Shell and tube heat exchangers, also known as tube bundle heat exchangers, are a type of interfacial heat exchanger where the wall surface of the tube bundles enclosed in the shell serves as the heat transfer surface. These heat exchangers are structurally simple, cost-effective, have a wider flow cross-section, and are easy to clean of scale; however, they have a low heat transfer coefficient and require a large area. They can be manufactured from various structural materials, primarily metals, and can be used under high temperature and pressure conditions, making them a widely used type.
Shell-and-tube heat exchangers include fixed tube plate steam-water heat exchangers, expansion jointed shell-and-tube steam-water heat exchangers, floating head steam-water heat exchangers, U-tube shell-and-tube steam-water heat exchangers, bellows-type shell-and-tube steam-water heat exchangers, and sectioned water-water heat exchangers, among others. The main control parameters of shell-and-tube heat exchangers are heating surface area, hot water flow rate, heat exchange quantity, and heat medium parameters.