Heat Exchanger Types

Heat exchangers are devices built for efficient heat transfer from one fluid or gas to another, whether the fluids are separated by a solid wall so that they never mix, or the fluids are directly contacted. Heat exchangers are widely used in petroleum refineries, chemical plants, petrochemical plants, natural gas processing, refrigeration, power plants, air conditioning and space heating. One common example of heat exchangers is the radiators in cars, in which a hot engine-cooling fluid, like antifreeze, transfers heat to air flowing through the radiator. In parallel-flow heat exchangers, the two fluids enter the exchanger at the same end, and travel in equivalent to one another straight to the other side. In the case of counter-flow heat exchangers the fluids enter the exchanger from opposite ends, so the counter current design is the most efficient, in that it can transfer the most heat. See countercurrent exchange.

There are also cross-flow heat exchangers, where the fluids travel roughly perpendicular to one another through the exchanger. A typical set of heat exchangers, usually for higher-pressure applications, is the shell and tube heat exchanger which consists of a series of tubes, through which one of the fluids runs and the second fluid runs over the tubes to be heated or cooled. The set of tubes is called tube bundle, and is usually made from several types of tubes. Another type of heat exchangers are the plate heat exchangers, that are composed of multiple, thin, slightly-separated plates that have very large surface areas for heat transfer. Third type of heat exchangers are the regenerative ones, where the heat from a process is used to warm the fluids and the same type of fluid is used either side of the heat exchanger.

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