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Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger Design Calculator

Complete Thermal Design Tool — Based on TEMA Standards, Kern Method & ASME Guidelines

Design Calculation Flow — 12-Step Method

Step 1
Input Data
Collection

↓

Step 2
Hot Fluid
Properties

↓

Step 3
Cold Fluid
Properties

↓

Step 4
Heat Duty
Calculation

↓

Step 5
Tube Side
Design

↓

Step 6
Shell Side
Design

↓

Step 7
LMTD &
Correction

↓

Step 8
HTC &
Overall U

↓

Step 9
Area
Calculation

↓

Step 10
Overall U
Check

↓

Step 11
Pressure
Drop

↓

Step 12
Mechanical
Check & Optimize

Step 1: Input Data Collection — Process & Design Parameters

Gather all process data: temperatures, flow rates, design pressure, and exchanger configuration

Process Configuration

Application / Service Type (Overall) Heating (Sensible) Heating with Phase Change Cooling (Sensible) Cooling with Phase Change (Condenser) Subcooling (Sensible + Latent) Exchanger Type (TEMA Classification) BEM - Fixed Tube Sheet BEU - U-Tube AES - Floating Head BKU - Kettle Reboiler Flow Arrangement Counter Flow Parallel Flow Cross Flow Fluid Allocation (Which fluid in tubes?) Cold Fluid in Tubes / Hot Fluid in Shell Hot Fluid in Tubes / Cold Fluid in Shell

Design Conditions

Design Pressure (bar) Design Temperature (°C) Allowable Tube Side Pressure Drop (kPa) Allowable Shell Side Pressure Drop (kPa) Initial Overall U Estimate (W/m²·°C) Typical: Water-Water: 800-1500 | Oil-Water: 250-500 | Gas-Water: 50-200

Step 2: Hot Fluid Properties & Allocation

Define hot fluid properties. Leave unknown fields blank for estimation. ⚠ Dashed border = estimated value

Hot Fluid Identification

Hot Fluid Name Hot Side Service Type Sensible Heating/Cooling Phase Change (Boiling/Condensing)

Mass Flow Rate (kg/s) [Leave blank to estimate] Inlet Temperature — T_hot,in (°C) [Leave blank to estimate] Outlet Temperature — T_hot,out (°C) [Leave blank to estimate]

Mass Flow Rate (kg/s) [Leave blank to estimate] Temperature (°C)

Hot Fluid Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Cp (kJ/kg·°C) Density ρ (kg/m³) Dynamic Viscosity μ (Pa·s) Thermal Conductivity k (W/m·K) Latent Heat λ (kJ/kg) — for phase change Fouling Resistance R_f (m²·°C/W)

Hot Side Quick Check: Enter data to verify

Step 3: Cold Fluid Properties & Allocation

Define cold fluid properties. Leave unknown fields blank for estimation. ⚠ Dashed border = estimated value

Cold Fluid Identification

Cold Fluid Name Cold Side Service Type Sensible Heating/Cooling Phase Change (Boiling/Condensing)

Mass Flow Rate (kg/s) [Leave blank to estimate] Inlet Temperature — T_cold,in (°C) [Leave blank to estimate] Outlet Temperature — T_cold,out (°C) [Leave blank to estimate]

Mass Flow Rate (kg/s) [Leave blank to estimate] Temperature (°C)

Cold Fluid Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Cp (kJ/kg·°C) Density ρ (kg/m³) Dynamic Viscosity μ (Pa·s) Thermal Conductivity k (W/m·K) Latent Heat λ (kJ/kg) — for phase change Fouling Resistance R_f (m²·°C/W)

Cold Side Quick Check: Enter data to verify

Energy Balance Verification

Both sides must balance (0% error) before proceeding to design calculations

Enter hot and cold fluid data to check energy balance.

Step 4: Heat Duty Calculation — Service-Based Method

Calculate heat duty based on service type after energy balance is confirmed

Complete energy balance verification first, then click "Run Design Calculation".

Step 5: Tube Side Design — Geometry, Velocity & Flow Calculations

Select tube dimensions, calculate number of tubes, velocity, Reynolds number

Tube Geometry

Tube Outer Diameter 12.7 mm (1/2" OD) 15.88 mm (5/8" OD) 19.05 mm (3/4" OD) 25.4 mm (1" OD) 31.75 mm (1-1/4" OD) 38.1 mm (1-1/2" OD) Tube Wall Thickness — BWG Standard 1.24 mm (BWG 18) 1.65 mm (BWG 16) 2.11 mm (BWG 14) 2.77 mm (BWG 12) Tube Length 3.0 m (10 ft) 4.88 m (16 ft) 6.0 m (20 ft) 7.32 m (24 ft) Tube Passes 1 Pass 2 Passes 4 Passes 6 Passes 8 Passes Tube Material Thermal Conductivity (W/m·K) SS: 16 | Carbon Steel: 45 | Copper: 390 | Titanium: 20

Tube Side Results

Complete energy balance and run calculation for tube side results.

Step 6: Shell Side Design — Layout, Diameter & Baffle Configuration

Select tube layout pattern, calculate shell diameter, baffle spacing

Shell & Tube Layout

Tube Layout Pattern Triangular 30° Rotated Triangular 60° Square 90° Rotated Square 45° Tube Pitch (mm) Typically 1.25 × Tube OD Shell Passes 1 Shell Pass 2 Shell Passes 3 Shell Passes 4 Shell Passes 6 Shell Passes 8 Shell Passes Baffle Cut (%) Standard: 20-35% of shell diameter

Shell Side Results

Complete energy balance and run calculation for shell side results.

Step 7: LMTD Calculation & Correction Factor

Calculate Log Mean Temperature Difference and apply correction factor

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Step 8: Heat Transfer Coefficients — h_i, h_o, and Overall U

Calculate tube-side and shell-side heat transfer coefficients

Step 9: Heat Transfer Area Calculation

Calculate required area using Q = U × A × ΔT_m

Step 10: Overall U Check — Clean vs Dirty Comparison

Compare initial U estimate with calculated U

Step 11: Pressure Drop Calculations — Tube Side & Shell Side

Calculate pressure drops using Kern method

Tube Side ΔP:
ΔP_t = [(4fLN_p/d_i) + 4N_p] × (ρv²/2)   [Pa]

Shell Side ΔP (Kern Method):
ΔP_s = f × G_s² × D_s(N_b+1) / (2ρD_e)   [Pa]

Step 12: Mechanical Check & Design Optimization

Verify all constraints, provide optimization recommendations

Final Design Summary — TEMA Datasheet Preview

Core Design Equations Reference

Heat Duty: Q = m × Cp × ΔT [kW]

LMTD: ΔT_lm = (ΔT₁-ΔT₂)/ln(ΔT₁/ΔT₂) [°C]

Heat Transfer: Q = U × A × ΔT_m [W]

Reynolds Number: Re = ρvD/μ

Nusselt (Turbulent): Nu = 0.023 × Re^0.8 × Pr^0.4

Overall U: 1/U = 1/h_i + R_fi + d_oln(d_o/d_i)/(2k_w) + R_fo + 1/h_o

Prandtl Number: Pr = Cp×μ/k

Tube Count: N_t = A/(π×d_o×L)

Industry Standard References

• Process Heat Transfer — D.Q. Kern (1950)
• Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook — 9th Edition
• Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering — McCabe, Smith, Harriott
• Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association (TEMA) — 10th Edition
• ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code — Section VIII, Div. 1
• Heat Exchanger Design Handbook — Kuppan (2000)
• API 660 — Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers

Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger Design Calculator | Based on TEMA Standards, Kern Method, and ASME Section VIII

For Educational & Preliminary Design Purposes

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