Tube Bundles Explained
Tube bundles are located inside shell and tube heat exchangers. The tube bundles are positioned within a cylindrical shell, where fluids at different starting temperatures (either be liquids or gases) pass through and over tubes. Heat is transferred from one fluid to the other through the tube walls, either from within the tube bundle (tube-side) to inside the shell wall (shell-side), or the other way around.
Bonnets and end channels regulate the flow of fluid in the tube-side circuit. Baffles inside the shell direct shell-side fluids across the tube bundle increasing velocity and turbulence, which increases the rate of heat transfer. Baffles must fit tightly within the shell to avoid performance loss from fluid bypass around the baffles. Baffles are usually attached to the tube bundle rather than the shell so the tube bundles can be easily removed for maintenance.
Having more tubes in the tube bundle increases heat transfer because there is a larger heat transfer surface. Surface enhancements can be added to increase the available surface or increase fluid turbulence, which also raises the heat transfer rate. Finned tubes may help when the shell-side fluid has a significantly lower heat transfer coefficient than the tube-side fluid.
Watercoil.com clients use tube bundles for compressor cooling, HVAC applications, power generation, industrial applications and refrigeration. The tube bundles are designed to work in industries such as aerospace, food & beverage, healthcare, marine, metals & mining, oil & gas, petrochemical processing and refining, pharmaceuticals and pulp & paper. Both U-Tube Bundles and Straight Tube Bundles (fixed tubesheet or floating tubesheet) can be fabricated to your specifications or cross-referenced with your current make and model for specs, providing you with tube bundles that are of the same or greater quality than the original.
Tube bundles can be ordered in a variety of materials, including Carbon Steel, Copper, Cupro-Nickel, Admiralty Brass, Stainless Steel, Duplex, Alloy 20, Inconel®, Incoloy® and Monel® 400. Call us at 1-855-Coil-Now for more information or to place an order.