FAQs About Heat Exchangers
Heat exchangers are used in various industrial applications, including power generation, petroleum refining and chemical processing. They are also commonly utilized in sterilization, pasteurization, or other sanitizing operations to help maintain food and beverage storage practices or even support temperature regulation for storing pharmaceutical products. Our exchangers come with various features, including 316 stainless steel and 2,205 duplex alloy bundles and secondary vent nozzles on the shell sides of the equipment. Further, each is thoroughly cleaned and inspected after each use and hydrotested to meet industry specifications and standards. With size and power options capable of servicing up to 2,999 square feet, our heat exchanger options are prepared to support jobs large and small. You can trust United Rentals to provide equipment to meet your task needs. Learn more about heat exchangers in the FAQ section below.
A heat exchanger is a device that allows two fluids to exchange thermal energy. The heat is transferred through separate mediums to avoid mixing the fluids.
Heat exchangers work by transferring one fluid, the hot fluid, through tubes, while the other fluid, the cold fluid, surrounds the tubes. This arrangement allows the two fluids to exchange heat until they reach equilibrium.
Types of heat exchangers include shell and tube exchangers, plate and frame exchangers, and scraped surface exchangers, each type with its own unique features. Shell and tube exchangers have a grouping of tubes held within the outer shelling that expand and contract during the heat exchange process while plate and frame exchangers operate similarly, but they're composed of a stack of plates instead of tubes. Scraped surface exchangers are constructed of spinning dashers comprised of rows of scraper blades and are used for heat exchange involving crystallization processes for sticky fluids.