CFD-Based Thermal Performance Analysis of Shell-and-Tube and Plate Heat Exchangers Using Copper, Aluminium, and Titanium Materials

Abstract

Heat exchangers are essential components in thermal systems, and their performance depends on both material properties and exchanger configuration. This study presents a CFD-based evaluation of shell-and-tube and plate heat exchangers manufactured from copper, aluminium, and titanium. The geometries were developed in SolidWorks 2023 and analysed using SolidWorks Flow Simulation under steady-state laminar-flow conditions. Water was used as the hot and cold working fluid, with identical inlet conditions and mass flow rate applied to all cases to ensure a consistent comparison. Thermal performance was assessed using temperature distribution, heat duty, pressure drop, effectiveness, Reynolds number, log mean temperature difference, and overall heat-transfer coefficient. The results showed that copper provided the highest thermal performance among the investigated materials because of its higher thermal conductivity. The copper plate heat exchanger achieved the highest heat duty of 4.42 kW and an effectiveness of 13.2%, while the copper shell-and-tube heat exchanger produced a heat duty of 4.16 kW and an effectiveness of 12.4%. Aluminium produced moderate heat duties of 3.12 kW for the plate configuration and 2.91 kW for the shell-and-tube configuration. Titanium showed the lowest heat duties, with 1.40 kW for the plate heat exchanger and 1.23 kW for the shell-and-tube heat exchanger, although it remains relevant where corrosion resistance is required. The calculated Reynolds number confirmed laminar flow, and the pressure drops were low across the configurations. Overall, the plate heat exchanger showed better heat-transfer performance than the shell-and-tube design under the simulated conditions, while the engineering calculations supported the CFD results.