How Do I Select the Right Heat Exchanger for High-Temperature Industrial Applications?

UNITED HEAT EXCHANGERS PVT. LTD.

ASME U-STAMP & R-STAMP CERTIFIED

Est. 1989 · Coimbatore, India

SHELL & TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

Comprehensive Guide for Oil & Gas and Mining Industries

Oil & Gas Refining Mining Cooling Systems

TEMA Standards ASME Compliance

Confidential Technical Presentation · 2025

WHAT IS A SHELL & TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER?

30–650°C

Operating Range

Up to 300 bar

Design Pressure

TEMA / ASME

Standards

Millions of Units

Global Install Base

The most widely used heat transfer equipment in heavy industry — transferring thermal energy between two fluid streams through a bundle of tubes enclosed within a cylindrical shell.

KEY COMPONENTS & CONSTRUCTION

TYPES & INDUSTRY SELECTION GUIDE

OIL & GAS INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS

Crude Preheating

Preheat crude oil 140–280°C before atmospheric distillation column entry

Overhead Condensers

Cool and condense distillation column overhead vapours to liquid products

Product Coolers

Bring refined products to safe storage/transfer temperatures ≤50°C

Heat Recovery

Recover waste heat from process streams — up to 30% energy savings

MINING INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS

Compressor Aftercoolers

Cool high-pressure compressed air from 160°C+ down to 35–45°C for safe mine ventilation

Hydraulic Oil Coolers

Maintain hydraulic system temperatures for mining machinery and drilling rigs

Process Fluid Cooling

Cool leach solutions, slurries and process chemicals in mineral extraction operations

Lube Oil Systems

Temper lubricating oil in conveyor, crusher, and mill drive gear systems

DESIGN PARAMETERS & ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS

THERMAL & MECHANICAL DESIGN

Parameter Typical Range / Standard

Design Code ASME Sec. VIII Div.1 / TEMA

Shell Diameter 150 mm to 2500 mm

Tube OD 15.9 mm, 19.05 mm, 25.4 mm

Tube Length 1.8 m, 2.4 m, 3.6 m, 6.0 m

Design Pressure Full vacuum to 300 bar

Design Temperature -196°C to +650°C

Heat Duty 1 kW to 300+ MW

LMTD Correction 0.75 – 0.95 typical

Overall HTC (U) 250–1500 W/m²K (liquids)

MATERIAL SELECTION GUIDE

Service Shell Material Tube Material

General Process Carbon Steel (SA-516) Carbon Steel / Cu-Ni

H₂S / Sour Gas Carbon Steel + PWHT Duplex SS 2205

Crude Oil Carbon Steel Admiralty Brass / SS

High Temp >450°C Chrome-Moly P11/P22 Incoloy 800

Seawater Cooling SS 316L / Duplex Titanium Gr.2

Acidic Mine Fluid SS 316L Hastelloy C-276

OPERATING ENVELOPE — PRESSURE vs. TEMPERATURE

THERMAL PERFORMANCE & ANALYSIS

Q = U × A × ΔTlm

Fundamental Heat Transfer Equation

85–95%

Typical Thermal Efficiency

30%+

Energy Recovery Potential

MAINTENANCE, INSPECTION & RELIABILITY

01

Pre-Inspection

Pressure test, visual survey, baseline performance check against design data

02

Tube Inspection

Eddy current / ultrasonic testing (UT) of tubes. Identify corrosion, pitting, erosion

03

Mechanical Clean

Hydro-jetting or brush cleaning of tube bore. Shell-side water jet or chemical soak

04

Bundle Removal

Pull and inspect tube bundle — retube if >20% plugged. Re-roll or re-weld tube sheets

05

Reassembly & Test

Hydrostatic or pneumatic pressure test. Verify gasket integrity. Log performance data

COMMON FAILURE MODES & REMEDIATION

Tube Corrosion

→ Material upgrade — Titanium or Duplex SS

Flow-Induced Vibration

→ Add anti-vibration baffles, reduce shell-side velocity

Fouling / Scaling

→ CIP chemical clean, increase velocity, install filters upstream

Gasket Leakage

→ Upgrade to spiral wound or kammprofile gaskets

Under-Deposit Corrosion

→ Improve water treatment, pH control, biocide dosing

STANDARDS, SAFETY & REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

ASME STANDARDS

• ASME Sec. VIII Div.1 — Pressure Vessel Code

• ASME Sec. VIII Div.2 — Alternative Rules

• ASME Sec. II — Material Specifications

• ASME Sec. V — Non-Destructive Examination

• ASME Sec. IX — Welding Qualifications

• U-Stamp: Unfired pressure vessels

• R-Stamp: Repair & alteration

TEMA CLASSES

• TEMA Class R — Petroleum & related industries

• TEMA Class C — Commercial & process

• TEMA Class B — Chemical process

• Defines baffle tolerances & tube bundle fit

• Shell & nozzle thickness minimums

• Tube-to-tubesheet joint requirements

• Corrosion allowance specifications

API & INDUSTRY SPECS

• API 660 — Shell & Tube HE for Petroleum

• API 661 — Air-Cooled HE (upstream reference)

• NACE MR0175 — H₂S sour service materials

• PED 2014/68/EU — Europe pressure equipment

• IS 4503 — Indian Standard for S&T HE

• IBR (India) — Steam/boiler service vessels

• ISO 9001:2015 — Quality management system

COST, ENERGY SAVINGS & ROI ANALYSIS

2–4 Years

Typical ROI Payback

25–35%

Fuel Cost Reduction via Heat Recovery

₹5–50 Cr

Capex Range (Typical India Projects)

15–30 yr

Design Service Life

UNITED HEAT EXCHANGERS PVT. LTD.

WHY CHOOSE US

ASME U-Stamp & R-Stamp certified since 1989

Full in-house design, fabrication & testing

TEMA R/C/B class — Oil, Gas & Mining specialists

Thermal design using HTRI / HTFS software

Field service, re-tubing & performance audits

GET IN TOUCH

Request a Technical Quotation

Website: www.unitedheatexchangers.com

Location: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Certifications: ASME U-Stamp | R-Stamp | ISO 9001

Experience: 35+ Years | 1000+ Projects Delivered

Industry: Oil & Gas | Petrochemical | Mining | Power

"Engineering Excellence in Heat Transfer — Trusted by Industry Leaders Across India"