In a manufacturing plant, there’s always need for heating materials. A heat exchanger is a device used to transfer heat from one medium to another, usually fluids.

The two liquids can be either in direct contact or separated by a wall. Heat is an important requirement for every industry. From melting, molding to mixing or separating, heat is required for every purpose in a manufacturing unit.

Some of the industries where a heat exchanger is used are food processing, air conditioning, refrigeration, power generation, mining, petroleum and petrochemicals, and sewage treatment.

One of the best examples of a heat exchanger is the internal combustion engine where the engine coolant flows through the radiator coils, and the air flowing past the coils cools the coolant and heats the air coming in.

Another example of a heat exchanger is the heat sink. Even though it is a passive heat exchanger, it performs the same function by transferring the heat generated by the device to a coolant.

Given the different types of devices and plants that require this technology, the types of heat exchangers are also varied. Only one kind of heat exchanger will not be right for all industries. That is the reason why there are three major types of heat exchangers.

Shell and tube exchangers: By far the most commonly used type of heat exchanger is the shell and tube type.

The reason why they are the most common is because they are the most robust and efficient due to they way they are ingeniously built. They are used in large scale units because they are built to handle high pressure applications.

Shell and tube heat exchangers consist of a set of tubes, one flowing the liquid that is to be heated and the other supplying liquid that heats. Much like static mixers, heat exchangers have no moving parts. The heat exchange is done with the means of baffles within the tube.

Plate heat exchangers: This is another heat exchanger that’s used in large scale facilities. Plate heat exchangers are composed of several thin plates over a large surface area. Compared to the shell and tube exchangers, plate exchangers are lower in cost and also used for low to medium pressure applications.

Plate and shell heat exchanger: The third type is the plate and shell exchanger, which is mainly used for high heat transfer and high pressure applications.

Komax heat exchangers come in all varieties. Simply choose your industry and type of application to get a custom fit.