Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger
Custom shell and tube heat exchangers in TEMA fixed-tubesheet, U-tube, floating-head and double-tubesheet configurations, with tube materials from carbon steel and stainless to titanium and copper-nickel selected for your process.
Custom shell and tube heat exchangers in TEMA fixed-tubesheet, U-tube, floating-head and double-tubesheet configurations, with tube materials from carbon steel and stainless to titanium and copper-nickel selected for your process.
- Oil coolers
- Steam condensers
- Reactor heating
- Process gas cooling
- · Plate / tube material
- · Design pressure & temperature
- · Connection type and size
- · Code and certification
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Overview
Short answer
A shell and tube heat exchanger transfers heat between a fluid inside a tube bundle and a second fluid on the shell side. It is selected for process duties involving phase change, fouling, mechanical cleaning, project-specific pressure or temperature conditions, or a specified pressure-vessel code. As a shell and tube heat exchanger manufacturer, Shanghai Jiangxing configures TEMA shell and tube heat exchanger arrangements—including fixed-tubesheet, U-tube and floating-head designs—from the confirmed process, maintenance and inspection requirements.
A shell and tube heat exchanger places one process stream inside the tubes and the other across the tube bundle within a cylindrical shell. TEMA front-head, shell and rear-head arrangements define access, thermal-expansion accommodation and bundle removability; the exchanger may use single or multiple passes as the duty requires.
Stream allocation is part of the thermal and mechanical selection. Higher-pressure, corrosive, fouling or easier-to-clean fluids are often considered for the tube side, while condensing or high-volume streams may suit the shell side, but viscosity, pressure drop, phase behaviour, materials and cleaning access must be evaluated together before assignment.
Fixed-tubesheet construction is considered for suitable clean shell-side service; a U-tube bundle accommodates differential thermal expansion and can be removed; a floating-head arrangement provides broader access when both sides require mechanical cleaning. Final TEMA type, materials, code and inspection scope are confirmed per project.
Operating Conditions
| Design pressure | Project-specific; full vacuum through high-pressure designs are quoted case by case and confirmed at design review |
| Design temperature | Set per project from the selected materials, gaskets/seals and applicable code — cryogenic and high-temperature ranges are reviewed individually |
| Tube size and length | Selected from duty, allowable pressure drop, fouling, vibration risk, cleaning method and layout constraints |
| Heat transfer area | Calculated from the confirmed process duty, properties, fouling allowance and selected construction |
Materials of Construction
| Tubes | Carbon steel, 304/316L stainless, 254 SMO, titanium, copper-nickel 90/10 and 70/30, Inconel, Monel, Hastelloy |
| Tubesheet | Forged carbon or stainless, optionally clad with titanium / nickel for chloride-rich services |
| Shell | Carbon steel, low-temperature carbon steel, stainless, with appropriate impact testing |
| Baffles | Segmental, double-segmental, or helical for low-vibration low-Δp duty |
Choose this when / Do not choose this when
A quick suitability check before you commit to a construction.
Choose this construction when
- Design pressure or temperature is beyond what a gasketed plate frame can carry
- The service is dirty, fibrous or solids-laden and needs mechanical cleaning of the bundle
- The duty involves condensing, vaporizing or reboiling with a large vapour volume
- A code-stamped pressure vessel is specified — ASME, PED/CE or an equivalent national code
- Cross-contamination must be prevented and a double-tubesheet construction is required
- The duty is very large and a single robust vessel is preferred over a plate pack
Do not choose this construction when
- Both streams are clean liquids inside the plate envelope and a close approach is wanted
- Floor area, headroom for bundle withdrawal, or weight is tightly constrained
- A close temperature approach is required for clean liquids and a gasketed plate construction fits the process envelope
- Hold-up volume must be minimised, for example with expensive or hazardous fluids
- Capacity is expected to change and a field-expandable unit is preferred
Selection Parameters
Information our engineering team uses to size and quote this unit.
- TEMA type required (front head / shell / rear head)
- Tube-side and shell-side fluids, including phase change
- Design and operating pressure / temperature on both sides
- Required heat duty and allowable pressure drop
- Materials of construction for tubes, shell, tubesheet, and gaskets
- Applicable code (ASME, PED, GB), inspection class, NDE requirements
- Bundle type: fixed, U-tube, floating-head, double-tubesheet
RFQ Data Checklist
Send the items below with your inquiry for the fastest accurate quotation.
- Process data sheet: medium, flow rate, inlet and outlet temperatures on both sides
- Design pressure and design temperature on each side
- Allowable pressure drop on each side
- Corrosion data — chlorides, pH, H₂S, concentration — and any specified materials of construction
- Fouling factors, solids or two-phase behaviour, and cleaning method
- Design code and inspection requirements, plus any specified test (PMI, hydro, helium leak)
- TEMA configuration and bundle type preference
- Nozzle orientation, footprint and weight constraints
Procurement and selection dimensions
The dimensions that decide the configuration, and what each one changes in the quotation.
Decides which stream goes in the tubes and whether the unit is a condenser, reboiler or vaporizer.
Sets the required heat transfer area, pass arrangement and preliminary shell and bundle geometry.
Project-specific: full vacuum through high-pressure designs are quoted case by case and confirmed at design review.
Set per project from the selected materials, gaskets/seals and applicable code; cryogenic and high-temperature ranges are reviewed individually.
Guides stream allocation, tube size, bundle arrangement, velocity and the mechanical or chemical cleaning plan.
Drives baffle selection — segmental, double-segmental, or helical for low-vibration, low-Δp duty.
Carbon steel, 304/316L, 254 SMO, titanium, CuNi 90/10 and 70/30, Inconel, Monel, Hastelloy; tubesheets can be clad for chloride-rich services.
Fixed for clean services and small Δt; U-tube where the bundle must be removable; floating-head where both sides need mechanical cleaning; double-tubesheet where cross-contamination must be prevented.
Defines the engineering, documentation and inspection scope to be confirmed in the order.
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Industry Applications
Fresh-water, lubricating-oil and seawater duties may use different tube alloys and bundle arrangements. Fluid chemistry, cleaning access and any classification requirements are confirmed per order.
Steam, thermal fluid or cooling utility can be assigned to the shell or tube side after pressure, fouling, phase behaviour and maintenance access are reviewed.
Aftercoolers and condensers require stream allocation, pressure-drop and condensate-removal decisions based on the confirmed process data.
A double-tubesheet arrangement can be evaluated when leakage between the two streams must be detected or controlled.
Shell-and-Tube vs Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger
The classic make-or-buy decision in process heat transfer. Shell-and-tube wins on pressure, temperature, fouling tolerance and phase change. Gasketed plate wins on footprint, efficiency and close approach temperatures with clean media.
| Shell-and-Tube (STHE) | Gasketed Plate (GPHE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Heat transfer coefficient (U) | 300 – 1,500 W/m²·K typical | 3,000 – 7,000 W/m²·K typical |
| Footprint for same duty | Baseline — significantly larger | Typically much smaller — often a fraction of the floor area, depending on duty |
| Hold-up volume | Large shell-side volume | Substantially lower fluid volume |
| Closest approach temperature | Practically 5 – 10 °C | As low as 1 °C |
| Max design pressure | Project-specific; set by the selected construction, materials and design code | Project-specific; limited by frame, plate and gasket selection |
| Max design temperature | Project-specific; set by the selected materials and design code | Project-specific; limited by the selected gasket compound |
| Phase change duties | Well established — condensers, reboilers, vaporizers | Possible within the gasketed envelope, but limited by pressure, temperature and vapour volume — welded plate or shell-and-tube is usually preferred |
| Tolerance to fouling / solids | Tolerant — large tubes, mechanical cleaning | Sensitive — narrow channels |
| Maintenance | Pull tube bundle, mechanical or chemical cleaning | Open frame, clean every plate, replace gaskets |
| Best-fit duties | High pressure/temperature, dirty service, vaporizers, condensers, large refineries | District heating, HVAC, dairy/food, process cooling with clean media |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sourcing, verification and next steps
Every unit is engineered to the confirmed duty, materials and inspection scope of the order. Design codes, test certificates and third-party inspection are quoted as options and confirmed per project rather than assumed. See our heat exchanger manufacturing and OEM capability, the quality control and inspection workflow, and the heat exchanger cost guide for what drives price. For a first-pass thermal check, use the heat exchanger sizing calculator, then send your process data for a quotation.
Need a Heat Exchanger for Your Project?
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