Different Types of Heat Exchangers and Their Manufacturing Process

 

If you're searching for a reliable Heat Exchanger manufacturer, understanding the varieties of heat exchangers and how they are built is essential—not just for selecting the right design, but also for appreciating what goes into quality fabrication. In this article, we’ll explore the main types of heat exchangers—shell & tube, plate, double‑pipe, finned‑tube (air‑cooled), spiral, and pillow‑plate—and then dive deep into how each is manufactured, with reference to industry‑practices and trusted sources.

What Is a Heat Exchanger?

A heat exchanger transfers thermal energy from one fluid (gas or liquid) to another without direct contact, via a solid barrier like metal tubes or plates. It’s a critical component in industries ranging from power generation to pharmaceuticals, HVAC systems, chemical processing, and oil refining 

Key Types of Heat Exchangers

1 Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger

Probably the most widely used design, a shell & tube exchanger consists of a bundle of tubes enclosed by a cylindrical shell. One fluid flows through the tubes, while the other flows over them inside the shell. Baffles inside the shell help direct flow and enhance heat transfer

Advantages:

• Handles high pressures and temperatures.

• Robust and customizable.

• Easy maintenance through removable tube bundles 

Applications: Oil & gas, power plants, chemical processing, HVAC, and compressed air cooling 

TMVT Industries Pvt. Ltd. is a leading Heat Exchanger manufacturer in India, specializing in customized shell & tube exchangers up to 15,000 m³/hr capacity, with materials including SS304, SS316, carbon steel, cupronickel, and copper tubes 

2 Plate Heat Exchanger

This type uses a pack of corrugated plates stacked inside a frame. Hot and cold fluids flow in alternating channels, often in counter‑current flow, maximizing surface area and heat transfer.

Variants:

• Gasketed plate exchangers (modular, serviceable)

• Brazed plate exchangers (compact, high‑pressure HVAC)

• Welded plate exchangers (high integrity, no maintenance gaps) 

Advantages: High efficiency, compact footprint, easy expansion or maintenance in gasketed designs. Common in food‑beverage, pharmaceutical, and HVAC sectors.

3 Double‑Pipe (Tube‑in‑Tube) Heat Exchanger

Also called concentric tube-type: a smaller tube is nested inside a larger one. One fluid flows inside the inner tube, while the other flows in the annular space between tubes.

Advantages: Simple, low cost, easy to clean, suitable for high‑temperature differentials, flexible for small‑scale or pilot plants. Often used in lab-scale, pre‑heating, or chemical processes.

4 Finned Tube / Air‑Cooled Heat Exchanger

Designed for fluid-to-air or gas-to-fluid heat exchange, fins are attached to tubes to increase surface area. Industrial air-cooled heat exchangers use fans to force ambient air over finned tubes..

Advantages: No water required, suits remote areas or where water supply is limited, efficient with high outside temperature differentials.

5 Spiral Heat Exchanger

Two metal sheets wound into spiral channels, one for each fluid. Fluids flow in opposite directions around the spiral path.

Advantages: Handles fouling fluids, provides uniform pressure drop and compact footprint. Often used in the paper industry, wastewater treatment, and viscous fluids.

6 Pillow‑Plate Heat Exchanger

Made by welding two thin sheets, then inflating them hydraulically to form a “pillow” pattern—creating channels for fluid flow. Excellent for direct tank integration, especially in dairy, food and beverage processes.

Manufacturing Processes for Heat Exchangers

1 Design & Engineering

Every heat exchanger begins with a detailed design phase, including process data collection (flow rates, temperatures, pressures, fluid properties), compliance benchmarks (e.g. ASME/TEMA), and thermal sizing using tools like HTRI or proprietary software. Designers determine optimum tube diameter, length, shell diameter, baffle spacing, flow arrangement, and materials to meet efficiency and safety goals.

2 Material Procurement

Choice of materials—carbon steel, stainless steel (SS304, SS316), cupronickel, copper or exotic alloys—is driven by fluid chemistry, pressure, temperature, and cost considerations. Tube sheets, baffles, shells, headers, gaskets and fasteners are selected accordingly.

3 Parts Fabrication

Tube fabrication: Cutting, bending, extrusion or seamless rolling, end‑forming, depending on design requirements.

Tube sheet fabrication: Machining or drilling hole patterns machined or punched with high precision to align tubes; often paired with plate welding or fastening features.

Shell fabrication: Rolling and welding shell plates into cylindrical bodies; welding and machining flange, nozzle openings; forming structures for headers or floating heads.

4 Tube Bundle Assembly

For shell & tube exchangers, assembling tube bundles involves inserting tubes into tube sheets, installing baffles and tie rods. Depending on size, the bundle may be assembled outside the shell (small units) or inside (larger units above 1,600 mm baffle diameter)

For U‑tube bundles, tubes are layered from inside out, securing each layer to ensure bundle stability

5 Welding

Critical welds include tube-to-tube‑sheet joints (e.g. expansion welding, TIG/MIG), shell seams, flange joints, and baffle attachments. Precision is key: protrusions must be trimmed to spec, perpendicularity maintained, and welds must ensure durable sealing.

6 Finishing, Heat Treatment & Testing

Post‑weld heat treatment is applied to relieve stresses and achieve metallurgical properties. Flange sealing surfaces and baffle zones often undergo precision machining and heat treatment to ensure sealing integrity.

Subsequent testing includes pressure testing (hydrostatic, pneumatic), non-destructive testing (NDT: radiography, dye-penetrant), leak tests, and performance verification following API/TEMA standards.

7 Surface Treatment & Painting

Shells and headers may be surface‑treated or painted with anti-corrosion coatings, especially for harsh environmental exposure. Tubes may be passivated or chemically treated depending on fluid compatibility..

8 Assembly & Commissioning

Finally, tube bundles are inserted into shells (for fixed tube sheet style) and headers attached. Alignment of nozzles, ports, flanges, and tie‑rods is carefully reviewed. The complete unit is then commissioned, with flow instrumentation installed, insulation applied as needed, and final performance checks conducted..

Manufacturing Process Variations by Type

Shell & Tube

• Most complex to fabricate.

• Requires detailed bundle assembly, welding, pressure-tight sealing, and rigorous testing.

• TMVT's shell & tube exchangers are customized per customer needs, supporting capacities up to 15,000 m³/hr and materials like SS316, SS304, Carbon Steel, Copper, Cupronickel.

Plate Heat Exchanger

• Plates are stamped, laser-cut or water-jet forming corrugated surfaces.

• Frame machining and gasket fitting done for gasketed types.

• Brazed plate units involve brazing stacks in vacuum furnaces.

• Welded types are fully laser or TIG welded.

• Pressure tested and handled as modular units.

Double‑Pipe

• Tubes cut, bent, and fitted concentrically.

• Annular space sealing via flanges or welded transitions.

• Assembly and testing are comparatively simple.

Finned Tube / Air‑Cooled

• Tubes are finned: fins attached by mechanical expansion or welding.

• Headers and fan mounts fabricated.

• Fan units integrated, and entire assembly pressure-tested.

Spiral & Pillow‑Plate

• Spiral: sheets roll‑formed and welded to spiral geometry.

• Pillow‑plate: double‑sheet welded, then inflated with hydraulic pressure to form pillow geometry, ported and sealed accordingly.

Selecting a Heat Exchanger Manufacturer

When choosing a Heat Exchanger manufacturer, consider:

• Industry Expertise: Manufacturers like TMVT have decades of experience serving oil & gas, power, chemical, and industrial clients.

• Customization Capability: Ability to design to TEMA/API/TMV specifications.

• Material Capability: Working with SS, cupronickel, carbon steel, copper.

• Fabrication Standards: Certified welding, NDT capability, and quality control.

• Testing & Commissioning Support: On‑site commissioning, performance tests, service availability.

TMVT’s shell & tube heat exchangers are designed for maximum thermal efficiency, long operational lifespan, corrosion resistance, and custom configurations to customer specifications.

Why Partner with TMVT as Your Heat Exchanger Manufacturer

As a trusted Heat Exchanger manufacturer, TMVT offers:

• In-house design and engineering for customized shell & tube units using SS, copper, carbon steel and copper-nickel tubes up to 15,000 m³/hr

• Fabrication according to ASME / TEMA standards, using precision welding, NDT inspection, and performance testing.

• Experience serving India‑based refineries, power plants, chemical firms and HVAC clients, offering efficient, durable products with customizable configuration..