Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

Shell and tube heat exchangers are made out of a single tube or a series of parallel tubes encased within a sealed, cylindrical pressure vessel (i.e., shell) and are the most popular type of heat exchangers. One fluid goes through the smaller tube(s), while the other flows around and between them inside the sealed shell. Finned tubes, single- or two-phase heat transfer, countercurrent, crossflow, or cocurrent arrangements, and single, two, or multiple pass configurations are some of the other design features available for this type of heat exchanger.