r/ChemicalEngineering • u/Excellent_Bat420 • 2d 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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u/Cyrlllc 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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? 

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u/Excellent_Bat420 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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.

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u/Cyrlllc 2d 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 2d 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/Cyrlllc 2d ago

I wouldnt call myself a good process engineer. I'm okay at best but know what's expected of me.

The website says fluid properties are coming but you make it sound like it already exists. How does it do its property calcs?

Have you used it in an actual procurement? How accurate was the cost and delivery times considering fabrication. 

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u/Excellent_Bat420 2d ago

They are making updates all the time and it's very new application. there is fluid database and I can add custom fluid too or change property of existing fluids. I have ordered already one and the delivery worked after 6 weeks very well also I got a drawing for approval and documentation. it was an easy application for water/steam. but I have calculated a lot of projects already.

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u/Cyrlllc 2d ago

I guess i might give it a try and test it against EDR. How did the cost compare?

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u/Excellent_Bat420 2d ago

It was the best price and also the smallest/efficient solution compared to the traditional way of purchasing. About 12% in total. But it is different from case to case.

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u/Cyrlllc 2d ago

I just tried the tool and i still feel like my gut feeling was correct. The tool is flashy but very bare bones. You can specify some fluid properties but that's nowhere near as useful as having a true property model.

It also told me I exceeded the design temperature on the cold side when I was trying to boil water but didn't let me specify that in previous steps. The tool did spit out a few selections but its really hard to check due to the lack of a datasheet.

To compare, with EDR I can:

* Get an accurate heat transfer area and heat transfer rate depending on fouling.
* Select geometry in-line with requirements (say removable tube bundle)
* Get accurate fluid properties across the entire heat exchanger.
* Generate TEMA datasheets to use as technical requirements.

I don't think process engineers working with heat exchangers would use this if they have access to commercial tools or an excel. It might work well for simple exchangers which don't require any real design. Then again, ordering off-the-shelf from china is really hard to beat pricewise.

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