Heat exchangers are devices that facilitate heat transfer between two fluids at different temperatures. In the majority of heat exchangers,
A solid wall separates the two fluids so that t...hey are not in direct contact with each other. The primary heat-transfer modes in heat exchangers are convection and conduction. Convection occurs in the boundary layer of the fluids on each side of the wall, and conduction occurs in the wall itself. To maximize conduction heat transfer across the sold wall separating the two fluids, most heat exchangers constructed of metals such as aluminum, copper, stainless steel, or nickel alloys. Heat exchangers, perhaps the most pervasive heat-transfer devices in existence, are found in many everyday systems. For example, a forced-air furnace for heating a house has a heat exchanger that transfers heat from the burning fuel to circulating air. Refrigerators have two heat exchangers, the evaporator to remove heat from the food inside the unit, and the condenser to reject that heat to the surroundings. Automobiles are equipped with a heat exchanger, mistakenly termed a radiator, in the front of the engine compartment that transfers heat from the engine coolant to the surrounding air. Mammalian biological systems have complex heat exchangers consisting of the lugs, circulatory system, and skin. Industrial uses of heat exchangers include chemical processing, heating and air conditioning, oil refining, power production, waste heat recovery, manufacturing, and electronics cooling.
A solid wall separates the two fluids so that t...hey are not in direct contact with each other. The primary heat-transfer modes in heat exchangers are convection and conduction. Convection occurs in the boundary layer of the fluids on each side of the wall, and conduction occurs in the wall itself. To maximize conduction heat transfer across the sold wall separating the two fluids, most heat exchangers constructed of metals such as aluminum, copper, stainless steel, or nickel alloys. Heat exchangers, perhaps the most pervasive heat-transfer devices in existence, are found in many everyday systems. For example, a forced-air furnace for heating a house has a heat exchanger that transfers heat from the burning fuel to circulating air. Refrigerators have two heat exchangers, the evaporator to remove heat from the food inside the unit, and the condenser to reject that heat to the surroundings. Automobiles are equipped with a heat exchanger, mistakenly termed a radiator, in the front of the engine compartment that transfers heat from the engine coolant to the surrounding air. Mammalian biological systems have complex heat exchangers consisting of the lugs, circulatory system, and skin. Industrial uses of heat exchangers include chemical processing, heating and air conditioning, oil refining, power production, waste heat recovery, manufacturing, and electronics cooling.
