By definition, a heat exchanger is a tool that transmits heat from one medium to another. You can think of it like an oil cooler that removes heat from a boiling hot oil with the use of air or water. Moreover, you can treat it like how pool water is heated during cold winter days. The process is very simple. The heat is being transferred by conduction through the exchanger material that separates the mediums being utilized.
Additionally, heat exchangers come in three various types. Though they all follow the same principle of heat exchange, one type works uniquely different from the other. The shell and tube heat exchanger is composed of a huge number of small tubes that are located within a cylindrical shell. These tubes are then positioned into the cylinder with the use of a tube bundle that often comes in a fixed tube plate that is permanently attached to its body. The tube stack can also come in a floating tube that enables the bundle to either contract or expand with varying heat conditions.
The other type is called plate heat exchanger that works in a similar way to that of shell and tube type. However, it uses a series of plates instead of tubes. This type of heat exchangers is typically brazed or gasketed which depends on the specific application and fluids that are being used. This type is a great option for applications that involve refrigerant if it is made with stainless steel body.
The last type is called air cooled heat exchanger which is popularly used in automobile applications where there is no source of cool water. Under this type of device, usually the design of the product comes with its own oil cooler and water cooler in a single unit which reduces the amount of space needed while improving its efficiency.
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