‌Structure and Manufacturing Standards of Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers

‌Structure and Manufacturing Standards of Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers‌
Shell-and-tube heat exchangers, which utilize the wall surfaces of enclosed tube bundles within a shell as heat transfer interfaces, are classified as ‌recuperative heat exchangers‌. Characterized by their ‌simple design‌, ‌stable operation‌, and ‌versatile material compatibility‌ (primarily metals), they are widely adopted for high-temperature and high-pressure applications.

‌Key Structural Components‌

1. ‌Shell‌: A cylindrical enclosure housing the tube bundle, typically constructed from ‌carbon steel‌ or ‌stainless steel.
2. ‌Tube Bundle‌: The core heat transfer element, fixed at both ends by ‌tube sheets‌ and arranged in triangular or square patterns for optimized fluid dynamics26.
3. ‌Baffles‌: Installed to direct shell-side fluid flow, enhance turbulence, and improve heat transfer efficiency.
4. ‌Tube Sheets‌: Secure the tube bundle and isolate the shell-side and tube-side fluids.
5. ‌Headers (Tube Boxes)‌: Distribute and manage fluid flow at the tube bundle ends.

‌Manufacturing Standards‌

• ‌International Standards‌:
  • ‌TEMA (Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association)‌: Governs design tolerances, material selection, and assembly practices.
  • ‌ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code‌: Specifies pressure boundary requirements and welding qualifications.
• ‌Chinese National Standards‌:
  • ‌GB 151‌: Provides guidelines for thermal design, mechanical calculations, and material specifications.
  • ‌GB 150‌: Defines pressure vessel design and manufacturing criteria.

‌Applications and Adaptability‌

• ‌Material Flexibility‌: Suitable for diverse media (e.g., seawater, acids, hydrocarbons) through material upgrades (e.g., titanium alloys, duplex stainless steel).
• ‌Pressure and Temperature Resilience‌: Validated via ‌finite element analysis (FEA)‌ and ‌computational fluid dynamics (CFD)‌ simulations to ensure structural integrity under extreme conditions.