Heat Exchanger Design - Where is it Heading?

A few conventional geometric constructions, such as shell and tube type heat exchangers , and plate type heat exchangers , have been in use for the better part of a century. Does this mean that there has been no innovation in the field of heat exchangers? Lack of new construction types, however, has not reduced the importance of these heat transfer equipment in ships, factories, refineries, and various other industrial applications over the years.   In fact, with most industries depending on these devices, heat exchanger manufacturers are performing extensive research in developing design innovations that improve their offerings. One game plan that some of the manufacturers are adopting, is the development of a heat exchanger design that lays emphasis on its usage in a particular industry. The Pharma-Line heat exchanger, from the Swedish industrial equipment giant Alfa Laval , is such a device aimed at paving greater inroads into the pharmaceutical industry. This heat exchanger is a FDA and cGMP compliant, double U-tube shell device designed to facilitate easy draining and cleaning in rigorous hygienic environments. The heat exchanger's bundle consists of seamless electropolished tubes, with the ends secured to two tube sheets that act as leakage indicators and prevent cross-contamination - a common problem in traditional heat exchangers. The pharmaceutical industry generally has demanding documentation requirements and the good news is that Alfa is offering all standard documents along with its heat exchanger, with specialized ones on request. Another company that offers industry specific heat exchangers is Makatec , with its new heat exchanger fabricated from Aptiv film, a thermoplastic film that improves the durability, reliability, and functionality of the heat exchanger. Aptiv films also reduce the risk of microbial contamination, due to their extremely smooth surface, making Makatec heat exchangers ideal for use in the food, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical industries. Another area of focus that is gaining rapid momentum is design innovation that adds more functionality to a heat exchanger. The company pioneering in this area is Coperion Waeschle , with design improvements to its offering - the Bulk-X-Change heat exchanger. This shell and tube type device combines two processes into one design, providing users with both temperature control and material conveying in one single system, allowing for direct integration into the pneumatic conveying line, making bulk handling simple and easy. The design improvements to the Bulk-X-Change heat exchanger make it a significant improvement over the previous gravimetric version of the Bulk-X-Change, which handles only free-flowing powders and granules. In this new design, the heat exchanger is installed vertically, and the powder as well as conveying gas enters from below. These improvements now make it suitable for fine-particle powders as well, which have a tendency to cohere during discharge. Bulk-X-Change heat exchangers can handle various materials such as alumina, melamine, as well as catalytic powders. And they offer various advantages to users, ranging from increased heat transfer rates and low-pressure losses, to easy integration with existing systems as well as easy cleaning features. These advantages make Bulk-X-Change heat exchangers especially ideal for the fertilizer manufacturing business. Despite the trend of design innovations towards industry-specific heat exchangers, some companies are taking a different route with heat exchanger designs that offer operational advantages. One such recent innovation is the new heat exchanger system from Niro , which employs innovative plate profiles for easy cleaning. This new heat recovery system also re-uses the increased amount of heat produced from evaporators, offering heat and energy savings -- an important aspect in the current 'Go Green' inclination. In this system, the process fluid is heated in a specially-designed heat exchanger installed in the exhaust air duct, after which it is pumped into a pre-heater in the inlet air duct to heat up the inlet air. With the heat recovered from the exhaust air, Niro claims that the heat recovery system will provide users with a 20 percent reduction in heating costs. At these reduction levels, companies would be able to recover their initial installation costs in two to three years. All these design innovations and advancements are a clear indication of the steps equipment manufacturers are taking to make an already important industrial device into an indispensable, modern one in the 21st century.

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