperature of the pipes is 165°C, determine (a) the rate of heat transfer from the hot gases to water, (b)
the rate of evaporation, (c) the ratio of the critical heat flux to the present heat flux, and (d) the surface
temperature of the pipe at which critical heat flux occurs. Answers: (a) 10,865 kW, (b) 5.139 kg/s, (c)
1.34, (d) 166.5°C. Solution:

The boiling regime is nucleate boiling since ΔTexcess = T - Ts = 165 – 150

= 15 °C which is in the nucleate boiling range of 5 to 30°C for water.

Assuming nucleate boiling, the heat flux can be determined from Rohsenow relation to be
 (d) The surface temperature of the pipe at which critical heat flux occurs at the burnout point is determined from Rohsenow
relation at the critical heat flux value to be

2/ Water is boiled at 250°F by a 2-ft-long and 0.5-in.-diameter nickel-plated electric heating element
maintained at 280°F. Determine (a) the boiling heat transfer coefficient, (b) the electric power consumed
by the heating element, and (c) the rate of evaporation of water. Solution:
3/ Saturated steam at 30°C condenses on the outside of a 4-cm-outer-diameter, 2-m-long vertical tube.
The temperature of the tube is maintained at 20°C by the cooling water. Determine (a) the rate of heat
transfer from the steam to the cooling water, (b) the rate of condensation of steam, and (c) the
approximate thickness of the liquid film at the bottom of the tube. Solution:
Assumptions 1 Steady operating conditions exist. 2 The tube is isothermal. 3 The tube can be treated as a vertical
plate. 4 The condensate flow is wavy-laminar over the entire tube (this assumption will be verified). 5 Nusselt’s
analysis can be used to determine the thickness of the condensate film layer. 6 The density of vapor is much
smaller than the density of liquid, ρv << ρl.
Properties The properties of water at the saturation temperature of 30°C are hfg = 2431.103 J/kg and ρv =0.03 kg/m3. The
properties of liquid water at the film temperature of Tf = ( Tsat + Ts) = (30 + 20)/2 = 25 °C are (Table A-9).
4/ The condenser of a steam power plant operates at a pressure of 4.25 kPa. The condenser consists of
100 horizontal tubes arranged in a 10×10 square array. The tubes are 8 m long and have an outer
diameter of 3 cm. If the tube surfaces are at 20°C, determine (a) the rate of heat transfer from the steam
to the cooling water and (b) the rate of condensation of steam in the condenser. Answers: (a) 3678 kW,
(b) 1.496 kg/s.
Solution:

5/ A double-pipe heat exchanger is constructed of a copper (k = 380 W/m.°C) inner tube of internal
diameter Di =1.2 cm and external diameter Do =1.6 cm and an outer tube of diameter 3.0 cm. The
convection heat transfer coefficient is reported to be hi =700 W/m2·°C on the inner surface of the tube
and ho =1400 W/m2·°C on its outer surface. For a fouling factor Rf,i =0.0005 m2·°C/W on the tube side
and Rf,o=0.0002 m2·°C/W on the shell side, determine (a) the thermal resistance of the heat exchanger
per unit length and (b) the overall heat transfer coefficients Ui and Uo based on the inner and outer
surface areas of the tube, respectively. Solution:
6/ Steam in the condenser of a steam power plant is to be condensed at a temperature of 50°C (hfg
=2305 kJ/kg) with cooling water (Cp =4180 J/kg·°C) from a nearby lake, which enters the tubes of the
condenser at 18°C and leaves at 27°C. The surface area of the tubes is 58 m2, and the overall heat
transfer coefficient is 2400 W/m2·°C. Determine the mass flow rate of the cooling water needed and the
rate of condensation of the steam in the condenser. Answers: 101 kg/s, 1.65 kg/s Solution:
7/ A double-pipe parallel-flow heat exchanger is to heat water (Cp =4180 J/kg·°C) from 25°C to 60°C at
a rate of 0.2 kg/s. The heating is to be accomplished by geothermal water (Cp =4310 J/kg·°C) available
at 140°C at a mass flow rate of 0.3 kg/s. The inner tube is thin-walled and has a diameter of 0.8cm. If the
overall heat transfer coefficient of the heat exchanger is 550 W/m2.°C, determine the length of the heat
exchanger required to achieve the desired heating. Solution:

8/ A thin-walled double-pipe parallel-flow heat exchanger is used to heat a chemical whose specific heat
is 1800 J/kg·°C with hot water (Cp =4180 J/kg·°C). The chemical enters at 20°C at a rate of 3 kg/s,
while the water enters at 110°C at a rate of 2 kg/s. The heat transfer surface area of the heat exchanger is
7 m2 and the overall heat transfer coefficient is 1200 W/m2·°C. Determine the outlet temperatures of the
chemical and the water. Solution:
9/ A cross-flow heat exchanger consists of 40 thin-walled tubes of 1-cm diameter located in a duct of 1
m×1 m cross-section. There are no fins attached to the tubes. Cold water (Cp =4180 J/kg·°C) enters the
tubes at 18°C with an average velocity of 3 m/s, while hot air (Cp =1010 J/kg·°C) enters the channel at
130°C and 105 kPa at an average velocity of 12 m/s. If the overall heat transfer coefficient is 130
W/m2·°C, determine the outlet temperatures of both fluids and the rate of heat transfer.
Solution:
10/ A shell-and-tube heat exchanger with 1-shell pass and 14-tube passes is used to heat water in the
tubes with geothermal steam condensing at 120ºC (hfg =2203 kJ/kg) on the shell side. The tubes are thin-
walled and have a diameter of 2.4 cm and length of 3.2 m per pass. Water (Cp =4180 J/kg·ºC) enters the
tubes at 22ºC at a rate of 3.9 kg/s. If the temperature difference between the two fluids at the exit is
46ºC, determine (a) the rate of heat transfer, (b) the rate of condensation of steam, and (c) the overall
heat transfer coefficient.
Solution: