Custom Built Shell & Tube
Fluid Dynamics and its selected team of local and international partners, manufactures, refurbishes, repairs, tests and cleans large custom designed Shell & Tube heat exchangers and oil coolers.
Fluid Dynamics' Custom Shell & Tube heat exchangers and oil coolers can be designed to operate over a wide range of temperatures and pressures using a range of materials for most of the liquid-to-liquid and gas-to-liquid heat transfer applications (i.e. condensers, heaters, coolers, etc.).
With our international partners we design, engineer, manufacture, test and, if required, certify and code stamp to comply with all popular standards.
For articles on maintaining Shell & Tube heat exchangers and oil coolers go to the following helpful articles:
Fixed Tubesheet
The Fixed Tubesheet design consists of two stationary tubesheets welded to the shell. at each end. The bundles of straight tubes are connected between the tubesheets and contain baffles to direct the flow around the tubes in order to generate the required heat transfer. A head assembly is attached to each tubesheet.
Some of its salient features are:
- Simplest and Cheapest of all Removable Bundle type Shell & Tube alternatives
- Removable headers for tube cleaning
- Flanged joints for thorough sealing
- Designed for operation under vacuum
U-Bend:
The U-tube design consists of straight length tubes bent into a U-shape with both ends terminating at the single tubesheet. The tube bundle is fitted with supports or flow baffles. The tubesheet/tube bundle is placed in the shell and bolted between the head flange and body flange. A head assembly is required to direct the fluid into and out of the tube bundle. This configuration allows for the entire tube bundle to be removable. Salient features of these type of exchangers are:
- The U- Tube heat exchanger and oil cooler is the cheapest among all Floating Head type
- Requires only one tube sheet and tube bundle can be removed for cleaning & maintenance
- Removable tube bundle can expand or contract due to stress differentials and so equipment can be designed with expansion joints
- Numbers of joints / failure points are reduced
- Reduced clearance between outer tube limits and the inside of the shell
Floating:
The floating tubestack design heat exchanger and oil coolers consist of straight length tubes attached either by expansion or welding at each end of the tubestack. The tube bundle is fitted with baffles to ensure the shell side fluid is reduced and it flows over all the tubes to ensure maximum thermal performance. The headers or water boxes at each end are designed to either allow one pass flow through the tubes or, one end is blanked off to cause a two pass flow through the tubes. The tube bundle is inserted into the shell and the gasketed and removable headers are bolted in place. This configuration allows for the entire tube bundle to be removable allowing for refurbishment or replacement.
Salient features of these type of exchangers are:
- High Pressure operations as it allows thermal expansion
- Easier to clean both sides of the tubes than U-Bend
- More versatile than fixed head and U-Bend
- Allows shell side cleaning
- Can be used in processes where shell side & tube side fluids may be contaminated
Kettle:
Kettle Re-boilers are simple and reliable. They can handle high vaporization of up to 80 percent and are easy to maintain. The liquid from the bottom of the tower flows through the tube bundle and exits as condensate. A restraining device (baffle) controls the liquid level over the bundle.
Salient features of these type of Kettle re-boilers are:
- they are used only for re-boilers to provide a large disengagement space in order to minimize shell side liquid carry over.
- the entire tube bundle including floating head assembly can be removed
- the tube side fluid is cooled by boiling the fluid on the shell side.
- suited for processes where the heating medium is dirty.
