Tube-bundle heat exchangers

How does a tube bundle heat exchanger function?

A tube bundle heat exchanger enables the heat transfer of two primarily liquid media by transferring the energy through a pipe wall. The exact construction of a tube bundle exchanger can vary. Typically, however, it consists of a solid tube, in which a large number of smaller transfer tubes are installed. One of the media flows through the transfer tubes, the solid tube surrounding the transfer tubes is filled with the second medium. The exchange surface of the heat transfer results from the amount and the diameter of the small transfer tubes. A shell-and-tube heat exchanger can be used to recover unused thermal energy in a production plant by transferring it to another medium. This can increase the overall energy efficiency.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a tube bundle heat exchanger?

A shell-and-tube heat exchanger is much more robust and requires less maintenance. The transmission tubes are easy to clean, and the exchanger usually only has two seals installed. Due to the massive and simple design, tube bundle heat exchangers have a higher pressure resistance and are also suitable for very demanding temperature levels.

However, the heat transfer capacity from a tube bundle heat exchanger is lower than that of a comparable plate heat exchanger. Therefore, tube bundle heat exchangers are often larger in size and also heavier in weight. In addition, it is not possible to modify the design capacity of a tube bundle heat exchanger at a later point in time (in contrast to a plate-type heat exchanger).