Material Selection for Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Method

The Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger (STHE) is a critical component in industrial applications, designed to facilitate heat exchange between two fluids. Typically assembled from a bundle of round tubes within a cylindrical shell, the STHE’s performance is influenced by material choice and structural design. This study investigates the impact of different materials (aluminium, steel, and copper) and baffle configurations five baffles on heat transfer efficiency. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations in ANSYS FLUENT, temperature distribution, heat transfer rate, and pressure drop were analysed. Results demonstrate that copper, combined with five baffles, achieved the highest heat transfer rate, optimal heat transfer coefficient, and minimized pressure drop, establishing it as the most efficient configuration for STHE applications. Keywords - Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger (STHE), Heat transfer efficiency, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Temperature distribution, Pressure drop, Baffle configuration