Compact and Low-Cost Heat Exchangers for an Undergraduate Laboratory

TCE

The Chemical Educator

ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)

Table of Contents

Abstract Volume 7 Issue 2 (2002) pp 96-99

Compact and Low-Cost Heat Exchangers for an Undergraduate Laboratory

F. Javier Peñas,* Ana Elías and Astrid Barona

Department of Chemistry and Soil Science, University of Navarre, Irunlarrea s/n, 31080 Pamplona, Spain*, and Chemical & Environmental Engineering Department, University of the Basque Country, Alda. Urkijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
Received November 3, 2001. Accepted February 15, 2002

Published online: 15 March 2002

Abstract. The construction and operation of low-cost concentric double-tube heat exchangers is presented. These exchangers occupy little laboratory space due to their compact and portable design. Water taken from the laboratory mains is used as cooling fluid and flows in the shell side of exchanger. Hot fluid, which circulates in the tube side, is water supplied by a domestic electric heater. Flow rates are measured with flow meters and temperatures with thermocouples connected to a computer. Second-year undergraduate students of chemistry have been satisfactorily working with these exchangers for two years. Experimental data and calculated results from students are shown. Overall and film heat-transfer coefficients are determined. The main goal of the experimentat described is to examine the heat transfer between incompressible fluids in the steady state.

Key Words: Laboratories and Demonstrations; physical chemistry; chemical engineering; heat exchanger

(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: jpesteban@unav.es)

Article in PDF format (498KB) HTML format

Supporting Materials:

Instructors notes (105 KB PDF) 10.1007/ s00897020543b

Student notes (116 KB PDF) 10.1007/ s00897020543c