Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Laminar and Low Turbulent Flow Distributions in Inlet Dividing Header of Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Flow distribution headers play a major role in heat exchangers. The selection of header diameter, branch pipe diameter, branch pipe spacing etc. is based on the designer's experience and general guide lines. The proper selection of the header dimensions will yield uniform flow distribution in heat exchangers, which in turn will enhance the heat exchanger efficiency. In this work, the flow distribution in branch pipes and the pressure variation across the branch pipes in laminar and low turbulence region is studied with two models of the inlet dividing headers. When the numerical analysis has been applied, its inability to predict the no flow condition through the branch pipes is revealed. The results are presented in the form of flow rate ratio through branch pipes and nondimensional coefficients across branch pipes which are useful to apply the existing mathematical models for the present experimental setup.