There are several different styles of heat exchanger equipment in common use.
These include:
- Double pipe heat exchangers
- Hairpin heat exchangers (multitube double pipe heat exchangers)
- Shell and tube heat exchangers
- Plate fin exchangers
- Plate & frame heat exchangers
- Spiral tube heat exchangers
- Spiral plate heat exchangers
- Air-cooled heat exchangers
Other types of heat transfer equipment not discussed here are:
- Tank jackets and coils
- Cooling Towers
- Fired heaters & Boilers
By far the most common is the shell and tube design. However, other styles are often suitable or even preferable in specific applications.