Application of Excel in Solving Heat Exchanger Problems

Introduction to heat exchanger analysis and design is an excellent vehicle for providing students an educational experience in practical application of heat transfer concepts in an undergraduate heat transfer course. Heat transfer textbooks commonly provide a brief coverage of heat exchangers, which contain detailed heat transfer analysis for parallel-flow and counter-flow heat exchangers. For some of the more complex flow patterns, charts are included in the textbooks to be used in solving heat exchanger problems. The accuracy of solutions is highly dependent on how precise one can read the charts, but also in problems requiring several stages of iteration, the process could become extremely tedious. Use of computer software programs increases the accuracy and eases the task of solving problems involving repeated calculations. Excel is one of the tools that can be used in solving heat exchanger problems. It is simple to use and usually available on almost all desktop or laptop computers. This paper demonstrates how Excel can be used in solving heat exchanger problems. Formulas are provided for replacing charts in solving heat exchanger problems. Several examples are included to demonstrate the application of Excel in heat exchanger analysis and design.