An analysis of tube thickness effect on shell and tube heat exchanger

In this research, the activities carried out are the design of heat exchangers for the production of oxygen with a capacity of 30 tons/day. The standard used in this study is the 9^th edition heat exchanger design guidance document compiled by the Tubular Exchanger Manufacturer Association (TEMA). Analysis of the tube thickness effect on heat transfer, pressure drop, and stress was carried out using the SimScale platform.

The effect of variations in tube thickness on heat transfer is that the thicker the tube, the lower the heat transfer effectiveness. The highest value of the heat exchanger effectiveness is 0.969 at the tube thickness variation of 0.5 mm. The lowest value of the heat exchanger effectiveness is 0.931 at the tube thickness variation of 1.5 mm. The effect of variations in tube thickness on pressure drop is that the thicker the tube, the higher the pressure drop. The highest value of pressure drop is in the variation in tube thickness of 1.5 mm, 321 Pa. The lowest value of drop pressure is in the variation of 0.5 mm tube thickness, which is 203 Pa. The thickness of the tube also increases the maximum stress on the components of the shell, head, tubesheet, baffle, and saddle, but the value is fluctuating