Patent ID: 7954544

Claim:
A heat transfer system for process fluids comprising: one or more conduits sized to accept a process fluid flowing therethrough at a Reynolds Number of at least about 275,000, each conduit having a length, an inner surface, and a maximum conduit wall temperature limit; each conduit positioned to accept an inconsistent heat flux along the length of the conduit from a heat source sufficient to provide a predetermined bulk temperature to the process fluid. the inner surface disposed to transfer heat from the conduit to the process fluid flow; and one or more ridges formed on a portion of the inner surface of each conduit, the ridges positioned along at least a portion of the length of the conduit receiving the heat flux, and the ridges dimensioned to increase the heat transfer to the process fluid flow and configured to provide a temperature ratio of the conduit with the one or more ridges relative to the conduit without ridges defined by formula A [ T ( conduit ⁢ ⁢ inside ⁢ ⁢ surface ) - T ( bulk ⁢ ⁢ process ⁢ ⁢ fluid ) ] ( conduit ) [ T ( conduit ⁢ ⁢ without ⁢ ⁢ ridges ⁢ ⁢ inside ⁢ ⁢ surface ) - T ( equivalent ⁢ ⁢ bulk ⁢ ⁢ process ⁢ ⁢ fluid ) ] ( conduit ⁢ ⁢ without ⁢ ⁢ ridges ) ( A ) and the temperature ratio is from about 0.6 to about 0.9; and the one or more ridges configured to providing a pressure ratio of the conduit with the one or more ridges relative to the conduit without ridges defined by formula B [ Δ ⁢ ⁢ P / Unit ⁢ ⁢ Length ] ( conduit ) [ Δ ⁢ ⁢ P / Unit ⁢ ⁢ Length ] ( conduit ⁢ ⁢ without ⁢ ⁢ ridges ) ( B ) and the pressure ratio is about 1.2 to about 1.7; wherein T (conduit inside surface) =temperature of the conduit inside surface; T (bulk process fluid) =temperature of the bulk process fluid in the conduit; T (conduit without ridges inside surface) =temperature of the conduit without ridges inside surface having the process fluid flowing therethrough; T (equivalent bulk process fluid) =temperature of the bulk process fluid in the conduit without ridges having the process fluid flowing therethrough; [ΔP/Unit Length] (conduit) =pressure drop per unit length in the conduit portion having the one or more ridges; and [ΔP/Unit Length] (conduit without ridges) =pressure drop per unit length in the conduit without ridges having the process fluid flowing therethrough.