What is the Optimal Heat Exchanger?

Let us first determine the optimal heat exchanger: The superior heat exchanger is the one that provides the required performance, within design limitations at a minimal cost. In general, we will work with and within your limits. While we always optimize a heat exchanger for the lowest price, in some cases we recommend the election of more expensive materials and design for a higher quality product. For instance, stainless steel tubes have superior mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. When stainless steel tubes are TIG welded to the tubesheet, the joint efficiency equals one (1). In many cases, these advantages dictate the usage of more expensive stainless steel tubes. Another example is usage of a channel head which is more laborious and costly to produce than a bonnet head. However, a channel head makes it very easy to check and plug leaking tubes without dismounting the piping. A channel head permits the repair of a tube bundle in fuel oil suction heaters without draining the fuel oil from the storage tank.