Measuring the temperature variation along the length of a triple concentric tube heat exchanger

Abstract

A triple concentric tube heat exchanger of approximately 4m length is fabricated using stainless steel tubes of 2 inches (5.08cm), 3 inches (7.62cm) and 4 inches (10.16cm) diameter respectively. The three different fluids used in the heat exchanger are hot water, cold water and normal tap water. The fluids can flow in parallel flow or counter flow configuration. This project deals with the measurement of temperature variation along the length of the heat exchanger for different fluids using T-type thermocouples and Agilent Data Acquisition System. The temperature variations of different fluids along the length of heat exchanger is reported. These results are helpful for determining the effectiveness of the heat exchanger. CFD simulation results are also presented in the report. However no direct comparison is made because of the different operating conditions used in the simulation.