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A U-tube heat exchanger is a type of shell-and-tube heat exchanger, which consists of components such as a tube sheet, shell, and tube bundle. In a U-tube heat exchanger, each tube is bent into a U shape, with the inlet and outlet located on opposite sides of the same tube sheet. The end caps are divided into two chambers by partitions, allowing each tube to expand and contract freely, independent of the other tubes and the shell. The advantages of U-tube heat exchangers are: ◆ The tube bundle can float freely, eliminating the need to consider thermal stress, and they can be used in applications with large temperature differences ； ◆ It has only one tube sheet, a small number of flanges, few leakage points, and a simple structure ； ◆ U-tube heat exchangers are reliable in operation and have low costs. The disadvantages of U-tube heat exchangers are: ◆ It is relatively difficult to clean the tubes. Since the tubes require a certain bending radius, the utilization rate of the tube sheet is low ； ◆ The tube spacing in the innermost layer of the tube bundle is large, making short-circuiting in the shell side likely. When the flow velocity inside the pipe is too high, it will cause severe erosion of the U-shaped bend section, affecting its service life ； ◆ If the inner tube is damaged, it cannot be replaced, resulting in a high scrap rate.