Actual U, fouling resistance and cleanliness from plant readings — with the duty lost to fouling, its yearly cost and the best cleaning interval.
USD 49 one-time purchase
Download the sample report (PDF)
Buying several tools? Get the Heat Exchanger Complete Kit — USD 179
Need it once? Use it online: check your data free, unlock results from USD 9 for 3 runs.
What it does
Performance from plant readings
Duty from the enthalpy change of each stream (boiling and condensing included), heat balance check, LMTD, F factor, actual U, fouling resistance and cleanliness.
Any arrangement
Counter-current, co-current, 1-2 TEMA E shell or several shells in series.
About 165 built-in fluids
Water and steam, refrigerants, hydrocarbons, solvents, glycols, brines, heat transfer oils, petroleum fractions and gas mixtures.
Clean re-rating
Duty and outlet temperatures if the exchanger were clean, by effectiveness-NTU — the duty you are losing now.
Cleaning economics
Cost of fouling per year, cleaning payback and the optimum cleaning interval.
History and trend
A 40-row log with a fouling trend chart; ranked findings and a print-ready report.
Built for engineers
- Visible formulas — nothing hidden, so you can check every step.
- Fully referenced — methods from the standard references, checked against their published worked examples.
- Safe to share — sheets are protected against accidental edits, with an open password so you can still customise.
- Built-in input checks — clear warnings for impossible inputs and values outside typical ranges.
For engineering estimates; verify against site data. Code-based methods are aligned with the publicly documented procedure; they are not a licensed reproduction or a certification.
Preview the workbook
Real pages from the workbook with its built-in example loaded (example data, not a measured plant). Choose a page below, or select the large image to enlarge it.
A worked case
The case: a crude preheat train — 60,000 kg/h of diesel cooled from 250 to 170 °C heats 100,000 kg/h of light crude from 140 to 192 °C in two 1-2 shells in series, 440 m², clean U 300 W/m²·K, 300 days since the last cleaning. The workbook gives: duty 3,608 kW (heat balance −2.9 %), F = 0.8945, actual U 215.9 W/m²·K, cleanliness 72 %, fouling resistance 0.001299 m²·K/W — 186 % of the design allowance. Re-rated clean by ε-NTU, the exchanger would give 306.5 kW more: 2,452 MWh and 73,603 a year at 30 per MWh. One cleaning (25,000) pays back in 124 days; the optimum interval is 273 days, so cleaning is 27 days overdue.
Specification and checks
| Format | Excel workbook (.xlsx), no macros |
| Version | v1.0 |
| Works in | Excel 2010 or later, Windows and Mac |
| Units | SI, US and British, mixed freely |
| Includes | Guide tab with method and references, calculator, print-ready report |
| Checked against | Shah & Sekulić worked examples 3.6, 3.8 and 13.2; steam and propane condensing duties within 0.1 % of reference data. See the verification record |
| Free version | Try the online calculator |
Free calculator, online tool or Excel tool?
| Free calculator | Online tool | Excel tool | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Actual U, fouling resistance, duty lost to fouling, its yearly cost and how fast cleaning pays back. | The full Excel tool, run in your browser | Actual U, fouling resistance and cleanliness from plant readings — with the duty lost to fouling, its yearly cost and the best cleaning interval. |
| Cost | Free, no sign-up | 3 runs for USD 9, or every online tool for USD 15 a month | USD 49 once, yours to keep |
| Input checks and findings | Basic warnings | Every input checked, with findings and recommendations | Every input checked, with findings and recommendations |
| Report for your calculation file | Print the web page | Printable results sheet | Print-ready report with your plant, tag, document number, revision and sign-off |
| Formulas | Method described on the page | Method described in the guide | Every formula visible in its cell |
| Save, edit and rerun your cases | — | Each run separately | Yes — keep and edit your own file |
| Works offline, on a plant PC | — | — | Yes — Excel 2010 or later, Windows and Mac |
Compatibility, licence and support
| File | Excel workbook (.xlsx), no macros, version v1.0; works in Excel 2010 or later on Windows and Mac. Sheets are protected against accidental edits, with an open password so you can customise. |
| Licence | Single user. A team licence (up to 5 named users) is 3 × the shop price; site licences on request — licence terms. |
| Updates | Updates to this major version are included; download them again from the link in your receipt. |
| Support | Email [email protected] with your order number — questions on the method, your inputs or your results are welcome. |
| Refunds | If the tool does not work as described, or has an error we cannot fix, email [email protected] with your order number within 14 days of purchase and we will refund you in full. Refunds are not offered for a change of mind once a file has been downloaded. Read the full refund policy. |