Case Study: Pilot Chemical Company models heat transfer in shell-and-tube exchangers with Datacor AFT

Pilot Chemical Company models both sides of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger in one file with Datacor

Pilot Chemical Company needed to model the heat transfer in a shell and tube heat exchanger, a common but complex engineering challenge. They utilized software from vendor Datacor, specifically AFT Fathom and AFT Arrow, to accurately simulate both the shell side and tube side of their heat exchanger within a single model file.

Datacor's solution involved using a "Thermal Link" feature between two heat exchangers in the model, representing the two sides of the physical unit. By configuring the software for "Heat Transfer with Energy Balance (Multiple Fluids)" and creating separate fluid groups, Pilot Chemical Company successfully simulated the entire system. This allowed them to achieve a precise heat transfer balance between the hot and cold fluid loops, improving their design and analysis capabilities.

Pilot Chemical Company