Automated multi-stream spiral-wound heat exchanger design and optimization

•A novel optimization framework is proposed for automated multi-stream SWHE design.•Simultaneous optimization of geometries and multi-stream allocation is achieved.•New models are developed for SWHE modelling and validated using Aspen EDR.•SWHEs can achieve 31.8 %–40.7 % reductions in exchanger volu...

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Veröffentlicht in:Applied thermal engineering Jg. 284; S. 128914
Hauptverfasser: Yang, Zekun, Pan, Ting, Zhang, Shuhao, Chang, ChengLin, Zhang, Nan, Smith, Robin
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Elsevier Ltd 30.01.2026
Schlagworte:
Heat exchanger design
Mathematical programming
Optimization
Spiral-wound heat exchangers
Spiral-wound heat exchangers
Optimization
Heat exchanger design
Mathematical programming
ISSN:1359-4311
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Zusammenfassung:•A novel optimization framework is proposed for automated multi-stream SWHE design.•Simultaneous optimization of geometries and multi-stream allocation is achieved.•New models are developed for SWHE modelling and validated using Aspen EDR.•SWHEs can achieve 31.8 %–40.7 % reductions in exchanger volume compared to STHEs.•Key design limitations of SWHEs are identified to support exchanger integration. Spiral-wound heat exchangers (SWHEs) offer high heat transfer efficiency and compact design advantages, making them well-suited for services in process industries. Accelerating the application of SWHEs demands design methodologies that avoid extensive user manipulations and complex solution procedures. This study develops a novel incremental-based heat transfer framework for the automated design of single-phase SWHEs, which simultaneously optimizes multi-stream allocation across activated tube layers and exchanger geometries. At each increment, energy balances are enforced for all streams using local heat transfer coefficients and areas. On the tube-side, flow distribution is optimized by permitting variable split heat capacities and mass flow rates within tube layers while ensuring pressure balance for each stream at the bundle outlet. New correlations for shell-side flow regimes are introduced into the proposed sizing model to link discrete tube-layer selections with their corresponding cross-sectional areas throughout the optimization process. The capability of the proposed framework is demonstrated through four case studies, including model validation, two-stream and multi-stream SWHE design, and application to an industrial-scale heat exchanger network (HEN). Rigorous Aspen EDR-CoilWound simulations validate the proposed model and design results, with the HEN case exhibiting only a 2.95 % deviation from the target duty. In Case Study 2, SWHE results in a 24.29 % reduction in required heat transfer area. Case Studies 3 and 4 demonstrate that SWHE configurations can achieve 31.8 %–40.7 % reductions in exchanger volume, attributable to their superior compactness relative to conventional shell-and-tube heat exchangers (STHEs). Benchmarking against detailed STHE designs further clarifies optimal deployment strategies and highlights residual limitations of SWHE technology.
ISSN:1359-4311
DOI:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2025.128914