Twisted Tube Heat Exchanger Technology

Over 85% of all new heat exchanger applications in oil refining, chemical, petro-chemical, and power generation are accommodated through the use of conventional shell and tube type heat exchangers. The fundamental basis for this statistic is shell and tube technology is a cost effective, proven solution for a wide variety of heat transfer requirements. However, there are limitations associated with the technology which include inefficient usage of shell side pressure drop, dead or low flow zones around the baffles where fouling and corrosion can occur, and flow induced tube vibration, which can ultimately result in equipment failure. This paper presents a recent innovation and development of a new technology, known as Twisted Tube technology, which has been able to overcome the limitations of the conventional technology, and in addition, provide superior overall heat transfer coefficients through tube side enhancement. This paper compares the construction, performance, and economics of Twisted Tube exchangers against conventional designs for various materials of construction including reactive metals.