Request a Quote

The Duty

Both fluids identified, with the flow rate, the inlet temperature and the required outlet temperature on each side. If you have the heat load in BTU/hr or the steam rate in lb/hr instead of one of the temperatures, send that. What we are after is enough to close the heat balance; if a number is missing we will tell you which one and why it matters.

Say which side fouls or carries solids. On a U-tube unit the shell side can be pulled and cleaned and the bend cannot be brushed, so the dirty fluid normally belongs in the shell. That single fact decides more selections than the surface area does.

Pressure and Temperature

Operating pressure and temperature on each side, then design pressure and design temperature. The design values rarely change the size and always change the price, because they decide shell thickness, tubesheet thickness and whether the unit needs a code stamp. Quote the relief setting rather than the operating pressure, and the allowable pressure drop on each side if the pumps or the steam supply limit it.

Passes and Connections

Two passes is the U-tube standard; four is available when tube-side velocity would otherwise fall too low. Say if the connection orientation is fixed by existing pipework, and whether the process side wants tri-clamp, flanged or weld-end connections and what size line it joins.

Materials and Hygiene Class

Carbon steel, copper alloy, 304L or 316L stainless, duplex, titanium or a high alloy, for the tubes, the tubesheet and the shell separately. Say plainly if the duty is sanitary or pharmaceutical: 3-A, ASME BPE, a specified Ra finish, drainability and a double tubesheet all change the construction, and are far cheaper to design in than to add afterward.

Complete Exchanger or Bundle Only

A failed bundle rarely means a failed shell. If the shell is sound, a drop-in replacement bundle is the cheaper move: send the shell inside diameter, the tube length, the tube count and diameter, the pass arrangement and the tubesheet or flange dimensions, and a photograph of the tubesheet face. We reverse engineer from those and hold the original fit.

Replacing an Existing Unit

Photograph the nameplate and send the picture. A model number from any manufacturer, with the duty it was doing, lets us offer the current equivalent. Where the nameplate is gone, measure the shell diameter and overall length, count the connections and note their sizes and which way they face.

Quantity, Schedule and Destination

Quantity affects the price and the lead time separately, so send the real number. A need-by date tells us whether a stock two-pass unit will do or a custom build can be made in time, and a ship-to city lets the freight go on the quote instead of arriving as a surprise.