Numerical Optimization of Geometric Parameters of Baffels Configuration in Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Shell-and-tube heat exchangers are widely employed in industrial thermal systems; however, their performance is often limited by inefficient shell-side flow distribution associated with conventional baffle designs. In this study, a three-dimensional steady-state computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to investigate and compare the thermal performance of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger with four shell-side configurations: no baffle, conventional wavy baffle, proposed wavy-segmented baffle, and proposed half-segmented spiral baffle. Conjugate heat transfer is employed to accurately capture coupled conduction and convection phenomena within solid and fluid domains. The numerical model is validated against published literature before being applied to a parametric investigation over a range of shell-side volumetric flow rates from 2 to 8 LPM. Key performance indicators, including hot-fluid outlet temperature, overall heat transfer coefficient, effectiveness, enhancement ratio, and logarithmic mean temperature difference (LMTD), are evaluated to quantify the influence of baffle geometry and flow rate. The results demonstrate that increasing shell-side flow rate enhances heat transfer for all configurations, with the extent of improvement strongly dependent on baffle design. Compared to the no-baffle case, the proposed baffle configurations significantly intensify turbulence, improve flow redirection, and reduce thermal boundary-layer resistance. The half-segmented spiral baffle exhibits the best overall performance, achieving up to 38% enhancement in thermal performance, a maximum effectiveness of 0.85, and a substantial reduction in LMTD. The findings confirm that optimized baffle geometry combined with appropriate shell-side flow rates can markedly improve shell-side heat transfer, offering valuable guidance for the design of high-performance shell-and-tube heat exchangers.