On the optimal design of shell and tube heat exchanger for nuclear applications

In nuclear industry, heat exchanger plays an important role in the transfer of heat from reactor core, where heat is generated, to the ultimate heat sink UHS, and then is dissipated. The actual design of heat exchanger not only relies on thermohydraulic considerations but also on economical aspects and radiological safety considerations. For optimal design of heat exchanger for a specific application a compromise should be made for determining the important factors affecting the design. In this paper, an optimization model is presented for shell and tube heat exchanger, which could be considered as a tool for computer aided design. A case study is presented to explore the present adopted model. 3 figs