Shell and tube heat exchangers are equipment used in transferring energy from a liquid in one shell to liquids, solids, or gases present in another shell. These function very similarly to regular heat exchangers.
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The idea behind these exchangers is simple. Where there are two substances (one hot and one cold) placed next to one another, energy is transferred from the hotter substance to the colder substance. In these heat exchangers, two substances are placed in thermals very close to one another. As these substances move inside the thermals, heat transfer happens. The hot liquid may pass through multiple times inside the tubes until the desired level of heat transfer has occurred.
Where all are shell and tube heat exchangers used?
Shell and tube heat exchangers are commonly used in the below applications.
The significant parts of a shell and tube heat exchanger are:
The shell is the outer casing that holds all the other parts together. It also contains the process liquid.
The ports are connections where fluids can flow in and flow out. There are four connection ports in total &#; tube side in, tube side out, shell side in, and shell side out.
Baffles are the critical components of any shell and tube heat exchanger. These are physical barriers that control the volume of liquid that flows in and create disturbances that can reduce the concentrations of liquids that flow. Thus, baffles, present at the right place, can improve the efficiency of the heat exchanger.
A turbulator is a part that is inserted into the tubes to create a turbulent flow. As a result, there is nil or minimal sediment processing and fouling. A turbulator can also help in improving the level of energy transfer.
These are open connections through which substances flow in and out.
There are multiple individual tubes that are bundled together through which fluids travel from one end to another. These are called surface tubes. The material, quality, and size of these tubes play vital roles in determining the efficiency of these shell and tube heat exchangers.
These heat exchangers may have tubes with single or two phases. In an exchanger with a single-phase tube, when a liquid enters the device, it is sent out in a liquid stage. In a two-phase tube, a stage change happens. Here, heat may enter the tube and leave as a liquid.
You have to make sure that the shell and tube heat exchangers that you choose come with the below properties.
Shell and tube heat exchangers have standard designs, thanks to some of their consistent features. There are two ways any tube heat exchange manufacturer will design the product.
When it comes to shell and tube exchanger types, three models are approved by the Tubular Exchangers Manufacturers Association (TEMA).
Fixed tube sheet &#; These are shells with fixed tubes that run parallel to one another. These are connected to two tube plates on either side. The tubes are blocked strategically by one or more baffles. Such types are easy to manufacture and maintain too.
Floating head heat exchangers &#; These combine the designs of both the U-tube and fixed tube designs. Here, one half of the tubes are bent and free-floating, while the other half resembles the fixed tubes and are connected to tube plates and the shell.
There are two major types you should know of when it comes to connections on the shell side.
You may be using shell and tube heat exchangers for different purposes. Whatever purpose the heat exchanger may be used for, here are some common factors to consider before choosing the right one.
There are two major parts of shell and tube heat exchangers &#; the shell and the tube. You need to choose suitable materials for both to design an efficient system.
Common shell materials
Common tube materials
While copper is more expensive than stainless steel, the thermal conductivity of copper is up to 20 times more than that of stainless steel. This means that copper can transfer heat about 20 times faster than stainless steel, which is a massive advantage for industries that need to improve process speed. However, when it comes to durability, stainless steel is more rust and corrosion-resistant than copper.
Some of the common liquids that these heat exchangers use for operation are:
When it comes to cooling fluid options that can be used in shell and tube heat exchangers, you can choose between the following.
When it comes to maximum pressure accommodations of the shell side of the heat exchanger, the values totally depend on the type of materials used for constructing the shell. The maximum pressure can range anywhere from 100 PSI to PSI.
When it comes to the maximum temperature, the design temperatures can vary between -250 degrees Celsius and 800 degrees Celsius. It is beneficial to invest in a shell and tube heat exchanger that has a wide temperature margin (ability to handle very high and very low temperature levels).
Do shell and tube heat exchangers need to pass quality standards? Definitely yes.
Since these exchangers are used in a variety of sensitive and intensive industrial applications, they have to meet the safety standards and quality standards of these processes. Here are some of the quality standards that these heat exchangers need to satisfry.
The Indian Standards is the Indian quality standard for shell and tube heat exchangers. This standard will include specification details like the below.
2. ASME
This is a set of safety standards and codes set by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). There are more than 500 standards and associated products that come under ASME&#;s guidelines.
Shell and tube heat exchangers need to satisfy ASMEs standard boiler code and pressure vessel code for excessive pressurization.
3. TEMA
The Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association (TEMA) is an association especially for shell and tube heat exchangers. This association puts up three standards based on the type of exchanger constructed.
4. CRN
The Canadian Registration Number (CRN) standards are used to design different pressure vehicles, piping systems, heat exchangers, and other piping systems. If you buy a shell and tube heat exchanger and use it anywhere in Canada, the device must satisfy CRN standards.
You can choose the best shell and tube heat exchangers based on factors like the below.
Most of these shell and tube exchangers have a life span of 20+ years. The warranty period is usually 2-5 years, depending on the manufacturer&#;s terms and conditions.
Contact your manufacturer if you want to know the exact warranty details of your shell and tube heat exchanger.
The cost of these shell and tube heat exchangers may be as low as &#;25,000 and go up to several lakhs. The cost depends on the size of these exchangers, the material used, and the capacity.
Read More: The humble Heater Treater packs a big punch!!
Shell and tube heat exchangers are integral parts of many cooling and heating systems. They are used in applications starting from small refrigerators to really huge equipment used in the pharmaceutical and petroleum industries.
When you decide to buy one such exchanger, the investment is considerably high. Therefore, make sure you pick up models that are accredited for quality and safety and are IS and ASME certified. This way, you can be sure of the performance and quality.
The company is the world’s best stainless steel heat exchanger tube supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
Multitex is equipped with a heavy manufacturing infrastructure that can be used to build intensive heat exchangers of all sizes and specifications. All these exchangers come with process and thermal guarantees. We use exceptional materials like duplex and super duplex stainless steel, and clad vessels to ensure your exchanger has a longer, problem-free life.
Our constructional experts work hand-in-hand with the clients, making sure the equipment exactly matches the needs.
We have excelled in creating innovative and practical solutions that are tailor-made to the needs of our clients for the last 50 years.
Our in-house manufacturing and engineering facilities are run by experts and are accredited by international organizations.
If you have any queries regarding shell and tube heat exchangers and how to use one in your plant or unit, get in touch with us right away. Our team will offer expert consultation and strategic solutions.
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A low fin tube is essentially a single integral tube &#; made of a singular material &#; with a smaller fin of about 1/16th of an inch of fin height. The fin is in the tube wall. They are generally used in liquid to liquid or liquid to gas applications such as coolers, condensers and chillers.
We use a proprietary die to form helical grooves into the outside diameter of the product to create the fin. Low fin tubes are available in any manufacturable or formable tube alloy &#; including copper, copper-nickel, stainless steel, carbon steel, brass, and more.
The beauty of the small fin height of a low finned tube is the outside diameter of the fin does not exceed the outside diameter of the tube. You can put a fin tube through a tube sheet that is just barely larger than outside diameter of the tube, but with a small fin that allows for greater heat transfer than a smooth tube.
Another advantage to low fin tubes is the ability to increase enhanced surface on the inside of the tube through internal groves or spirals, optimizing heat transfer capability.
Low fin tubes allow for a high fin count &#; up to about 40 fins per inch, down to about 19 fins per inch.
The Advantages of an Integral Approach
Unlike an applied fin tube where the fin is added to the tube as a separate material, an integral tube extracts the fin from the tube itself. The finned tube is made from one piece of material so there are no gaping issues &#; the fin is always in contact with the tube because the fin and the tube are a whole material.
With no risk of gaps, an integral tube produces better heat transfer &#; though it is not as customizable as an applied fin tube, nor can it take advantage of the heating/cooling properties of varied materials.
You do face certain limitations when it comes to fin height and fins per inch. But find a homogenous solution within those limitations, and you&#;ll typically achieve a better product.
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Know Your ASME Code
Some of our customers call us up and ask for a tube based on an essentially estimated guess. We play back and forth ping-pong before we are able to arrive at a more exact number for the fin height and diameter of the tube. This is a common practice in the development or prototyping phase of production. Our team of professionals can work with you to develop a tube that works best for your application.
But ideally you know the exact ASME code or specification required for the heat exchanger you are ordering tube. That way you know we&#;re not just throwing a dart in the dark at some general number. We run your job down to the decimal point of an agreed upon ASME code. It&#;s like shoe size &#; knowing the exact dimensions eliminates the guesswork and saves time on both sides of the equation.
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Don&#;t Be Afraid to Shop Around
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There are a couple of big bulls in this market. They&#;re overseas &#; which means lengthy lead times. And they don&#;t sell outside their product specifications &#; you get what you get, whatever&#;s coming off the factory line.
These larger manufacturers also require you to fill a certain quantity quota with each type of tube you order. Need 52 tubes but they&#;ll only sell you 250? Hope you got 5 friends that need the exact same thing.
And because these bulls are big, they name their price &#; and it&#;s often more than you want or need to spend.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The Energy Transfer Difference
But if you know the size of the tube you need &#; or hopefully even know the ASME code for the heat exchanger &#; we can help. We might not make the exact tube &#; but we can work with you to make one similar enough that will work just as well.
We can even provide a sample size to ensure the tube will do the trick. We&#;ll remove any guesswork so you can be sure it works. In the end, you&#;ll spend less, have it sooner, and be able to get as few or as many low fin tubes you need.
In fact, because we have our own in-house custom machine shop, we can even make your tubes to order. Say you want a slightly different fin height than what&#;s commonly on the market &#; instead of the standard .050 inch minimum fin height, you&#;d like a .052? No problem. We can customize you any size low fin tube you&#;d like so long as it&#;s within the range of our machine capabilities.
We&#;re a large enough shop to deliver what you need &#; but still focused enough to care and pay attention to the details of your needs. That&#;s the Energy Transfer difference.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_separator color=&#;black&#; border_width=&#;3&#;][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]
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Want to build a seamless fin tube? Our FREE GUIDE tells you everything you need to know. Download yours today!
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