Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Product Overview

Shell-and-tube heat exchangers are primarily composed of a shell, baffles, heat exchange tubes, flanges, and turning vanes. They can be manufactured from either carbon steel or stainless steel. During the heat exchange process, one fluid enters through the connection pipe at the head, flows through the tubes, and exits through the outlet pipe at the opposite end of the head, which is known as the tube side; another fluid enters through the shell's inlet, and exits through another outlet on the shell, referred to as the shell side.

Fixed tube sheet heat exchanger

The structure is relatively simple, compact, and cost-effective, but it cannot be mechanically cleaned on the outside. The tube bundle of this heat exchanger is connected to the tube plates, which are separately welded to both ends of the shell. A top cover is connected to it, and the top cover and shell are equipped with fluid inlet and outlet connections. Typically, a series of baffles perpendicular to the tube bundle are installed outside the tubes. Meanwhile, the connection between the steel pipes, tube plates, and the shell is rigid, while the fluids inside and outside the tubes are at different temperatures. Therefore, when there is a significant temperature difference between the tube wall and the shell wall, due to the different thermal expansion of the two, a large temperature difference stress is generated, which can cause the tubes to twist, bend, or even loosen from the tube plates, or even damage the heat exchanger. Generally, when the temperature difference between the tube wall and the shell wall exceeds 50°C, for safety reasons, the heat exchanger should have a temperature difference compensation device. However, the compensation device (expansion joint) can only be used when the temperature difference between the shell wall and the tube wall is below 60 ~ 70°C and the pressure of the shell-side fluid is not high. Usually, when the shell-side pressure exceeds 0.6Mpa, due to the thick compensation ring, it is difficult to expand and contract, losing the temperature difference compensation effect, other structures should be considered.

U-tube heat exchanger

U-shaped tube heat exchangers, each tube bent into a U-shape, fixed at both ends on a single tube plate. The tubes are freely expandable to address thermal compensation issues. The tube side has at least two passes, allowing the bundle to be removed for cleaning and the tubes to expand freely. It features a simple structure, light weight, and is suitable for high-temperature and high-pressure conditions.

Immersed tube heat exchanger

A heat exchanger with a serpentine tube as the heat transfer element is one type of shell-and-tube heat exchanger. It features a simple structure, ease of manufacturing, installation, cleaning, and maintenance, affordability, and is particularly suitable for cooling high-pressure fluids, thus it is still in use.

Technical Specifications