Turbulent flow-driven liquid-solid mass transfer in serpentine tube heat exchanger/reactors: applications and implications

ABSTRACTThis study examines liquid-solid mass and heat transfer rates in serpentine tube heat exchangers/reactors under turbulent flow using the copper dissolution technique. Key factors include solution flow rate, properties, tube diameter, U-bend curvature, and drag-reducing polymers. An empirical correlation predicts mass transfer coefficients, which are 4.12–5.36 times higher than straight tubes. Serpentine tubes show potential for economically viable diffusion-controlled reactions. Drag-reducing polymer (Polyox WSR-301) reduces corrosion rates by up to 23.3%. The study highlights serpentine tubes’ applicability in catalytic continuous reactors and membrane processes, emphasizing their significance in heat exchanger design and corrosion allowance prediction.KEYWORDS: Batch recycle reactordrag-reducing polymerheat exchanger/reactormembrane separationsecondary flowserpentine tubes Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.