Experimental study of large-shell-diameter heat exchangers with small-helix-angles non-continuous helical baffles

In this paper, experimental performance comparison of shell heat transfer is made between shell and tube heat exchangers (STHXs) with segmental baffles and non-continuous helical baffles. The helical angles contain 7 degrees, 13 degrees, 25 degrees, which are smaller than the experiment made before. The experiment is carried out in the large-scale experimental equipment with the inner shell diameter, 500 mm and effective tube length, 6 m., which is larger than the previous experimental setup in the scale. The results indicate that the shell side heat transfer rate per unit pressure drop of non-continuous helical baffles is higher than that of traditional segmental baffles at the same volume rate. It is found that with the helical angle increasing, the shell side heat transfer rate decreases.