RB1-1 Theoretical Basis for the Shellside Temperature Profile Distortion Correction Factor
Recent interest in the HTRI shellside temperature profile correction, d, has prompted a more detailed investigation into the theoretical basis for the correction. It was found that a heat balance description of the shellside flow stream, previously discussed in HTRI Report S-SS-3-1, can be expressed in terms of a theoretical d correction which has better extrapolation potential than the presently used empirical correction. Indications are that the empirical d correction is reasonable for well-designed typical exchangers but may be unsafe for units with very close baffle spacing, low crossflow fraction, and low MTD correction factor. A comparison of the theoretical and empirical methods is made for both well-designed and extreme geometries, and recommendations for future work are given.