Stainless Steel U-tube heat exchanger‌

Product Overview

In a Stainless Steel U-tube heat exchanger, each tube is bent into a U shape. The fluid inlet and outlet are installed on both sides of the same end, and a partition plate is used to divide the head into two chambers. Each tube can expand and contract freely to solve the problem of thermal compensation.

• Utilizes a ‌seamless and polished tube bundle‌. Heating/cooling medium flows ‌counter-currently‌ through the shell side (outside the tubes). Tubes are secured to the tube sheet flange.
• ‌Dual tube sheet design‌ creates a ‌leak detection zone‌, reducing cross-contamination risks between the two media.
• Supports ‌horizontal or vertical installation‌.

Main Features

• Simple structure: Only one tube sheet is required, with fewer sealing surfaces, ensuring reliable operation and low cost.
• The tube bundle can be drawn out, facilitating cleaning of the shell side (inter-tube space). It is lightweight and suitable for high-temperature and high-pressure applications.
• Applications: Suitable for scenarios with large temperature differences between the tube and shell walls, or where the shell-side medium is prone to fouling, while the tube-side medium is clean and non-fouling. Also applicable to high-temperature, high-pressure, and highly corrosive environments.

Structural Features

• A U-tube heat exchanger typically has two tube sheets per unit.
• In this heat exchanger, half of the tube bundle has co-current flow between the tube-side and shell-side media, while the other half has counter-current flow.
• The two tube sheets are generally connected by a liquid-collecting shell, which adjusts the spacing between the tube sheets and ensures they remain parallel.
• The liquid-collecting shell also seals leaks of gas/liquid between adjacent tube sheets to prevent the spillage of toxic media. It is equipped with vent ports at the top and drain ports at the bottom to discharge leaked gas/liquid in a timely manner.
• If there is a large temperature difference between the shell side and tube side, the wall thickness of the nozzle should be minimized to reduce stress at the connection between the tube sheets and heat exchange tubes. An expansion joint may be added if necessary.

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U-Tube Heat Exchanger Design‌

• ‌316L seamless stainless steel tubes‌ for construction.
• ‌Product side is fully drainable‌ and easy to clean.
• ‌Tube bundle is removable‌ for cleaning.
• ‌Dual tube sheet design‌ minimizes cross-contamination risks.
• ‌Customizable design‌ options available.
• ‌Tubes are fixed at one end only‌ (no expansion joint required).
• ‌Tubular channel is dead-leg-free‌.
• ‌Complies with FDA and cGMP requirements‌.
• ‌Complete documentation system‌ provided.

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Design Constraints‌

• ‌Number of tube passes‌: Limited to ‌two-pass design‌, resulting in ‌slightly higher pressure drop‌.
• ‌Vertical U-tube heat exchangers‌ can only adopt ‌two-pass configuration‌.

Stainless Steel U-tube heat exchanger‌ Details