Used Spiral & Helical Heat Exchangers

How Spiral Heat Exchangers Works?

A spiral heat exchanger is a specialized type of heat exchanger that employs a unique spiral coil structure to facilitate the exchange of thermal energy between two or more fluids. This coil arrangement allows for a high degree of turbulence and efficient heat transfer while maintaining a compact footprint. The primary purpose of a spiral heat exchanger is to optimize heat exchange between fluids that need to be heated or cooled during industrial processes.

Basic Operating Principle

At the heart of a spiral heat exchangers operation lies the principle of counter-current flow and enhanced turbulence. The spiral coil structure consists of two separate fluid flow paths that wind closely around a central core. As the fluids flow through their respective paths, they are guided to cross each other multiple times, ensuring intensive mixing and efficient heat exchange.

This intricate flow arrangement creates a dynamic environment that promotes thermal energy transfer from the fluid with higher temperature to the one with lower temperature. The continuous and closely spaced winding of the coil further enhances turbulence, reducing the boundary layer thickness and facilitating optimal heat transfer rates.

Flow Configurations and Channels

Spiral heat exchangers offer two primary flow configurations: counterflow and parallel flow. These configurations determine the direction in which the two fluids flow relative to each other and play a pivotal role in the overall heat exchange process.

• Counterflow: In counterflow, the hot and cold fluids flow in opposite directions. This configuration maximizes the temperature difference between the fluids along the heat exchangers length, resulting in efficient heat transfer. Counterflow arrangements are often preferred when high heat transfer efficiency is crucial.
• Parallel Flow: In parallel flow, both fluids flow in the same direction. While the temperature difference between the fluids decreases along the length of the heat exchanger, parallel flow designs are favored for their simplicity and ease of operation. They are particularly useful when a more uniform temperature distribution is desired.

Types of Spiral Heat Exchangers at JM Industrial

• Heliflow Heat Exchanger: The Heliflow Heat Exchanger is a type of spiral heat exchanger that utilizes a helical coil structure. In this design, the coils are wound in a helical pattern around a central core, creating a continuous channel for fluid flow. This helical arrangement enhances heat transfer by inducing turbulence and promoting efficient mixing between the fluids. Heliflow heat exchangers are known for their high heat transfer efficiency and are often used in applications that require significant heat exchange in a compact space.
• Panaflow Heat Exchanger: The Panaflow Heat Exchanger is another variation of the spiral heat exchanger design. In this type, the coils are wound in a circular pattern, resembling a spiral-in-a-spiral configuration. This intricate arrangement provides enhanced heat transfer capabilities while allowing for efficient use of available space. Panaflow heat exchangers are chosen when a balance between heat transfer efficiency and pressure drop is required.

Key Design Features of Spiral Heat Exchangers

The exceptional efficiency and versatility of spiral heat exchangers stem from their innovative design features. In this section, we explore the core design elements that make these heat exchangers so effective.

Spiral Coil Structure: The defining feature of a spiral heat exchanger is its spiral coil structure. This geometry offers several advantages that contribute to its high heat transfer efficiency:

• Multiple Cross-Flow Paths: The tightly wound coil creates multiple opportunities for fluids to interact and exchange heat, increasing the effective heat transfer surface area.
• Turbulent Flow: The continuous spiral channels induce turbulence in the fluids, promoting efficient mixing and enhancing heat transfer rates.
• Compact Footprint: The coil structure allows for a significant amount of heat exchange in a relatively small physical space, making spiral heat exchangers ideal for installations with limited space.

Material Selection and Compatibility: The choice of materials for spiral heat exchangers is crucial for ensuring compatibility with the fluids being processed. Commonly used materials include stainless steel, titanium, and various alloys. The selection of appropriate materials depends on the specific application and the nature of the fluids involved.

Heat Transfer Surface Area Enhancement: Spiral heat exchangers achieve this through their unique design, which creates a significantly larger surface area compared to traditional heat exchangers of similar dimensions. The spiral coil structure ensures that a greater portion of the fluid is in direct contact with the heat transfer surface, enabling more effective thermal energy exchange.

Pressure Drop Considerations: Pressure drop is a critical factor in heat exchanger design as it affects the flow rate, energy consumption, and overall system performance. The spiral coil geometry of these heat exchangers naturally contributes to a balanced pressure drop. The continuous winding of the coils minimizes abrupt changes in flow direction, reducing turbulence-induced pressure losses.

Heat Transfer Analysis in Helical Coil Heat Exchanger

Analyzing heat transfer in a helical coil heat exchanger involves assessing how heat is transferred between the fluid flowing through the coil and the fluid on the shell side. Heres a general overview of the analysis process:

• Geometry and Flow Configuration: Define the geometrical parameters of the helical coil, including coil diameter, tube diameter, pitch, number of turns, and coil length. Additionally, determine the flow configuration for both the coil and shell sides (e.g., counterflow, parallel flow, crossflow).
• Fluid Properties: Gather the relevant properties of both fluids, including density, specific heat capacity, viscosity, and thermal conductivity. These properties influence how heat is transferred between the fluids.
• Heat Transfer Equations: The heat transfer analysis relies on fundamental heat transfer equations. For convective heat transfer, you can use equations such as the Dittus-Boelter equation for forced convection inside tubes and the Gnielinski correlation for turbulent flow. For the shell side, correlations like the Kern method may be applicable.
• Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient: Combine the individual heat transfer coefficients from the tube and shell sides to compute the overall heat transfer coefficient (U). The U-value indicates the overall effectiveness of the heat exchanger.
• Heat Transfer Rate: Calculate the heat transfer rate using the temperature difference between the two fluids and the overall heat transfer coefficient. This can help you quantify the amount of heat transferred between the fluids.
• Pressure Drop: Assess the pressure drop on both the tube and shell sides. Pressure drop calculations are essential for determining the flow characteristics and ensuring proper operation of the heat exchanger.
• Heat Exchanger Effectiveness: Evaluate the heat exchanger effectiveness, which indicates how efficiently the heat exchanger transfers heat. The effectiveness depends on factors like the flow rates, fluid properties, and heat transfer coefficients.
• Thermal Stress and Design Considerations: Depending on the operating conditions and materials used, consider the potential thermal stresses that may arise due to temperature differences. Ensure that the design can withstand these stresses.

Advantages of Spiral Heat Exchangers

Spiral heat exchangers offer a multitude of advantages that make them stand out as a superior choice for heat transfer applications. Lets delve into the key advantages that set spiral heat exchangers apart.

• High Heat Transfer Efficiency: Spiral heat exchangers excel in terms of heat transfer efficiency, making them particularly suitable for applications where optimizing heat exchange is crucial. The spiral coil structure induces turbulent flow patterns, ensuring intensive mixing between the fluids.
• Compact Design and Space Efficiency: This is especially advantageous in industries where space is limited, as spiral heat exchangers can replace larger traditional heat exchangers without compromising on performance.
• Reduced Fouling and Maintenance: Spiral heat exchangers are designed to minimize fouling issues due to their continuous spiral channels and turbulent flow characteristics. The enhanced mixing and reduced stagnant zones make it difficult for deposits to adhere to the heat transfer surfaces, resulting in longer operational intervals between maintenance cycles.
• Enhanced Heat Recovery and Energy Savings: Spiral heat exchangers play a pivotal role in enhancing heat recovery and promoting energy efficiency. Their ability to efficiently transfer heat between two fluid streams enables industries to recover valuable thermal energy that might otherwise go to waste.

Applications of Spiral Heat Exchangers

Spiral heat exchangers have found their way into a wide range of industries, offering efficient heat transfer solutions that cater to diverse processing needs. Lets explore how spiral heat exchangers are utilized in different sectors.

• Petrochemical Industry: The petrochemical industry relies heavily on heat exchange processes for refining, distillation, and chemical reactions. Spiral heat exchangers are utilized in tasks such as preheating feedstocks, cooling reaction products, and recovering heat from various streams.
• Food and Beverage Processing: In the food and beverage industry, precise temperature control is essential for maintaining product quality and safety. Spiral heat exchangers play a critical role in processes like pasteurization, sterilization, and cooking.
• HVAC Systems: Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems require effective heat recovery to minimize energy consumption. Spiral heat exchangers facilitate energy recovery by exchanging heat between exhaust and fresh air streams.
• Power Generation: Spiral heat exchangers play a vital role in power generation by facilitating waste heat recovery. In power plants, waste heat generated during electricity generation can be captured and repurposed for other processes, such as preheating feedwater or providing heat to district heating systems.
• Waste Heat Recovery: Spiral heat exchangers are adept at recovering this waste heat and converting it into usable energy. By harnessing waste heat, industries can enhance their energy efficiency, reduce operational costs, and minimize their carbon footprint.

At JM Industrial, we prioritize a customer above anything else. We offer them opportunities to buy and sell used Spiral & Helical Heat Exchangers, Plate Type Heat Exchangers, air coolers, Steam Heat Exchangers and more. If you are still confused about how to sell or buy used Spiral & Helical Heat Exchangers, you can get in touch with the team today.