1
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment
UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG
Doornfontein Campus
Initials Surname Student No Signature
RE Ditshwene 217082814 RE Ditshwene
A Semester report submitted
in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the module
Thermodynamics 3A (TRDMIA3)
B. ENG TECH Engineering: Mechanical
LECTURER: Dr. SL. Gqibani
Due Date:5 June 2025
NB:
• Submission deadline: online.
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Statement of originality
I confirm that this assignment is my own work, is not copied from any other person's work, and
has not been previously submitted for assessment either at University of Johannesburg or
elsewhere. I hereby declare that this report, is entirely my own original work, except where
explicitly cited and referenced. All sources used in the research and analysis have been properly
acknowledged, and no part of this report has been previously submitted for any other academic
assessment. To the best of my knowledge, this report contains no plagiarized material and
adheres to the university's guidelines on academic integrity.
Signed……RE Ditshwene………………………. Date ……01/06/2025…………………….
Acknowledgements
I want to thank everyone who helped me produce this report. A special thank you to our
tutors, whose interesting comments and support helped me organize my information,
particularly in drafting this report.
Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude to the lecturer for allowing me to utilize all
the necessary details and supplies to finish the report.
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Contents
Theory/Background .............................................................................................................. 6
Apparatus ............................................................................................................................ 12
Procedure ............................................................................................................................ 13
Observations ....................................................................................................................... 14
Data analysis ....................................................................................................................... 14
Discussion........................................................................................................................... 18
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 19
Reference list ...................................................................................................................... 20
Appendix ............................................................................................................................ 21
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Table of figures
Figure 1- Parallel flow in a heat exchanger ............................................................................ 6
Figure 2- Counter flow in a heat exchanger. .......................................................................... 7
Figure 3- Cross flow heat exchanger. ..................................................................................... 7
Figure 4- Shell and tube heat exchanger ................................................................................ 7
Figure 5- Typical shell and tube heat exchanger. .................................................................... 8
Figure 6-Counter current flow ............................................................................................. 10
Figure 7-Apparatus ............................................................................................................. 12
Figure 8-Graph 1 ................................................................................................................. 18
Figure 9-Graph 2 ................................................................................................................. 18
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Table of tables
Table 1-Counter flow .......................................................................................................... 14
Table 2-Parallel flow ........................................................................................................... 14
Table 3-Solutions 1 ............................................................................................................. 17
Table 4-Solutions 2 ............................................................................................................. 17
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[Link] of the experiment
To determine the heat transfer of fluids (water)
To highlight the distinctions between counter-current and parallel flows.
To demonstrate the effect on heat transfer temperature efficiencies and temperature profiles
through a shell and tube heat exchanger
To determine the influence of the temperature differential between a hot and cold stream.
To Determine hot and cold stream temperature efficiency.
To Determine mean temperature efficiency.
To Determine Power generated by the hot stream.
To Determine the impact of flow rate on log mean temperature difference for each kind of
flow.
To Determine Reduction in hot fluid temperature.
To Determine Logarithmic Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD)
Theory/Background
Heat exchangers are devices that transport heat between two fluids. Heat exchangers can
transport heat between a liquid and a gas (liquid-to-air), two gases (air-to-air), or between
liquids. These devices have several uses, including air conditioning, gas turbines, cars, and
electronics cooling. A automobile radiator is a water-to-air heat exchanger that cools hot
water from the engine.
Figure 1- Parallel flow in a heat exchanger
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Figure 2- Counter flow in a heat exchanger.
Figure 3- Cross flow heat exchanger.
Heat exchangers are classified according to their flow arrangement and structure. Some
popular examples are parallel flow heat exchangers, which move both fluids in the same
direction (Figure 1), counter flow heat exchangers, which move fluids in opposing directions
(Figure 2), and cross flow heat exchangers, which move one fluid perpendicular to the other
(Figure 3).
The cross flow exchanger can be configured such that one fluid is restricted to a tube and the
other fluid is mixed, or both fluids are confined to tubes but not mixed. Tubes can have any
geometry, including flat or circular.
Figure 4- Shell and tube heat exchanger
Industrial type exchangers have varying numbers of shells (Figure 4). Compact heat
exchangers feature extremely large surface surfaces, particularly on the gas side. Because the
gas side has a substantially lower heat transfer coefficient than the liquid side, increasing
surface area decreases thermal resistance on the gas side. The tubes of this form of heat
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exchanger contain fins on the outside, and parallel plates are joined to maximise the air side
surface area.
Another relevant term is log mean temperature difference (LMTD). Consider a basic counter-
flow heat exchanger, as shown in Figure 5. Figure 6 shows the temperature distribution of the
two fluids. The hot fluid enters the exchanger at temperature Th.i and departs at temperature
Th.o. The cold fluid enters at temperature Tc,i and departs at temperature Tc,O. ∆T1
represents the temperature difference between two fluids on the hot fluid's input side. The
temperature differential between fluids on the input side of a cold fluid is known as ∆T2.
Figure 5- Typical shell and tube heat exchanger.
By writing the conservation of energy equations between the inlet and outlet of the two
fluids, and the differential energy transfer (dq) between the two fluids on a differential
distance dx [1], the overall heat transfer between the two fluids can be expressed as:
Where U is the overall effective heat transfer coefficient, and A is the contact surface area
between the two fluids on either the cold or the hot side.
By defining the LMTD as:
Co-current and Counter current flow
Thermocouples sense the stream temperatures at the four fixed stations (figure 6 and 7):
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T1 – Hot Water INLET to Heat Exchanger
T2 – Hot Water RETURN from Heat Exchanger
T3 – Cooling Water INLET to Heat Exchanger
T4 – Cooling Water RETURN from Heat Exchanger
In addition, two plug-in stations: -
T5 – Hot Mid-position (for Concentric Tube)
T6 – Cold Mid-position (for Concentric Tube)
Temperature efficiency is a valuable metric for assessing heat exchanger performance. The
temperature change in both hot and cold streams is compared to the greatest temperature
difference between them. This is only possible in a heat exchanger of unlimited size with no
external losses or gains.
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Figure 6-Counter current flow
The figure 8 above can be defined as the two-phase flow regime in which the working fluids
flow in opposite directions. One of the important interactions between these fluids is drag at
which drag force acts opposite to the relative motion of the one fluid with respect to the other
fluid.
To calculate heat transfer, a mean temperature difference between hot and cold fluids must be
determined along the heat exchanger's length. Calculations play a crucial role in designing
heat exchangers for specific tasks, beyond just experimental approaches.
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Most thermodynamics and heat transport textbooks include the derivation and use of
Logarithmic Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD).
The LMTD is defined as
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Apparatus
Figure 7-Apparatus
A Shell and Tube heat exchanger- is a device in which two fluids, one via the tube side and
the other through the shell side, circulating at different temperatures, exchange heat through
the walls of the tubes, without direct contact between them.
A thermocouple- is just a sensor that measures temperature.
Concentric Tube (or Pipe) Heat Exchangers are utilised for a range of applications, including
material processing, food preparation, and air conditioning.
A temperature indicator is a relatively simple and inexpensive control device that helps to
determine and show
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Water refill - involves the refilling of bottles, containers, and other vessels with purified water
Water Flow Regulators-Point of use regulators designed to provide constant and maximum
flow rates at outlets
Water pipe- a pipe for transporting water.
Regulating valves -are used to modify or monitor flow volumes and directions.
T : Hot water Outlet from
the the heat exchanger
T32465:: Cold
T Hot water
Coldwater
Inletposition
Outlet
watermid
tofrom
mid position
heat
the exchanger
(forheat
(for exchanger
concentric
concentricTube)
tube
T1: Hot water Inlet to the heat exchanger
T2: Hot water Outlet from the heat exchanger
T3: Cold water Inlet to the heat exchanger
T4: Cold water Outlet from the heat exchanger
T5: Hot water mid position (for concentric Tube)
T6: Cold water mid position (for concentric tube)
Procedure
The machine was set to counter flow as seen in the photo.
The water input line was connected, and cold water was from the pump.
both the main and heating switches were turned on.
The hot water temperature controller was configured to 60º Celsius.
The cold water flow rate was configured to (V cold) 15 g per second.
The hot water flow rate (V hot) was configured to 50 g/sec.
The stream temperatures and hot and cold flow rates were checked to verify that they stay
close to the original settings.
The conditions were allowed to settle before taking measurements (T1–T6).
The cooling water flow rate was configured to 30 g/sec.
It was made sure that the heat flow rate stayed at 50 g/sec.
The condition was allowed to stabilise and take measurements again (T1-T6).
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Observations
Counter flow
Table 1-Counter flow
Sr. no T1º C T2º C T3º C T4º C T5º C T6º C Vcold Vhot
1 62,6 58,8 24,3 33,4 22,4 22,5 15 g/s 50 g/s
2 62,6 59 24,3 34,1 22,6 22,6 30 g/s 50 g/s
Parallel flow
Table 2-Parallel flow
Sr. no T1º C T2º C T3º C T4º C T5º C T6º C Vcold Vhot
1 74,3 71,1 24,4 33,9 22,1 22,4 15 g/s 50 g/s
2 69,4 66,6 24,3 34,3 22,1 22,3 30 g/s 50 g/s
Data analysis
Sample of calculations
For counter flow(set number 1):
T(hot)=T1-T2
T1=62,6+273=335,6K
T2=58,8+273==331,8K
=335,6-331,8
=3,8K
50
mhot=1000
=0,05 kg/s
Cp=4,183kj/kgK
Qhot=mhotCpThot
= (0,05)(4,183)(3,8)
=0,79 kW
𝑇1−𝑇2
Efficiency(hot)=𝑇1−𝑇3
15
62,6−58,8
=62,6−24,3
=9,92%
Tcold=T4-T3
T4=33,4+273=306,4
T3=24,3+273=297,3
=306,4-297,3
=9,1K
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mcold=1000
=0,015
Qcold=mcoldCpTcold
= (0,015)(4,183)(9,1)
=0,57 kW
𝑇4−𝑇3
Efficiency(cold)=𝑇1−𝑇3
9,1
=62,6−24,3
=23,76%
Tmin=T2-T3
=58,8-24,3
=34,5K
Tmax=T1-T4
=62,6-33,4
=29,2K
𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥−𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛
LMTD= 𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥
ln( )
𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛
29,2−34,5
= 29,2
ln( )
34,5
=31,77 K
𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦(ℎ𝑜𝑡)+𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦(𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑)
Mean Efficiency= 2
16
23,76+9,92
= 2
=16,84%
Parallel flow
T(hot)=T1-T2
=74,3-71,1
=3,2K
T(cold)=T4-T3
=33,9-24,4
=9,5K
𝑇1−𝑇2
Efficiency(hot)=𝑇1−𝑇4
3,2
=74,3−33,9
=7,9%
𝑇4−𝑇3
Efficiency(cold)=𝑇1−𝑇3
9,5
=74,3−24,4
=19%
15
mcold=1000
=0,015 kg/s
50
mhot=1000
=0,05 kg/s
Qhot=mhotCpThot
= (0,05)(4,183)(3,2)
=0,67 kW
Qcold=mcoldCpTcold
= = (0,015)(4,183)(9,5)
=0,20 kW
𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦(ℎ𝑜𝑡)+𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦(𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑)
Mean Efficiency= 2
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7,9+19
= 2
=13,45%
Tmax=T1-T3
=74,3-24,4
=49,9K
Tmin= T2-T4
=66,6-34,3
=32,3K
𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥−𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛
LMTD= 𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥
ln( )
𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛
49,9−32,3
= 49,9
ln( )
32,3
=40,46 K
Table 3-Solutions 1
Sr. no ∆Thot ∆Tcold ηHot ηCold ηMean QHot Qcold LMTD
ºC ºC
1 3,8 9,1 9,92 23,76 16,84 0,79 0,57 31,77
2 3,6 9,8 9,4 25,59 17,5 0,75 1,23 32,03
Table 4-Solutions 2
Sr. no ∆Thot ∆Tcold ηHot ηCold ηMean QHot Qcold LMTD
ºC ºC
1 3,2 9,5 7,9 19 13,45 0,67 0,20 40,46
2 2,8 10 8 22 15 0,59 1,25 38,35
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Discussion
Counter flow and Parallel
flow(Sr. no.1)
80
70
60
50
Data
40
30
20
10
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
T1-T6
Series1 Series2
Figure 8-Graph 1
Counter flow and Parallel flow
(Sr. no.2)
80
70
60
50
Data
40
30
20
10
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
T1-T6
Series1 Series2
Figure 9-Graph 2
Series 1-Counter flow
Series 2-Parallel flow
Counter-flow heat exchangers are more efficient than parallel-flow heat exchangers because
they maintain a greater temperature differential across the exchanger, resulting in a higher
total heat transfer rate and perhaps a lower exchanger size. In parallel flow, the fluids move in
the same direction, resulting in a diminishing temperature differential as they pass through
the exchanger. Counter-flow, in which fluids move in opposing directions, maintains a more
consistent temperature differential, allowing for more effective heat transfer.
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Parallel flow
The hot fluid enters at one end and the cold fluid enters at the same end. As they both travel
in the same direction, the temperature difference between them decreases as the hot fluid
cools and the cold fluid warms.
The diminishing temperature difference indicates that the rate of heat transfer is slower at the
end of the heat exchanger, lowering overall efficiency.
Counter flow
The hot and cold fluids enter from opposing ends. The heated fluid comes into contact with
the coldest fluid at the input, and as it passes through the exchanger, it interacts with
increasingly warmer fluid. This ensures a greater temperature differential across the
exchanger.
The consistent temperature difference leads to a higher heat transfer rate across the entire
exchanger, allowing for more heat to be transferred with the same amount of surface area
Conclusion
In conclusion, this laboratory experience was successful in determining the heat transfer of
fluids (water), highlighting the distinctions between counter-current and parallel flows and
demonstrating the effect on heat transfer temperature efficiencies and temperature profiles
through a shell and tube heat exchanger
As a result, it is evident that for heat exchangers, the counter current flow arrangement is
more effective than the co-current flow configuration. The experiment indicates that
increasing the flow rate of one of the streams enhances the rate of heat transfer. The quantity
of heat lost from the hot water is about equal to the amount of heat gained by the cold water
as a result of heat loss to the surroundings.
According to the computations, co-current flow has a greater LMTD (log mean temperature
difference) than counter-current flow. However, counter-current flow has a greater total heat
transfer coefficient than co-current flow. In conclusion, the counter current flow design of a
heat exchanger is favoured for practical applications. One of the applications of heat
exchangers is oil coolers.
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Reference list
1. Hauf, W. and Grigull, U., 1970. Optical methods in heat transfer. In Advances in heat
transfer (Vol. 6, pp. 133-366). Elsevier.
2. Kraus, A.D., Aziz, A., Welty, J. and Sekulic, D.P., 2001. Extended surface heat
transfer. Appl. Mech. Rev., 54(5), pp.B92-B92.
3. Gnielinski, V., 2013. On heat transfer in tubes. International Journal of Heat and
Mass Transfer, 63, pp.134-140.
4. Das, S.K., Choi, S.U. and Patel, H.E., 2006. Heat transfer in nanofluids—a
review. Heat transfer engineering, 27(10), pp.3-19.
5. Keller, K.H. and Seiler Jr, L., 1971. An analysis of peripheral heat transfer in
man. Journal of Applied Physiology, 30(5), pp.779-786.
6. Pauls, TG. (2009). Heat exchanger analysis. [online] Available at:
[Link] (Accessed: 1
June 2025).
7. Gaga, PE. (2006). Heat transfer pros and cons. [online] Available at:
[Link]
15a1e518abfc/ (Accessed: 1 June 2025).
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Appendix
T(hot)=T1-T2
T1=62,6+273=335,6K
T2=59+273==332K
=335,6-332
=3,6K
50
mhot=1000
=0,05 kg/s
Cp=4,183kj/kgK
Qhot=mhotCpThot
= (0,05)(4,183)(3,6)
=0,75 kW
𝑇1−𝑇2
Efficiency(hot)=𝑇1−𝑇3
62,6−59
=62,6−24,3
=9,4%
Tcold=T4-T3
T4=34,1+273=307,1
T3=24,3+273=297,3
=307,1-297,3
=9,8K
30
mcold=1000
=0,03
Qcold=mcoldCpTcold
= (0,03)(4,183)(9,8)
=1,23 kW
𝑇4−𝑇3
Efficiency(cold)=
𝑇1−𝑇3
9,8
=62,6−24,3
22
=26%
Tmin=T2-T3
=59-24,3
=34,7K
Tmax=T1-T4
=62,6-33,1
=29,5K
𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥−𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛
LMTD= 𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥
ln( )
𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛
29,5−34,7
= 29,5
ln( )
34,7
=32,03 K
𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦(ℎ𝑜𝑡)+𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦(𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑)
Mean Efficiency= 2
26+9,93
= 2
=17,965%
