How Do Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers Work?

In the chemical, food, and oil industries, it is pressing to strengthen solutions and clean up mixtures. This is where evaporators come into the picture.

Additionally, these industries use condensers to capture heat, convert gases into liquids, and ensure product quality meets standards.

Shell and tube heat exchangers do the job for both evaporators and condensers in these industries.

In this blog, Thermosag, a competent heat exchanger manufacturer in India, will explore how these heat exchangers work.

Shell and Tube of Heat Exchangers: The Anatomy

Consider the shell and tube heat exchanger as a cylinder holding multiple tubes inside, called the shell.

While some of the tubes go through the plates, the sheets can move once there is a fluctuation in temperature (thermal expansion). The rest of the tubes are fixed in their places.

The flowing liquid inside the tube is called the tube side. And the flowing liquid outside of the tube is on the shell side.

Usually, a high-pressure fluid like water goes through the tubes, and oil or a chemical substance that needs heating or cooling is on the shell side.

How Do Shell And Tube Heat Exchangers Work?

So, as the name suggests, a heat exchanger exchanges temperature between two liquids placed in tubes and the shell.

The mechanism is called thermal exchange.

So, the cold fluid in the tube - let's assume it's cool water - will flow around the hot oil in the shell.

With the various types of flow, the end result will be cool oil. Eventually, the cool water will transfer its cold temperature to the oil, and the oil will come out as cool oil while the water gets hot.

So, the question arises: do they get mixed? No, because they flow in two separate areas separated by the wall. One fluid flows in the tube, while the other flows in the shell.

The critical part is to decide from which part the oil will enter and from which part the water will enter. There are different kinds of flowing methods: one pass, two passes, three passes, and four passes. Based on the requirement, it can change.

The Conclusion

To sum up, shell and tube heat exchangers play an indispensable role in a number of industries due to their seamless exchange of thermal energy. At Thermosag, as a shell and tube heat exchanger manufacturer in India, we are here with you from start to finish, fabricating these exchangers, both large and small, conforming to various TEMA types and classes (B, C, and R).