The Explain That Stuff website, a free online science and technology book by Chris Woodford, defines a heat exchanger as “a device that allows heat from a fluid (a liquid or a gas) to pass to a second fluid (another liquid or gas) without the two fluids having to mix together or come into direct contact.” There are four different types of heat exchangers. A combination of this blog post and the professional advice of Engineering Energy Equipment experts will help you choose the perfect heat exchanger to suit your company.
1. Double Tube Heat Exchangers
This type of heat exchanger is a tube in a tube structure. The first fluid or gas flows through the inner tube, while the second fluid or gas flows around it through the outer tube. Double Tube exchangers are the most basic and affordable of other types of heat exchangers. Zwirner Equipment Company, a manufacturer of new and used stainless steel parts, mentions a unique application of these heat exchangers by saying, “its size makes it ideal for tight spaces, allowing for some extra flexibility in the layout of the manufacturing process.”
2. Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers
Comprised of many tubes inside a cylindrical shell, this heat exchanger allows for a wide range of pressures and temperatures. Businesses that need to heat or cool large amounts of fluids or gases use Shell and Tube heat exchangers. They are also smaller and easily broken down, making repairs and cleaning easier.
3. Tube in Tube Heat Exchangers
Like Double Tube, Tube in Tube heat exchangers have two tubes, one for each fluid. In this type of heat exchanger, the tubes coil together to form an outside and inside pattern, making it compact and allowing applications to get creative. The article from Zwirner Equipment Company mentioned above explains, “Applications for a tube in tube heat exchanger center around high temperature and high pressure. Since it runs at a higher output, a tube in tube heat exchanger tends to have greater efficiency.”
4. Plate Heat Exchangers
The design of a Plate heat exchanger is very different from its counterparts because it uses two plates to transfer heat between two fluids or gases. “The plate is a metal shell, with spaces inside each plate that act as hallways for fluids to travel through,” describes the same blog post from Zwirnerequipment.com. The larger surface area makes this heat exchanger more efficient than others because, as the article from Explain That Stuff above clarifies, “that exchanges more heat more quickly.” Individuals and businesses using plate heat exchangers pay a pretty penny but quickly see that money go to good use after experiencing its surplus efficiency. Power plants and facilities that use gas boilers typically choose plate heat exchangers because it’s durable and has low repair rates.
EEE will point you and your business toward the type of heat exchanger that best benefits you. We are also here for any heat exchanger solutions or maintenance needs!
References
https://www.explainthatstuff.com/
https://www.zwirnerequipment.com/
https://www.zwirnerequipment.com/blog/heat-exchanger-types-and-applications/
https://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-heat-exchangers-work.html
