Types of Heat Exchangers

 Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

 Plate Heat Exchanger

 Regenerative Heat Exchanger

 Adiabatic Wheel Heat Exchanger

 Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Shell and tube heat exchangers are comprised of multiple tubes through
which liquid flows. The tubes are divided into two sets: the first set contains
the liquid to be heated or cooled. The second set contains the liquid
responsible for triggering the heat exchange, and either removes heat from
the first set of tubes by absorbing and transmitting heat away—in essence,
cooling the liquid—or warms the set by transmitting its own heat to the
liquid inside. When designing this type of exchanger, care must be taken in
determining the correct tube wall thickness as well as tube diameter, to
allow optimum heat exchange. In terms of flow, shell and tube heat
exchangers can assume any of three flow path patterns.

 Plate Heat Exchanger

Plate heat exchangers consist of thin plates joined together, with a small
amount of space between each plate, typically maintained by a small rubber
gasket. The surface area is large, and the corners of each rectangular plate
feature an opening through which fluid can flow between plates, extracting
heat from the plates as it flows. The fluid channels themselves alternate hot
and cold fluids, meaning that heat exchangers can effectively cool as well as
heat fluid—they are often used in refrigeration applications. Because plate
heat exchangers have such a large surface area, they are often more
effective than shell and tube heat exchangers.

 Regenerative Heat Exchanger

In a regenerative heat exchanger, the same fluid is passed along both sides
of the exchanger, which can be either a plate heat exchanger or a shell and
tube heat exchanger. Because the fluid can get very hot, the exiting fluid is
used to warm the incoming fluid, maintaining a near constant temperature.
A large amount of energy is saved in aregenerative heat exchanger because
the process is cyclical, with almost all relative heat being transferred from
the exiting fluid to the incoming fluid. To maintain a constant temperature,
only a little extra energy is need to raise and lower the overall fluid
temperature.

 Adiabatic Wheel Heat Exchanger

In this type of heat exchanger, an intermediate fluid is used to store heat,

which is then transferred to the opposite side of the exchanger unit. An
adiabatic wheel consists of a large wheel with threads that rotate through
the fluids—both hot and cold—to extract or transfer heat.

1. SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

Brogan, R.J.

DOI: 10.1615/AtoZ.s.shell_and_tube_heat_exchangers

General Description
Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers are one of the most popular types of exchanger due to
the flexibility the designer has to allow for a wide range of pressures and temperatures.
There are two main categories of Shell and Tube exchanger:
1. those that are used in the petrochemical industry which tend to be covered by
standards from TEMA, Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association (see TEMA
Standards);
2. those that are used in the power industry such as feedwater heaters and power plant
condensers.
Regardless of the type of industry the exchanger is to be used in there are a number of
common features (see Condensers).
A shell and tube exchanger consists of a number of tubes mounted inside a cylindrical
shell. Figure 1 illustrates a typical unit that may be found in a petrochemical plant. Two
fluids can exchange heat, one fluid flows over the outside of the tubes while the second
fluid flows through the tubes. The fluids can be single or two phase and can flow in a
parallel or a cross/counter flow arrangement.
 Figure 1. Shell and tube exchanger.
The shell and tube exchanger consists of four major parts:
 Front Header—this is where the fluid enters the tubeside of the exchanger. It is
sometimes referred to as the Stationary Header.
 Rear Header—this is where the tubeside fluid leaves the exchanger or where it is
returned to the front header in exchangers with multiple tubeside passes.
 Tube bundle—this comprises of the tubes, tube sheets, baffles and tie rods etc. to hold
the bundle together.
 Shell—this contains the tube bundle.

Theory and application[edit]

Two fluids, of different starting temperatures, flow through the heat exchanger. One flows
through the tubes (the tube side) and the other flows outside the tubes but inside the shell (the
shell side). Heat is transferred from one fluid to the other through the tube walls, either from tube
side to shell side or vice versa. The fluids can be either liquids or gases on either the shell or the
tube side. In order to transfer heat efficiently, a large heat transfer area should be used, leading
to the use of many tubes. In this way, waste heat can be put to use. This is an efficient way to
conserve energy.
Heat exchangers with only one phase (liquid or gas) on each side can be called one-phase or
single-phase heat exchangers. Two-phase heat exchangers can be used to heat a liquid to boil it
into a gas (vapor), sometimes called boilers, or cool a vapor to condense it into a liquid
(called condensers), with the phase change usually occurring on the shell side. Boilers in steam
engine locomotives are typically large, usually cylindrically-shaped shell-and-tube heat
exchangers. In large power plants with steam-driven turbines, shell-and-tube surface
condensers are used to condense the exhaust steam exiting the turbine into
condensate water which is recycled back to be turned into steam in the steam generator.

2. Plate heat exchanger

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A plate heat exchanger is a type of heat exchanger that uses metal plates to
transfer heat between two fluids. This has a major advantage over a conventional heat
exchanger in that the fluids are exposed to a much larger surface area because the fluids are
spread out over the plates. This facilitates the transfer of heat, and greatly increases the speed of
the temperature change. Plate heat exchangers are now common and very
small brazed versions are used in the hot-water sections of millions of combination boilers. The
high heat transfer efficiency for such a small physical size has increased the domestic hot water
(DHW) flowrate of combination boilers. The small plate heat exchanger has made a great impact
in domestic heating and hot-water. Larger commercial versions use gaskets between the plates,
whereas smaller versions tend to be brazed.
The concept behind a heat exchanger is the use of pipes or other containment vessels to heat or
cool one fluid by transferring heat between it and another fluid. In most cases, the exchanger
consists of a coiled pipe containing one fluid that passes through a chamber containing another
fluid. The walls of the pipe are usually made of metal, or another substance with a high thermal
conductivity, to facilitate the interchange, whereas the outer casing of the larger chamber is
made of a plastic or coated with thermal insulation, to discourage heat from escaping from the
exchanger.
PLATE & FRAME HEAT EXCHANGERS EXPLAINED
Posted on November 16, 2015

This article was written by Jennifer Kaelin, an expert at Thermaxx Jackets

What is a plate and frame heat exchanger?
The concept behind a heat exchanger is the use of pipes or other containment
vessels to heat or cool one fluid by transferring heat between it and another fluid. In
most cases, the exchanger consists of a coiled pipe containing one fluid that passes
through a chamber containing another fluid. The walls of the pipe are usually made
of metal, or another substance with a high thermal conductivity, to facilitate the
interchange, whereas the outer casing of the larger chamber is made of a plastic or
coated with thermal insulation, to discourage heat from escaping from the
exchanger.
 A Uninsulated Plate & Frame Heat Exchanger

Most of the heat exchangers used in industry are shell and tube, air cooled, or plate
and frame. Typically, plate and frame heat exchangers are used for liquid-liquid
exchange at low to medium pressures. However, gasket-free plate and frame heat
exchangers can safely operate at high temperatures and pressures. Plate and frame
heat exchangers offer flexibility because plates can be either added or compressed
for each different situation.
Plate and frame heat exchangers are made of corrugated plates on a frame. This
design creates high turbulence and high wall shear stress, both of which lead to a
high heat transfer coefficient and a high fouling resistance. Fluids travel within the
heat exchanger. The two streams flow counter currently. The hot fluid flows down
one plate while the cold fluid flows up the other plate.

Gaskets ensure that the cold fluid and the hot fluid don’t
mix. Alternatives to the traditional gasket seal include brazing and laser welding.
The plates are stacked in an alternating manner to cause the counter current flow.
Multiple plates are clamped together and sealed at the edges. The design allows for
the two fluids to flow in alternate directions and not be mixed. However, heat can be
transferred from one medium to the other through the plates.
Because gasketed plate and frame exchangers are easy to clean, they are
especially useful for food and pharmaceutical processing, where high degrees of
sanitation are required.
Types of plate heat exchangers
There are four main types of plate heat exchangers:

o Gasketed plate heat exchangers use high quality gaskets and design to seal plates
together and protect against leaks. Plates can easily be removed for
cleaning, expansion, or replacing purposes, drastically reducing maintenance costs.
o Brazed Plate heat exchangers are used in many industrial and refrigeration applications.
Due to stainless steel plate composition with copper brazing, they are highly resistant to
corrosion. Brazed Plate heat exchangers are efficient and compact, making them an
excellent economic choice.
o Welded plate heat exchangers are similar to Gasketed plate heat exchangers, but
instead the plates are welded together. They are extremely durable, and are ideal for
transferring fluids with high temperatures or corrosive materials. Since the plates are
welded together, mechanical cleaning of plates is not an option as with plate and frame
heat exchangers.
o Semi-Welded plate heat exchangers feature a mixture of welded and gasketed plates.
They contain pairs of two plates welded together which are then gasketed to other pairs,
therefore one fluid path is welded and the other fluid path is gasketed. This results in a
plate heat exchanger that is easy to service on one side and able to transfer more
intense fluids on the other. Semi-Welded heat exchangers are perfect for transferring
expensive materials since they have a very low risk of fluid loss.
3. Regenerative heat exchanger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A regenerative heat exchanger, or more commonly a regenerator, is a type of heat

exchanger where heat from the hot fluid is intermittently stored in a thermal storage medium
before it is transferred to the cold fluid. To accomplish this the hot fluid is brought into contact
with the heat storage medium, then the fluid is displaced with the cold fluid, which absorbs the
heat.[1]
In regenerative heat exchangers, the fluid on either side of the heat exchanger can be the same
fluid. The fluid may go through an external processing step, and then it is flowed back through
the heat exchanger in the opposite direction for further processing. Usually the application will
use this process cyclically or repetitively.
Regenerative heating was one of the most important technologies developed during
the Industrial Revolution when it was used in the hot blast process on blast furnaces,[2] It was
later used in glass and steel making, to increase the efficiency of open hearth furnaces, and in
high pressure boilers and chemical and other applications, where it continues to be important
today.

Or
Whereas in recuperators, where heat is transferred directly and immediately through a
partition wall of some kind, from a hot to a cold fluid, both of which flow
simultaneously through the exchanger, the operation of the regenerative heat exchanger
involves the temporary storage of the heat transferred in a packing which possesses the
necessary thermal capacity. One consequence of this is that in regenerative heat
exchangers or thermal regenerators, the hot and cold fluids pass through the same
channels in the packing, alternately, both fluids washing the same surface area. In
recuperators, the hot and cold fluids pass simultaneously through different but adjacent
channels.
In thermal regenerator operation the hot fluid passes through the channels of the
packing for a length of time called the "hot period," at the end of which, the hot fluid is
switched off. A reversal now takes place when the cold fluid is admitted into the
channels of the packing, initially driving out any hot fluid still resident in these
channels, thereby purging the regenerator. The cold fluid then flows through the
regenerator for a length of time called the "cold period," at the end of which the cold
fluid is switched off and another reversal occurs in which, this time, the hot fluid purges
the channels of the packing of any remaining cold fluid. A fresh hot period then begins.
During the hot period, heat is transferred from the hot fluid and is stored in the packing
of the regenerator. In the subsequent cold period, this heat is regenerated and is
transferred to the cold fluid passing through the exchanger.
A cycle of operation consists of a hot followed by a cold period of operation together
with the necessary reversals. After many cycles of identical operation, the temperature
performance of the thermal regenerator in one cycle is identical to that in the next. When
this condition is realized, the heat exchanger is said to have reached "cyclic equilibrium"
or "periodic steady state." Should a step change be introduced in one or more of the
operating parameters, in particular, the flow rate and entrance temperature of the fluid
for either period of operation, or the duration of the hot and cold periods, the
regenerator undergoes a number of transient cycles until the new cyclic equilibrium is
reached.
In the most common counterflow or contraflow regenerator operation, the hot gas
passes through the regenerator in the opposite direction of the cold fluid. In less efficient
parallel flow or co-flow the hot and cold fluids pass through the channels of the packing
in the same direction(†). (†) In theory, it is possible to imagine a cross-flow regenerator
in which the hot and cold fluids flow in directions perpendicular to one another. This is
rarely, if ever, realized in practice although cross-flow recuperators are common.
The periodic operation of regenerators can exploit the periodic operation of the system
to which the exchanger is attached. For example, in hot climates, day time heat can be
stored in a packing by passing the warm atmospheric air through it: this heat can then
be recovered by blowing cold night time air through the same packing during the
evening to provide at least some supplementary warming of the living space in a
building. Hausen (1976) suggests that the throat and nasal passages act as a regenerator
packing in cold weather. When an animal breathes in cold air, it is warmed as it passes
through the nose and throat before the air reaches the lungs, thereby protecting the
lungs from the effects of cold temperatures. As the animal breathes out, the same
passages in the nose and throat are warmed by the air leaving the lungs. Clearly, the
temperature of the throat and nasal tissue is also regulated by the flow of blood through
it.
In general, however, a continuous supply of heated fluid is required so that the
discontinuous operation of the regenerator, which is inherent in its design, must be
concealed in some way.
 4. Adiabatic wheel heat Exchangers
Heat exchangers are devices whose primary responsibilityis the transfer (exchange) of heat,
typically from one fluid to another.However, they are not only used in heating applications, such
as space heaters,but are also used in cooling applications, such as refrigerators and
airconditioners. Many types of heat exchangers can be distinguished from on another based on
the direction the liquids flow. In such applications, the heatexchangers can be and be parallel-
flow, cross-flow, or counter current. Inparallel-flow heat exchangers, both fluid involved move in
the same direction,entering and exiting the exchanger side by side. In cross-flow heat
exchangers,the fluid paths run perpendicular to one another. In countercurrent heatexchangers,
the fluid paths flow in opposite directions, with each exitingwhere the other enters.
Countercurrent heat exchangers tend to be moreeffective than other types of exchangers.

Adiabatic Wheel Heat Exchanger For Description : –

Heat exchanger is used for transferring the heat from onefluid to another. In addition to heating
applications, they can also be used incooling applications, such as refrigerators and air
conditioners. According tothe direction the liquids flow, heat exchangers can be divided
intoparallel-flow type, cross-flow type, and countercurrent type.
Feature For Adiabatic Wheel Heat Exchanger : –
Adiabatic wheel heat exchanger is made up of a large wheelwith threads. The threads will rotate
through the hot and cold fluids toextract or transfer heat. This kind of heat exchanger will employ
anintermediate fluid to store heat. The heat will be transferred to the oppositeside of the
exchanger unit. Adiabatic wheel heat exchanger is especially suitablewhen it is agreeable for a
minimum amount of mixing to happen between the twostreams.

Adiabatic Wheel Heat Exchanger Application : –

1. Adiabatic wheel heat exchanger can be widely used inchemical industries, such as petroleum
refining and petrochemical processing
2. This heat exchanger is useful in the food industry,such as the pasteurization of milk and the
canning of processed foods
3. In the production of power and electricity, it is alsobe helpfully.
4. In the field of cryogenics, adiabatic wheel heatexchanger can separate low-temperature
gases.
5. These heat exchangers can be used as the workhorses inthe whole field of heating,
ventilating and air-conditioning.
6. In addition, they can be applied to nuclear reactionsystems, aircraft and space vehicles
7. Chemical reactions or energy generation processes canbe performed inside adiabatic wheel
heat exchangers.