Multipass Plate Heat Exchangers—Effectiveness-NTU Results and Guidelines for Selecting Pass Arrangements

Plate heat exchangers are classified on the basis of number of passes on each side and the flow arrangement in each channel, taking into account the end plate effects. This results in four configurations each for the 1–1 (1 Pass–1 Pass), 2–1, 2–2, 3–3, 4–1, 4–2, and 4–4 arrangements, and six configurations for the 3–1 arrangement. These arrangements are analyzed using the Gauss–Seidel iterative finite difference method; the plate arrangement that yields the highest effectiveness in each pass configuration is identified. Comprehensive results are presented in tabular form for the temperature effectiveness P₁ and log-mean temperature difference correction factor F as functions of the number of transfer units NTU₁, the heat capacity rate ratio R₁, and the total number of thermal plates. On the basis of these results, specific guidelines are outlined for the selection of appropriate plate heat exchanger configurations.