Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Shell and tube heat exchangers are one of the most widely used and important heat transfer equipment in the chemical and industrial fields, and are highly regarded for their rugged design, versatility, and ability to handle a variety of fluids under various operating conditions. Shell and tube heat exchangers consist of a cylindrical shell that houses a bundle of tubes, with one fluid flowing inside the tube bundle and another fluid flowing around the tubes in the shell, allowing for efficient heat exchange without direct contact between the fluids. Key components such as tube sheets, baffles, and headers enhance flow control and heat transfer performance. Various configurations such as fixed tube sheets, U-tubes, and floating head designs are available to meet specific process needs, including high pressure, thermal expansion, and ease of maintenance. These heat exchangers are widely used in processes such as heating, cooling, condensing, evaporation, and waste heat recovery in industries such as petrochemicals, power generation, refrigeration, pharmaceuticals, and food processing. While they have advantages such as high durability, wide material compatibility, and scalability, they also face challenges such as susceptibility to fouling, large footprint, and complex design considerations. With advances in efficiency, compactness, intelligent monitoring, and sustainability, shell and tube heat exchangers remain the cornerstone of industrial heat exchange technology.

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Equipment type	Classification method	Features	Application scenario
Fixed tube sheet heat exchanger	Classification by structure	The two ends of the tube bundle are fixed on the tube sheet, and the tube sheet is welded to the shell. This structure is simple, compact and low in cost, but the tube bundle cannot be pulled out, making cleaning and maintenance more difficult.	Suitable for occasions where the shell side medium is clean and not easy to scale, such as cooling water.
Floating head heat exchanger	Classification by structural form	One end of the tube sheet is fixed to the shell, and there is a floating head between the other end of the tube sheet and the shell, which can be freely extended and retracted. This structure allows the tube bundle to be pulled out, which is convenient for cleaning and maintenance, but the structure is complex and the cost is high.	Suitable for occasions where the shell side medium is easy to scale and needs frequent cleaning, such as handling liquids containing impurities.
U-tube heat exchanger	Classification by structural form	The tube bundle is U-shaped, and both ends are fixed on the same tube sheet. The U-tube heat exchanger allows the tube bundle to expand and contract freely, avoiding thermal stress, but it is difficult to clean the tube.	It is suitable for high temperature, high pressure and large temperature difference occasions, such as heat exchange between steam and liquid.
Stuffing box heat exchanger	Classification by structural form	One end of the tube sheet is fixed, and the other end is connected to the shell through the stuffing box, which is convenient for the tube bundle to be pulled out and cleaned. This structure is simple and low in cost, but the stuffing box may leak.	Suitable for occasions that require frequent cleaning but do not require high sealing.
Straight tube heat exchanger	Classification by heat transfer tube arrangement	The heat transfer tube is a straight tube, usually arranged vertically or horizontally. This structure is simple and easy to clean and maintain.	Applicable to most heat exchange occasions, especially those that require frequent cleaning.
Spiral tube heat exchanger	Classification by heat transfer tube arrangement	The heat transfer tubes are arranged in a spiral shape, which increases the turbulence of the fluid and improves the heat transfer efficiency.	Applicable to occasions that require high heat transfer efficiency, such as processing high-viscosity fluids.
Corrugated tube heat exchanger	Classified by heat transfer tube arrangement	The heat transfer tube is a corrugated tube, which increases the elasticity of the tube wall, can absorb thermal stress, and improve the heat transfer efficiency.	Suitable for occasions with large temperature differences and high heat transfer efficiency.
Smooth tube heat exchanger	Classified by heat transfer tube shape	The heat transfer tube has a smooth surface, simple processing, and low cost, but the heat transfer efficiency is relatively low.	Applicable to general heat exchange occasions.
Fin tube heat exchanger	Classification by heat exchange tube shape	The outer surface of the heat transfer tube is equipped with fins, which increases the heat transfer area and improves the heat transfer efficiency. There are many types of finned tubes, such as plain fins, threaded fins, etc.	Applicable to heat exchange between gas and liquid, such as air coolers, condensers, etc.
Bellows heat exchanger	Classification by shape of heat exchange tube	The heat transfer tube is a bellows tube, which increases the elasticity of the tube wall, can absorb thermal stress, and improve the heat transfer efficiency.	Suitable for occasions with large temperature differences and high heat transfer efficiency.
Heater	Classification by purpose of heat exchanger	Used to heat the fluid from low temperature to high temperature. Steam or hot water is usually used as the heat source.	For example, heating reaction materials in chemical production, heating milk in food processing, etc.
Cooler	Classification by the purpose of the heat exchanger	Used to cool the fluid from high temperature to low temperature. Usually cooling water or air is used as the cooling medium.	For example, cooling reaction products in chemical production, cooling beverages in food processing, etc.
Condenser	Classification by the purpose of heat exchanger	Used to condense gas into liquid. Usually cooling water is used as the cooling medium.	Such as condensing steam in the distillation process, condensing refrigerant in the refrigeration system, etc.
Evaporator	Classification by the purpose of heat exchanger	Used to evaporate liquid into gas. Usually steam or hot water is used as the heat source.	For example, evaporating water to concentrate juice in food processing, evaporating solvents to recover products in chemical production, etc.
Downstream heat exchanger	Classified by the fluid flow mode of the heat exchanger	The cold and hot fluids flow in the same direction in the heat exchanger. The temperature difference distribution of this flow mode is uneven, but the thermal stress is small.	Applicable to occasions with small temperature difference.
Counterflow heat exchanger	Classified by the fluid flow mode of the heat exchanger	The cold and hot fluids flow in the heat exchanger in the opposite direction. The temperature difference distribution of this flow mode is uniform, the heat transfer efficiency is high, but the thermal stress is large.	Suitable for occasions with large temperature differences.
Counterflow heat exchanger	Classified by the fluid flow mode of the heat exchanger	The hot and cold fluids flow crosswise in the heat exchanger. The temperature difference distribution of this flow mode is between the downstream and the countercurrent flow, and the heat transfer efficiency is high.	It is suitable for occasions with large temperature differences.

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