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A heat exchanger is a device used to transfer heat between one or more fluids. The fluids
may be separated by a solid wall to prevent mixing or they may be in direct contact. They are widely
used in space heating, refrigeration, air conditioning, power stations, chemical plants, petrochemical
plants, petroleum refineries, natural-gas processing, and sewage treatment. The classic example of a
heat exchanger is found in an internal combustion engine in which a circulating fluid known as
engine coolant flows through radiator coils and air flows past the coils, which cools the coolant and
heats the incoming air.
Flow arrangement
There are three primary classifications of heat exchangers according to their flow
arrangement. In parallel-flow heat exchangers, the two fluids enter the exchanger at the same end,
and travel in parallel to one another to the other side. In counter-flow heat exchangers the fluids enter
the exchanger from opposite ends. The counter current design is the most efficient, in that it can
transfer the most heat from the heat (transfer) medium per unit mass due to the fact that the average
temperature difference along any unit length is higher. In a cross-flow heat exchanger, the fluids
travel roughly perpendicular to one another through the exchanger.
Types
A. Shell and tube heat exchanger
A shell and tube heat exchanger is a class of heat
exchanger designs. It is the most common type of heat
exchanger in oil refineries and other large chemical
processes, and is suited for higher-pressure applications. As
its name implies, this type of heat exchanger consists of a
shell (a large pressure vessel) with a bundle of tubes inside
it. One fluid runs through the tubes, and another fluid flows
over the tubes (through the shell) to transfer heat between the
two fluids. The set of tubes is called a tube bundle, and may
be composed of several types of tubes: plain, longitudinally
finned, etc.
Fluid flow simulation for a shell and tube style
exchanger; the shell inlet is at the top rear and
outlet in the foreground at the bottom.
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J. Phase-change heat
exchangers
In
addition
to
Gas liquid
Most direct contact heat exchangers fall under the Gas Liquid category, where heat is
transferred between a gas and liquid in the form of drops, films or sprays.
Such types of heat exchangers are used predominantly in air conditioning, humidification,
industrial hot water heating, water cooling and condensing plants.
typical dimensions below 1 mm. The most typical such confinement are micro channels, which are
channels with a hydraulic diameter below 1 mm. Micro channel heat exchangers can be made from
metal, ceramic, and even low-cost plastic. Micro channel heat exchangers can be used for many
applications including:
heat pumps
air conditioning
Graph
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