Chapter 4.

2: Flow Across a Tube

Bundle
Heat Exchanger
(Tube Bank)

Heat transfer to or from a bank (bundle) of

tubes in cross flow is found in many industrial
applications, such as steam generator in a
boiler or air cooling in the coil of an air
conditioner.
The geometric arrangement is shown in the
figure.
One fluid moves over the tubes,
while a second fluid passes through
the tubes.
The tube rows of a bank are either
staggered or in-line (aligned) in the
direction of the fluid velocity (V).
The configuration is characterized by
1) The tube diameter (D).
2) The transverse (normal) pitch (ST).

The heat transfer coefficient for a tube in the

first row is approximately equal to that for a
single tube in cross flow, whereas larger heat
transfer coefficients are associated with tubes
of the inner rows. The tubes of the first few
rows act as turbulence promoters, which
increases the heat transfer coefficient for tubes
in the following rows. Little change occurs in
the convection coefficient for tubes beyond the
fifth row.

Average heat transfer coefficient for the tube bundle:

1) For airflow across tube bundles composed of
10 or more rows,
obtained a correlation of the
NuGrimison
C1 Re mmax has ...
(1)
form:

N L 10

2000 Re max 40,000

Pr 0.7

hD
Nu
where,
k
Vmax D
Re max

and C1 and m are constants listed in Table (1):

Table (1) : Constants for Grimisons correlation for flow over a tube
bank of 10 or more rows

2) For other fluids flow across tube bundles

composed of 10 or
more rows, the average Nusselt number
m
13
Nu

1
.
13
C
Re
Pr
...( 2)
becomes 1
max

N L 10

2000 Re max 40,000

Pr 0.7

All properties appearing in the above equations

T Tw
are
T
f evaluated at the film temperature, where

3) For flow across tube bundles composed of

number of rows less

Nu N

L 10

C 2 Nu N

L 10

... 3

where the correction factor C2 is given in Table

(2):
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
NL
0.9 0.98 0.96 0.94 0.9 0.90 0.8 0.80 0.6 Aligned
9
2
7
4
0.9 0.98 0.97 0.95 0.9 0.89 0.8 0.75 0.6 Stagger
9
2
3
8 ed
Table (2): Correction factor C2 for NL < 10

Calculation of the maximum fluid velocity (Vmax)

The maximum Reynolds number (Remax) for the
foregoing correlations is based on the
maximum fluid velocity (V ) occurring within

Case of aligned (in-line) arrangement:

The maximum velocity occurs at the
transverse plane A1.From the continuity
equation
(mass conservation)
.

m VA
V ST 1 Vmax ST D
Vmax

ST

V
ST D

V = inlet velocity = incoming flow velocity = free stream velocity

Case of staggered arrangement:
The maximum velocity may occur at either the
transverse plane A1 or the diagonal plane A2.

ST D
ST D
A1
1
2
2

A2

S
2
T
SL
D 1
4

If A1 < A2:

ST

ST D
V
1 Vmax
1
2
2

Vmax

ST

V
ST D

If A2 < A1:

ST

V
1 Vmax
2

S
2
T
SL
D 1
4

Vmax

ST 2

Vmax

S
S
D
4

2
L

2
T

1
SL
1 4

ST

D
2
ST

Zukauskas correlation:
More recent results have been obtained, and
Zukauskas
has
proposed
the
following
correlation for the heat transfer coefficient for
flow across tube bundles:
14

Nu C Re

m
max

Pr

0.36

Pr

Prw

...(4)

N L 20

1000 Re max 2 10
0.7 Pr 500

Where all properties except Prw are evaluated

at the bulk temperature [Tb = (Ti + To)/2].
The constants C and m in the correlation of
Zukauskas given by equation (4) for a tube
bank in cross flow are listed in Table (3).
If NL < 20 rows, a correction factor C2 may be
Nu N 20 C 2 Nu N 20
... 5
L
applied
such thatL

The correction factor C2 is listed in Table (4)

Table (3): The constants C and m in the correlation of

Zukauskas

16

13

10

NL

0.9 0.98 0.97 0.95 0.9 0.90 0.8 0.80 0.7 Aligned
9
2
6
0
0.9 0.98 0.97 0.95 0.9 0.89 0.8 0.76 0.6 Stagger
9
2
4
4 ed
Table (4): Correction factor C2 for NL < 20 , Re > 103

Logarithmic Mean Temperature Difference:

Tlm

Tw Ti Tw To
Tw Ti

ln
Tw To

To Ti

Tw Ti

ln
Tw To

where Ti and To are temperatures of the fluid as

it enters and leaves the bank, respectively.

Calculation of the outlet temperature (To):

The outlet temperature, which is needed to
determine Tlm , may be estimated from

Tw To
e
Tw Ti

DN h
VN T ST c p

N = total number of tubes in the bank

NT = number of tubes in the transverse
(normal to the flow)
Calculation of the heat transfer rate (Q):
The
heat transfer rate from the bank of
.
may
from
Q tube be
hAcomputed
tube Tlm h DL Tlm
.

Q bank N h DL Tlm

plane

tubes

Calculation of the pressure drop (p):

The power required to move the fluid across the
tube bank is often a major operating expense
and is directly proportional to the pressure drop
associated with flow across a tube bank, which
may be expressed as
2

Vmax
f
p N L
2

= correction factor of a square, in-line tube

arrangement or an
equilateral triangle, staggered tube
arrangement.
f = friction factor.
The friction factor f and the correction factor
are plotted in the following figures for in-line

friction factor f and correction factor for in-line (aligned) tube

bundle arrangement

friction factor f and correction factor for staggered tube bundle

arrangement

Example:
Pressurized water is used for space heating or
industrial process applications. In such cases it
is customary to use a tube bundle heat
exchanger in which the water is passed through
the tubes, while air is passed in cross flow over
the tubes. Consider a staggered arrangement
for which the tube outside diameter is 16.4 mm
and the longitudinal and transverse pitches are
34.3 mm and 31.3 mm respectively. There are
seven rows of tubes in the airflow direction and
eight tubes per row. The tube surface
temperature is at 70oC, while the air upstream
temperature and velocity are 15oC and 6 m/s,
respectively. Determine:
a) The air-side average heat transfer coefficient
(using Zukauskas

Data: Tube bundle, staggered arrangement,

D = 16.4 mm, SL = 34.3 mm, ST = 31.3
mm, NL = 7, NT = 8, .
Q bank
Twh= 70oC, T =
Ti = 15oC, V = 6 m/s. L = 1
m
Required: a)
, b) To , c)
, d) p.
Solution: For air at T = Ti = 15oC, = 14.8210-6
m2/s, Pr = 0.71,
3
= 0.0253
kg/m
,
ST D 0k.0313
0.0164W/m.K., 3= 1.217
2
1007 J/kg.K.

7.45 10 m
cAp1 =
2
2
2 air at T = 70oC, Pr = 0.701.
For

w
S

A2

S 2L

D 1
For
4 air at Tf = (Tw + Ti )/2 =(70 + 15)/2
T

= 42.5oC, Pr = 0.705

0.0343
2

0.0313
4

0.0164 21.3 10 3 m 2

Since A1 < A2 , the maximum velocity occurs on

the transverse plane, A1

Vmax

ST
0.0313

V
6 12.6 m / s
ST D
0.0313 0.0164

Re max

Vmax D 12.6 0.0164

13,943
6

14.82 10

ST S L 0.0313 0.0343 0.91 2

It follows from the tables that

C 0.35 ST S L
Nu N L 20

15

0.34 , m 0.6 , C 2 0.95

14
m
0.36 Pr

C Re max Pr
Prw

0.34 13,943

0.6

0.71

0.36

0.71

0.701

0.25

92.46

Nu N

L 7

C 2 Nu N

L 20

0.95 92.46 87.84

k
0.0253
h Nu N L 7 87.84
135.5 W / m 2 . K
D
0.0164
From the equation:

Tw To
e
Tw Ti

DN h
VN T ST c p

To Tw Tw Ti e

DN h
VN T ST c p

0.016456135.5
1.217680.03131007

To 70 70 15 e

25.5o C

To Ti
25.5 15
Tlm

49.6o C
Tw Ti
70 15
ln

ln
70 25.5
Tw To

Q bank N h DL Tlm

56 135.5 0.0164 1 49.6 19391 W/m

2
Vmax

f
p N L
2

WithRe max 13,943 , PT ST, D 0.0313 0.0164 1.91

andP P S S 0.0313 0.0343 0.91
T
L
T
L
= 1.04 and f = 0.35
2
Vmax

f
p N L
2

1.217 12.6 2
0.35 246 Pa
7 1.04