2.1 co current and counter current flow heat exchanger

co current and counter current flow heat exchanger :- A heat exchanger is nothing but heat transfer equipment which transfer the heat between two fluid. A heat transfer equipment will transfer the heat from hot fluid to cold fluid by conduction.

As we know that there are three ways of heat transfer and that’s are as below,

• Heat transfer by conduction
• heat transfer by convection
• heat transfer by conduction

In this article we study about advantages and disadvantages of co current heat exchanger and counter current flow heat exchanger. As we know that in shell and tube heat exchanger, we can arrange the two three types of fluid arrangements, co current flow heat transfer equipment, counter current flow heat transfer equipment and cross flow heat exchanger. But before study about advantages and disadvantages of co current and counter current heat exchanger. We study some basic about heat exchanger so it is for us to understand the difference between co current and counter current flow.

Heat Exchanger

What is heat exchanger in chemical industry?

Heat exchanger is mechanical equipment which used to heat the fluid, cool the fluid, boil the fluid, condense the fluid and also to dry the fluid.

There are different types of heat exchanger available in the market, we need to choose the correct heat transfer as per our process requirement. In industry a chemical engineer role is to select the heat exchanger and also design the heat exchanger as per process requirement. As we know that there are different types of heat transfer equipment available, but in chemical industry shell and tube heat exchanger is used largely.

co current and counter current flow heat exchanger

co current flow heat exchanger means the heat transfer equipment in which cold fluid and hot fluid are flowing in same direction and counter current heat exchanger means that heat exchanger in which cold and hot fluid flowing in opposite directions.

What is shell and tube heat exchanger?

It is a type of heat exchanger in we use one fluid shell side and another tube tube side.

what are three types of shell and tube heat exchanger?

Three types of shell and tube heat exchanger are fix head shell and tube heat exchanger, floating tube shell and tube transfer equipment and u tube shell and tube heat transfering equipment.

In all above types of tube and shell heat exchanger we there are two types arrangements of heat transfering fluid, first is co current flow arrangement and second is counter current flow arrangement.

What are the advantages of co current heat exchanger?

Main advantage of co current flow heat exchanger are as below,

• it is

what are the advantages of counter current flow heat exchanger?

Main advantage of counter current flow heat exchanger is it gives more efficiency that parallel flow heat exchanger.

what are the Dis-Advantages of co current heat exchanger?

co current heat exchanger are used when if there is efficiency is not main factor.

what are the Dis-Advantages of counter current heat exchanger.

Dis-advantage of counter flow type is depende upon process requirements.

This type of heat exchanger is not more efficient than counter current flow type heat transfer equipment. Because of in uniform

difference between co current and counter current flow heat exchanger.

The difference between counter current and co current heat exchanger are,

why co current flow heat exchanger is better than counter current flow heat exchanger?

co current flow heat exchanger	counter current flow heat exchanger
Hot fluid and cold fluid flow in same direction.	cold fluid and hot fluid flow in opposite direction.

cross flow heat exchanger

As the name cross flow in this class of heat transfer equipment the flow of Fluids are cross to each other. (Co current and counter current flow heat exchanger)

What is an example of cross flow heat exchanger?

Top mounted type of shell and tube condenser is a common example of cross flow heat exchanger. In which hot vapor from distillation column and cool water from cooling tower are comes in cross type of contact with each other.

Conclusion

Inthis article we study that there are different types of shell and tube heat exchanger. In shell and tube heat exchanger we can arrange the fluid flow as co current, counter current and cross country. Every type of fluid flow arrangements have some advantages and some disadvantages.we got the idea about selection counter current flow heat exchanger and co current flow heat exchanger as well as cross flow heat exchanger.

Read also,

co current and counter current flow heat exchanger pdf

baffles used in heat exchanger

Difference between tube and pipes