2.5. Preliminary Design of Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

Second, the exchanger must withstand the service conditions of the plant environment. This includes the mechanical stresses of installation, startup, shutdown, normal operation, emergencies, and maintenance, and the thermal stresses induced by the temperature differences. It must also resist corrosion by the process and service streams (as well as by the environment); this is usually mainly a matter of choice of materials of construction, but mechanical design does have some effect. Desirably, the exchanger should also resist fouling, but there is not much the designer may do with confidence in this regard except keep the velocities as high as pressure drop and vibration limits permit.