Course Catalogue.

After participating in this course, you will be able to:

• Apply core principles of heat transfer and fluid dynamics in the design and operation of heat exchangers.
• Select and specify the optimal type of heat exchanger for various industrial applications.
• Perform detailed thermal and hydraulic designs for shell-and-tube, air-cooled, and plate heat exchangers.
• Implement best practices in heat exchanger maintenance, including corrosion prevention and vibration control.
• Evaluate and address operational challenges like fouling, scaling, and performance degradation effectively.

Description
Explore the essential principles of heat transfer and fluid flow in heat exchanger design and operation. This course delves into the workings of shell-and-tube heat exchangers (STHE), air-cooled exchangers (ACHE), and plate heat exchangers (PHE), covering their specific applications, mechanical design parameters and relevant industry standards like API, TEMA, and ASME. Through detailed explanations, you’ll learn how to enhance performance, optimize materials selection, and extend the lifespan of heat exchangers across various operational environments.

Additionally, the course emphasizes practical strategies for improving efficiency and reliability. Topics include methods for addressing fouling, corrosion, and vibration in tube bundles and techniques for effective inspection, maintenance, and repair of heat exchangers. Hands-on workshops will provide opportunities to apply these concepts to real-world case studies, using advanced problem-solving approaches to tackle issues commonly encountered in the field.

Participants will engage in collaborative sessions designed to solve practical challenges, deepening their understanding of critical topics such as thermal design, material fabrication technologies, and troubleshooting of complex systems. Case studies and industry examples will illustrate how these techniques can be applied in diverse industrial settings, ensuring participants gain practical, actionable insights.

Who Should Attend
This course is ideal for professionals involved in designing, selecting, operating, and maintaining heat exchangers across various industries, including chemical processing, oil and gas, power generation, and HVAC. It is especially beneficial for project, process, mechanical engineers, and plant and maintenance personnel tasked with troubleshooting and improving heat exchanger performance.

In addition, supervisors, managers, and engineering technologists responsible for overseeing equipment reliability and safety can significantly benefit from the course. Those involved in procuring and specifying heat exchanger systems will also gain valuable insights into the latest industry practices and technologies. This course is designed for those seeking to enhance their knowledge of heat exchangers and improve their operational efficiency.

Course Syllabus

Day 1: Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers (STHE)

• Principles of Heat Transfer: Efficiency and Choice of Working Fluid
• Temperature Difference Consideration: Sizing of Heat Exchanger
• Heat Exchanger Configurations (TEMA) and Major Design Components
• Construction of Tube Bundle, Tube Sheet, Baffles, Shell and Nozzles
• Material Selection and Fabrication Technologies
• Thermal Design Considerations:
• Effectiveness and ε-NTU method
• Evaluation of Fluid Pressure Drop and Pumping Power
• Control in Operation: Tube Vibration & Troubleshooting
• Workshop: Case Studies, Examples & Solutions

Day 2: Air Cooled (ACHE) and Plate Heat Exchangers (PHE)

• Specifics of Air Cooling as Applied to ACHE in the Process Industry
• ACHE Configurations & Main Design Components
• Construction and Fabrication of Tube Bundle with Finned Tubes
• Aerodynamic Design: Selection and Sizing of Fans and Drives
• Control in Operation for Various Ambient Conditions
• Characteristics of PHE and Compabloc Units
• Flow vs. Temperature Difference in PHE
• Problems in Operation
• Workshop: Case Studies, Examples & Solutions

Day 3: Condensers, Reboilers, Cooling Towers

• Condensation Heat Transfer: Selection of Cooling Medium
• Surface Condenser Configurations and Main Components
• Design of Tube Bundle, Water Boxes, Hot Well and Vacuum System
• Condenser Vacuum Problems and Air Evacuation Techniques
• Boiling in Boiler Tubes and Pool Boiling
• Reboilers: Configurations, Design and Applications
• Cooling Towers: Effect of Fill Media
• Effect of Wet Bulb Temperature
• Workshop: Case Studies, Examples & Solutions

Day 4: Performance Monitoring, Validation and Maintenance

• Performance Testing and Validation
• Monitoring of Operating Parameters
• Efficiency Improvement Methods
• Typical problems in Operation
• Fouling and Scaling Removal and Cleaning
• Inspection of Corrosion and Erosion of Vital Elements
• Fitness for Service Analysis (FFS, API579)
• Maintenance, Repairs and Replacements
• Summary and Conclusions