temperature profile for cross flow heat exchanger

Here’s a breakdown of the temperature profile for a cross flow heat exchanger, specifically when both fluids are unmixed:

🔥 Cross Flow Heat Exchanger – Both Fluids Unmixed

➤ Flow Arrangement:

• One fluid flows horizontally (say, hot fluid in tubes).
• The other flows vertically (say, cold air across the tubes).
• No mixing within or between the fluids.

📈 Temperature Profile Description:

▪ Hot Fluid:

• Inlet temperature: High.
• As it flows, it loses heat to the cold fluid.
• Outlet temperature: Lower than inlet, but not uniform across the exchanger due to varying contact time.

▪ Cold Fluid:

• Inlet temperature: Low.
• Gains heat as it flows across the hot tubes.
• Outlet temperature: Higher, but also varies across the exchanger.

🌀 Because of the crossflow and no mixing:

• Each point on the exchanger sees a different temperature gradient, depending on how long each fluid has been in contact with the surface.
• The temperature distribution is nonlinear and more complex than in counterflow or parallel flow exchangers.

📊 Typical Temperature Profile (schematic layout):

                ↑ Cold fluid in
        │
  High  │       ┌──────────────┐
  Temp  │       │              │
        │       │              │ → Hot fluid in (right side)
        │       │              │
        ↓       └──────────────┘
      Cold fluid out           ← Hot fluid out

⬇ Temperature Curves:

• Cold fluid gradually heats up — the curve starts low and arcs upward.
• Hot fluid cools down — starts high and arcs downward.
• The curves are not parallel, and not symmetrical due to crossflow geometry and varying heat exchange rate.

🔍 Efficiency:

• The effectiveness depends on the heat capacity ratio and the NTU (Number of Transfer Units).
• Generally less efficient than counterflow but more efficient than parallel flow.