r/ChemicalEngineering • u/Excellent_Bat420 • 1d ago

Design Heat Exchanger Configuration Software

https://youtu.be/ma1LtMBo7nI?si=qmxEpXFvVWI5RvTl

What do you think about this? Would this change your daily workflow?

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9

u/Cyrlllc 1d ago

No. Is this supposed to be an alternative to sizing or rating? It does neither and seems redundant to be honest. 

If all you care about are inlet and outlet temperatures just let a supplier do the job as a paid quotation or for free if theyre being nice. 

If you've already used a design software on the other hand, then what's the point of this?

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u/Excellent_Bat420 1d ago

Sure, you can size it yourself or let a supplier do it. But then what? You’re still waiting days or weeks for a quote, with zero way to compare across vendors. I don’t have the patience for that – do you? I see that solved al in one.

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u/Cyrlllc 1d ago

You dont have patience to do your job?

Procurement takes some time, and its our job to ensure it is done well. There are other aspects to involving suppliers like getting valuable design input. You can always send out quotations to multiple vendors.

Does your tool do the entire design in one material or does it automatically assume the utility side is carbon steel to save cost? Does it handle stronger alloys like hastelloy?

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u/Excellent_Bat420 1d ago

I have the patience for my job but not the patience waiting for offers. It handles auto selection and calculates all possible variations in sizing. It is for bespoken shell and tube. For now only carbon steel and stainless steel. I like the generated 3D File.

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u/Cyrlllc 1d ago

How is it for bespoke hx design if all it does is look at temperature curves? If anything it feels like a tool for generic, off-the-shelf exchangers in which case I can see some usefulness.

It still feels like youre trying to solve a non-issue. If all you need is off-the-shelf exchangers, just look in a catalog.

The 3d file is cool and all but wouldnt you already have a model if you have a 3d model of your plant? 

0

u/Excellent_Bat420 1d ago

I think it's more than that. It generates individual solutions every time and calculates the thermal length to the millimeter. The speed is awesome. I often have the problem when I request an application I get different offers and they differ in type, heating surface and pressure loss and of course in price. The 3D helps because it is the heat exchanger that I end up with. So I can complete my planning and am also done with the technical clarification.

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u/Cyrlllc 1d ago

What do you mean differ in area and pressure drop.. that's your job as a process engineer to specify.

I'm a bit confused too. You're talking as if the tool can design a completely new heat exchanger but does it even take in fluid properties? It looks more like a glorified calculator rather than a real design tool to me.

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u/Excellent_Bat420 1d ago

When I create inquiries, I just describe my process in an email and then receive my offers from manufacturers who can interpret them themselves and these then differ.

It is a real design tool and not a calculator. There's a machine in there with a unique algorithm that lays out everything super quickly and you should just try it.

3

u/Cyrlllc 1d ago

So you're not a process engineer then?

A real design tool would give you accurate areas, pressure drops and heat transfer as a function of fouling. There is no way that workflow would work in industry,

How does it use a unique algorithm when heat exchanger equations have remained fundamentally the same. Everybody says their algorithms are unique but they really aren't.

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u/Excellent_Bat420 1d ago

Not a good one like you. It has all your topics mentioned included. Fluid Property, Fouling, pressure drop etc. In every software else you have to be clear of the type of heat exchanger before. Here it is not about the type, there is a autoselection running all possible variations regarding to the application. Tube diameter, shell diameter, baffles, pitches and so on. I never have seen something like this before. And then including price, delivery time and so on.

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u/Bugatsas11 1d ago

Seems very basic, while there are so many good process simulators out there.

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u/Excellent_Bat420 1d ago

Can you suggest one that's better?

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u/sl0w4zn 1d ago

There are some marketing keywords that make it seem fancier than it is. The service seems more of a conceptual design level of understanding to quickly put a placeholder in your system design until you tweak it. It doesn't cut back the amount of work to produce a calculation that sizes a heat exchanger. I would treat this as a sanity check, or the same way I Google 50 F to Celsius. It's missing material analyses, I don't think it had fouling factors (but that's easy behind the scenes), more unique heat exchangers, or nozzle diameters. 

In all, I think this is maybe 3/10 useful, and I would not buy the heat exchanger with only those inputs from the video.

1

u/Excellent_Bat420 1d ago

Have you tested it yet?

1

u/sl0w4zn 1d ago

No, just watched the video. Imo, for engineers you shouldn't shy away from complicated topics. The video was very simple and felt like a tool for students. If you want to appeal to engineers, you have to provide more technical value than only "it's simple".

1

u/Puzzleheaded_Long_47 1d ago

Yea there were no properties or velocities or anything. I'm not sure what this thing is spitting out as a design and an estimate. Or where the estimate number comes from. I didn't even see condensation or evaporation considered. Is it considering a gas and a liquid as having the same heat transfer? This seems like just giving the illusion of a good final design but really it's an arbitrary number that might make a project manager feel nice. Maybe it's useful for systems where everything is liquid water and stays liquid water.

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u/Excellent_Bat420 1d ago

The video shows not all what's possible and it works for 80% of my applications. Things are becoming easier and it is the time that this is happening for bespoken components too.

2

u/Lost_Significance_89 22h ago

Tbh i wouldnt use this, I can just look at the design equations and set up an excel spreadsheet

3

u/Zestyclose_Habit2713 16h ago

This is designed to help you lose your job. AI slop

1

u/Excellent_Bat420 15h ago

I’ve been using ZILEX and honestly it’s not some random AI gimmick. For me it just makes the job faster and less painful.

1

u/Oeyoelala 1d ago

The most established software for Hex design is HTRI. But it is also costly and not the easiest to use. I can imagine if Hex is not your discipline and you need quick and dirty estimates.i can imagine it is a useful tool.

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u/muddiio 1d ago

I just tried it out!! I use three different softwares (and excel sheets) to finalize one offer for the customer. It takes me several days and back and forth communication with suppliers. This allows me to do it in so smooth. Is the 3D Model of an individual design or a standardized configurator?

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u/Excellent_Bat420 1d ago

As far as I know, it's custom generated at Shell and Tube.