Industrial Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Product Overview

Industrial Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger, also known as tubular heat exchangers, are a type of indirect heat exchanger that uses the wall surface of tube bundles enclosed in a shell as the heat transfer surface. This kind of heat exchanger features a simple structure, low cost, a wide flow cross-section, and easy cleaning of scale; however, it has a low heat transfer coefficient and occupies a large area. It can be manufactured from various structural materials (mainly metallic materials), can be used under high temperature and high pressure, and is the most widely applied type.

Product Features

• High Efficiency & Energy Saving: The heat transfer coefficient ranges from 6,000 to 8,000 W/m²·°C.
• Turbulent Flow Enhancement: Converts laminar flow to turbulent flow, improving heat exchange efficiency and reducing thermal resistance.
• Fast Heat Transfer: Withstands high temperatures (400°C) and high pressures (2.5 MPa).
• Compact Structure: Small floor space, light weight, convenient installation, and cost-saving in civil engineering.
• Flexible Design: Full range of specifications, strong practical relevance, and cost-effective.
• Wide Applicability: Suitable for large pressure and temperature ranges, as well as heat exchange between multiple media.

Application Fields

Shell and tube heat exchangers play a critical role in multiple industries, including but not limited to:

• Petrochemical Industry: Used for heating, cooling, condensation, and evaporation in oil refining and chemical production processes.
• Power Industry: Applied in key links of power plants, such as preheating boiler feedwater and condensing steam turbine exhaust.
• Refrigeration Industry: Used to cool and condense refrigerants in refrigeration systems, ensuring stable system operation.
• Food Processing: Employed for heating, sterilization, cooking, and other processes to ensure food quality and safety.
• Pharmaceutical Industry: Used for heating reaction kettles, distillers, and controlling process temperatures in pharmaceutical production.

Temperature Selection Guidelines

• Cooling Water Outlet Temperature: Should not exceed 60°C to avoid severe scaling.
• The temperature difference at the high-temperature end should not be less than 20°C.
• The temperature difference at the low-temperature end should not be less than 5°C. For heat exchange between two process fluids, the low-temperature end difference should not be less than 20°C.
• Multi-Tube Pass & Single-Shell Pass Design: When using water as a coolant, the coolant’s outlet temperature should not exceed the process fluid’s outlet temperature.
• Cooling/Condensing Process Fluids: The coolant’s inlet temperature should be higher than the freezing point of easily frozen components in the process fluid, typically by at least 5°C.
• Design Temperature: Should be higher than the maximum operating temperature, generally by 15°C.

Product Material

The material of the heat exchanger is a critical factor. Common materials include stainless steel and carbon steel. Stainless steel offers excellent corrosion resistance, making it suitable for environments with corrosive media, though it comes at a relatively higher cost. Carbon steel is more cost-effective, but in highly corrosive environments, additional anti-corrosion measures may be required. Therefore, it is essential to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of materials based on the specific media characteristics to select the most suitable option, ensuring the heat exchanger’s service life and stable performance.