Upgrade of shell-and-tube heat exchangers

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A new type of high-efficiency spiral baffle heat exchanger is expected to become the leading product for upgrading shell-and-tube heat exchangers, allowing large oil and chemical companies to achieve energy savings in a simple and cost-effective manner. Last week, reporters learned from Hangzhou Huadong Chemical Equipment Industry Co., Ltd. that the new type of high-efficiency spiral baffle heat exchanger it developed – a fully enclosed flow-channel, continuous-type spiral baffle heat exchanger without a central tube – has increased the heat transfer efficiency by 79.8% after being installed at Hangzhou Longshan Chemical Co., Ltd. 　　Heat exchangers are key equipment in industries such as petrochemicals, metallurgy, and power generation; the level of sophistication in their design and manufacturing directly affects the efficiency of heat exchange and, consequently, energy consumption. At present, shell-and-tube heat exchangers account for approximately 70% to 80% of all heat exchangers in China, while in petrochemical enterprises, they make up over 40% of all equipment. The vast majority of operational shell-and-tube heat exchangers, both domestically and internationally, still use a vertical bow-shaped baffle structure. This leads to issues such as large flow dead zones, high flow resistance in the shell side, and easy fouling; as a result, the overall heat transfer efficiency of these heat exchangers is low, their service life is short, and they are also prone to causing vibration and noise in the tube bundle. 　　The fully enclosed flow-channel, continuous type spiral baffle heat exchanger developed by East China Company enables the fluid in the shell side to flow through the shell-side channels in an ideal spiral pattern. Its innovations are reflected in three aspects: First, it has independently designed a fully enclosed spiral flow channel without a central tube. Within one spiral stroke, multiple baffle plates are arranged in sequence to form spiral groups, and these spiral groups are connected by linking plates, thereby creating a sealed spiral flow channel together with the inner wall of the shell and the outer wall of the heat transfer tubes. This results in a truly fully enclosed spiral flow channel within the shell side of the heat exchanger, which **increases the turbulence of the fluid, reduces scaling, and improves heat transfer efficiency ； Secondly, flow-blocking plate technology is employed to reduce heat loss ； Thirdly, an overall seismic isolation technique is employed, which further enhances the vibration resistance of the heat exchanger tube bundle and extends the equipment’s service life. This heat exchanger has obtained **patents and international invention patents. 　　Furthermore, the fully enclosed flow channel continuous type centerless coil baffle heat exchanger also simplifies the manufacturing process of shell-and-tube heat exchangers. It not only helps to **reduce manufacturing costs**, but also allows for different manufacturing approaches depending on the shape, volume, and structural characteristics of the product – either through integrated processing and assembly or by dividing the tube bundles into four (six, eight) groups for assembly. This makes it easier to produce larger-scale heat exchangers.