A review of the advancements made in helical baffles used in shell and tube heat exchangers.

This paper provides a review about the major work done on helical baffles to improve the performance of shell and tube heat exchangers. Some of the major factors affecting the performance of shell and tube heat exchanger are discussed. A comparison between segmental baffles and helical baffles is also presented to show that helical baffles are more advantageous than segmental baffles. In most cases, discontinuous, folded, sextant helical baffles, 40° baffle inclination angle as well as low baffle spacing will give the best results when integrated in some combination, whereas continuous helical baffles eliminate dead regions. Moreover, sealing strips are more likely to improve the performance of shell and tube heat exchangers with continuous helical baffles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]