Shell-and-tube heat exchangers, also known as tube bundle heat exchangers, are an interfacial type with the wall surface of the tube bundles enclosed within a shell as the heat transfer surface. They are characterized by a simple structure, low cost, wider flow cross-section, and ease of scaling cleaning; however, they have a low heat transfer coefficient and occupy a large area. They can be manufactured from various structural materials, primarily metals, and can be used under high temperature and high 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 amount, and heat medium parameters.