When is shell-and-tube preferred over plate?

High pressure (>25 bar), high temperature (>180 °C), two-phase or fouling duties, very large unit duties, or projects that require an ASME/PED code-stamped pressure vessel.

Fixed-tubesheet, U-tube or floating-head?

Fixed for clean services and small Δt; U-tube when the bundle must be removable and the shell side is clean; floating-head when both sides need mechanical cleaning and there is significant Δt between shell and tubes.

What about double-tubesheet?

Used wherever cross-contamination between the two media must be prevented — typical for lube-oil coolers, pharmaceutical duties and food-grade services on the cooling side.

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Industrial Heat Exchanger

Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger

TEMA-style shell and tube units in single or multi-pass configurations. Supplied with carbon steel, stainless or high-alloy tubes per process requirements.

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Typical applications

Oil coolers
Steam condensers
Reactor heating
Process gas cooling

Specified per duty

· Plate / tube material
· Design pressure & temperature
· Connection type and size
· Code and certification

Overview

A Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger is the classical industrial heat-transfer construction: a bundle of tubes enclosed in a cylindrical pressure shell, with one medium flowing through the tubes and the other across the outside of the tube bundle. Configurations follow TEMA designations (BEM, BEU, AES, NEN, etc.) and the unit can be single- or multi-pass on both sides.

Shanghai Jiangxing manufactures shell-and-tube exchangers in fixed-tubesheet, U-tube, floating-head and double-tubesheet variants, with carbon-steel, stainless, titanium and nickel-alloy materials of construction. Units are designed and stamped to PED, ASME Section VIII Division 1, GB/T 151 or classification-society rules as required.

Shell-and-tube units remain the standard choice where the design pressure or temperature exceeds plate-exchanger limits, where the fluid is dirty or two-phase, where very large duties are required, or where the customer's specifications mandate a code-stamped pressure vessel.

Operating Conditions

Design pressure	Full vacuum up to 25 MPa (250 bar) and higher on request
Design temperature	−196 °C to +600 °C, depending on materials
Tube diameter	Ø19 / Ø25 / Ø32 mm standard; other sizes on request
Tube length	Up to 12 m
Heat transfer area	From 1 m² up to several thousand m² per unit

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

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 (both sides)
Design conditions, code, and inspection requirements
Materials of construction and any specified test (PMI, hydro, helium leak)
TEMA configuration and bundle type preference
Nozzle orientation, footprint and weight constraints

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Industry Cases

Marine fresh-water cooler

CuNi 90/10 tube bundle, classification-society approved, supplied for vessel main-engine cooling.

Reactor heating

Steam-heated shell-and-tube exchanger on a fine-chemical reactor, with ASME U-stamp and full radiography.

Compressed-air aftercooler

Carbon-steel shell with stainless tubes, designed for high-temperature compressor discharge cooling.

Oil cooler on gas turbine

Lube-oil to cooling-water exchanger, double-tubesheet to prevent cross-contamination.

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	≈ 1/3 the floor area
Hold-up volume	Large shell-side volume	≈ 1/5 the fluid volume
Closest approach temperature	Practically 5 – 10 °C	As low as 1 °C
Max design pressure	Up to 200+ bar, custom designs higher	Up to 25 bar standard
Max design temperature	Up to 600 °C+	≈ 180 °C (gasket-limited)
Phase change duties	Excellent — condensers, reboilers, vaporizers	Limited — partial vaporization only
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