Types of Heat Exchangers: Plate, Shell-and-Tube, Welded and Special
An overview of the main industrial heat exchanger types — plate, shell-and-tube, brazed, welded, finned-tube, plate-and-shell, plate-fin and air-cooled — and when to choose each.
Gasketed plate-and-frame
Stacked corrugated plates with replaceable gaskets, clamped in a frame. The default for clean liquid-to-liquid duties below 25 bar and 180 °C. Compact, efficient, serviceable. Used in district heating, HVAC, dairy, brewery and chemical cooling.
Brazed plate
Plates brazed together with copper or nickel, with no gaskets. Compact, leak-tight and ideal for refrigerants in heat pumps, chillers and domestic hot water. Cannot be opened for service.
Semi-welded plate
Welded plate pairs on the aggressive side, gasketed access on the secondary side. Designed for ammonia refrigeration and aggressive chemicals that attack standard elastomers.
Fully welded and plate-and-shell
All-welded plate constructions extend plate technology to high pressures (up to 100 bar) and temperatures (up to 350 °C). Plate-and-shell units wrap a welded plate pack inside a pressure shell for the toughest duties.
Shell-and-tube
TEMA-standard pressure vessel with a tube bundle inside a shell. The workhorse for high-pressure, high-temperature and fouling services — refineries, power stations, chemical reactors, oil coolers and steam condensers.
Finned-tube and plate-fin
Extended-surface tubes used when one side is a gas (low film coefficient). Finned-tube units are used in air coolers, economizers and waste-heat recovery; plate-fin cores serve cryogenic and multi-stream duties.
Special constructions
Four-side detachable, spiral and double-tubesheet designs serve specific maintenance, fouling and contamination-protection requirements. Air-cooled units are used at sites without cooling water.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main types of heat exchangers?
Gasketed plate-and-frame, brazed plate, semi-welded and fully welded plate, shell-and-tube, finned-tube and plate-fin, plus special constructions like spiral, four-side detachable and air-cooled.
Which type is best for high pressure and temperature?
Shell-and-tube is the workhorse for high pressure, high temperature and fouling services. Fully welded and plate-and-shell units extend plate technology up to roughly 100 bar and 350 °C.
Which type is best for refrigerants?
Brazed plate heat exchangers are ideal for refrigerants in heat pumps, chillers and refrigeration because they are sealed and gasket-free; semi-welded units suit ammonia.
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