Shell and tube or plate heat exchanger: which design fits?

Plate and shell and tube heat exchangers solve the same basic task by opposite means - compact turbulence against tubes in a shell. The right choice follows from the media, the operating conditions and the maintenance requirements, not from habit.

How do the designs differ in principle?

The plate heat exchanger stacks corrugated plates into narrow, strongly turbulent gaps and thereby achieves very high heat transfer in a small space. The shell and tube relies on tubes in a shell - at Shellcore as coiled stainless steel tubes: less sensitivity to viscous media, and in the welded ranges no gasket between the media.

When does the plate heat exchanger win?

For water against water - separating heating, district heating and cooling circuits, for instance - it is almost always the more compact and economical choice. Thanks to high turbulence it reaches close temperature approaches with an acceptable area, and in the gasketed design the number of plates can be adjusted afterwards.

When does the shell and tube win?

As soon as oils or other highly viscous media are involved or steam has to be condensed. Typical cases are oil coolers, steam heaters and test benches with changing load points. Heavily fouling media or media carrying solids, on the other hand, do not suit thin coiled tubes - we settle such cases together in the quote.

How do you decide in a specific case?

Three questions almost always lead to the right design. First: is one of the media an oil or viscous? Then shell and tube. Second: does steam condense? Then shell and tube. Third: water-like media on both sides and space at a premium? Then a plate heat exchanger. In borderline cases the actual sizing decides - AWS-Technik GmbH supplies both designs, so the choice is made on technical rather than commercial grounds when the quote is prepared.