Heat Transfer Coefficient Estimation of Shell-Tube Heat Exchanger using Recursive Least Squares Method

In the dynamic modeling of shell-tube heat exchangers using the lumped-parameter method, empirical formulas are usually used to calculate the heat transfer coefficient between the shell side and the tube side of the heat exchanger. While dynamic models based on empirical formulas can guarantee satisfactory steady state operation points, they may not accurately reflect the actual dynamics of the heat exchangers. Therefore, it is important to estimate the heat transfer coefficient to improve the simulation accuracy of the lumped-parameter model. In this study, a recursive least squares method was used to estimate the heat transfer coefficient based on experimental data obtained from an industrial software simulation platform. The estimation results of the heat transfer coefficient show high consistency with the coefficients produced by industrial software.