Patent ID: 8176974

Claim:
A method for providing a system for transferring heat to process fluids, the method comprising: providing one or more conduits having a length and an inner surface; sizing each conduit to accommodate a process fluid flowing therethrough at a Reynolds Number of at least about 275,000, and to receive an inconsistent heat flux along the length of the conduit sufficient to increase the average bulk temperature of the process fluid by a predetermined amount; providing one or more ridges on at least a portion of the conduit inner surface and configuring the one or more ridges to provide a temperature ratio and a pressure ratio for the conduit relative to the conduit without the one or more ridges; the temperature ratio defined by formula A below [ 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 is from about 0.6 to about 0.9 and the pressure ratio is defined by formula B [ Δ ⁢ ⁢ P / Unit ⁢ ⁢ Length ] ( conduit ) [ Δ ⁢ ⁢ P / Unit ⁢ ⁢ Length ] ( conduit ⁢ ⁢ without ⁢ ⁢ ridges ) ( B ) and 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.