ESTUDO DE DESEMPENHO DE TROCADORES DE CALOR E VALIDAÇÃO DE MODELO MATEMÁTICO EM ESCALA LABORATORIAL E INDUSTRIAL

Abstract

Heat exchangers are crucial equipment for managing thermal loads between process streams, aiming at energy efficiency and resource savings. This study aimed to analyze the performance of shell-and-tube heat exchangers at two different scales: laboratory and industrial, with a focus on validating the Bell-Delaware mathematical model. The central problem addressed was the need for experimental validation to ensure consistency between design and operation, mitigating thermal performance failures and guaranteeing that efficiency expectations are met. To achieve these objectives, the methodology adopted initially involved defining the operational parameters of the equipment to assess their performance under different conditions. Subsequently, the Bell-Delaware method was applied. Additionally, statistical analyses were performed using MiniTab software to determine and interpret the control profiles of physical properties across the equipment, identifying trends, variabilities, and correlations among operational parameters. The results showed that the Bell-Delaware method exhibits high accuracy in determining the heat transfer area of industrial heat exchangers, with minimal differences compared to the values recorded in the technical data of the equipment. This highlights the method's reliability for industrial projects, reinforced by the compatibility between the SolidWorks software results and theoretical estimates. However, the laboratoryscale prototype revealed significant limitations in thermal and hydraulic performance. The most suitable process standard was determined by comparing the simulation results with experimental tests. The analyses identified critical factors affecting efficiency, such as thermal losses, insulation failures, and variations in pressure and temperature. The integration of computational simulations, statistical optimizations, and experimental data provided a deeper understanding of the thermal and fluid dynamic behavior, enabling the validation of the mathematical model and the proposal of engineering solutions to optimize heat exchanger performance.