Pipe heat exchanger - features of shell and tube samples

A tube heat exchanger is a device for transferring heat from a hot to a cold substance. This unit allows you to significantly reduce heating costs, for which he received his popularity. We will tell you about it further.

Shell-and-tube is the most advanced to date variety. On the case there are gratings in which the tube bundle of the heat exchanger is installed. On the casing there are nozzles through which coolants pass through the annular space.

Description

Such products appeared at the beginning of the last century due to the need for more advanced heat sources. Today they are actively used in everyday life, for example, for installation in a bath.

Use them as heaters, condensers and evaporators. The sizes can be very different: from very small (for example, for a chimney in a private house) to extremely large (for the oil industry). (See also the Brick Tube article: features.)

They gained their popularity largely due to the widest range of options, namely:

• Wide operating pressure range: from vacuum to maximum permissible values.
• The tube plate of the heat exchanger can be both horizontal and vertical.
• Ability to work under any thermal stress. However, this factor has virtually no effect on the cost of the product.
• An opportunity to pull the tube bundle with your own hands.
• The use of only high-tech (in terms of heat transfer) materials, both inside and outside.

Special features

Now let's look at the key features that the shell and tube heat exchanger has. Know them is necessary to successfully understand everything. (See also the Exhaust Tubes: Features.)

Kinds

The product described by us is a very complex device. It refers to the type of recuperative.

They are divided in the direction of movement of the coolant into the following subspecies:

• Cross.
• Countercurrent.
• Direct-flow.

The speed of the substance depends on the number of tubes in the middle of the casing. Of course, the more of them, the higher the price of the product. In turn, the rate of heat transfer will depend on the speed of movement.

For manufacturing use only high-strength alloy steels. This is largely due to the fact that such devices were created to work in aggressive environments. For domestic use, you can get a plate device, but its lifespan will be many times smaller.

Tip: the main difference between the plate apparatus is the use of cheaper and, as a result, unstable materials. It is also worth noting a simpler system, but this is not always good.

Our instructions cannot bypass the other classification of these products:

• With floating head.
• With the presence of a temperature condenser.
• With U-shaped tubes.

Merits

Now consider the key advantages of such devices that distinguish them from their main competitors:

• The first and most important is the highest resistance to hydraulic shocks.. Today, only this species has such quality. As for the rest of his fellows, they will fail even with a small impact.

• Another equally important feature is increased efficiency.. Having established such heat exchanger for a bath on a pipe, you will significantly save on fuel consumption.

Interestingly, its use can halve the cost of heating, thus it can be seen that it quickly pays off.

• Finally, the third we note the lack of need for a clean environment.. Many devices (the same plate) unstable work in dirty conditions.

As a result, it can be stated that this device is a very reasonable choice. To achieve maximum efficiency, it is necessary to calculate the tubular heat exchanger. To do this, you can invite a specialist, or use special computer programs.

disadvantages

Any medal has a reverse side and in this case this trend continues.

Therefore, it would not be superfluous to mention the disadvantages:

• First of all, we note a high metal content. This factor contributes to the high price of the device. In this regard, many people prefer to give preference to less perfect, but cheaper counterparts.
• Another important disadvantage is the impressive size. Often at home there may not be enough space to install such a unit.

Some useful recommendations

If you decide to purchase this unit, you probably want to get any useful tips in the end.

Let us highlight for you two very important nuances:

• Such devices are very "capricious" and over time they will need repairs. Therefore, locate it in such a way that, if necessary, inspection can be carried out. Most often affected tube.

Note! Remember that any interference with the system may interfere with heat transfer. So be prepared for this.

• Experts strongly recommend to buy tubes "with a stock." The fact is that over time they will need trimming. Thus, it is best to have some margin of length.

Conclusion

On this positive note, we will summarize our story. In the presented video in this article you will find additional information on this topic. After viewing this video, you will certainly be able to understand all the nuances.