The Mathematics of Heat Exchangers: Logarithms in Action (UMAP)

A heat exchanger is used to cool a hot liquid or to heat a cold liquid. An example of a heat exchanger in your home is the water heater, which heats cold water by transferring heat from burning gas or from electrically heated metal. In industry, a liquid product may be hot just after it is made and must be cooled in a heat exchanger before storage. In this paper, we show how mathematics is used in determining the size of the heat exchanger; as the title suggests, logarithms play an important role.

Table of Contents:

INTRODUCTION

HEAT BALANCE EQUATION

DESIGN OF A HEAT EXCHANGER

A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE

REFERENCES

ABOUT THE AUTHORS