Comparative performance of cubic and cylindrical graphite heat exchangers: A study using computational fluid dynamics.

This article focuses on the comparative thermal performance analysis of graphite towers—heat exchangers made from graphite elements—in cubic and cylindrical geometries using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The study finds that cubic graphite towers exhibit a 9% higher overall heat transfer coefficient and a 37% greater temperature difference between inlet and outlet process fluids compared to cylindrical towers of equivalent size, indicating superior heat transfer capabilities. However, the cubic design results in a 2.4-fold increase in pressure drop for the service fluid due to a longer flow path and U-shaped piping, which may impact industrial applicability. Detailed analyses of individual graphite elements reveal that increasing the number of fluid passage holes enhances heat transfer efficiency, and cubic elements generally outperform cylindrical ones in thermal efficiency despite their larger size and higher pressure drop. These findings provide insights into optimizing graphite heat exchanger designs for corrosive fluid applications where corrosion resistance and thermal performance are critical.