316 Stainless Steel Heat Exchanger Tube Dimensions and Specifications

316 Stainless Steel Heat Exchanger Tube Dimensions and Specifications

Stainless steel heat exchanger tubes are components of a heat exchanger, housed within the shell, used for heat exchange between two media. Besides plain tubes, heat exchangers can also utilize various enhanced heat transfer tubes, such as finned tubes, threaded tubes, and spiral grooved tubes. When the heat transfer coefficients differ significantly on both sides of the tube’s inner diameter, the fins of the finned tube should be arranged on the side with the lower heat transfer coefficient.

Stainless Steel Heat Exchanger Tube Dimensions and Specifications:

Commonly used heat exchanger tube dimensions (outer diameter × wall thickness) are seamless steel tubes of Φ19mm×2mm, Φ25mm×2.5mm, and Φ38mm×2.5mm, as well as stainless steel tubes of Φ25mm×2mm and Φ38mm×2.5mm. Standard tube lengths include 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, and 9.0m. Using smaller tube diameters increases the heat transfer area per unit volume, results in a more compact structure, reduces metal consumption, and improves the heat transfer coefficient. It is estimated that replacing the heat exchanger tubes of the same diameter heat exchanger from Φ25mm to Φ19mm can increase the heat transfer area by about 40% and save more than 20% of metal. However, smaller diameter tubes have higher fluid resistance, are more difficult to clean, and are prone to structural blockage. Generally, larger diameter tubes are used for highly viscous or turbid fluids, while smaller diameter tubes are used for cleaner fluids.

U-shaped center distance:

As shown in the figure, the main arrangement of heat exchanger tubes on the tube sheet are equilateral triangles, squares, and cornered equilateral triangles and cornered squares. The equilateral triangle arrangement allows for the maximum number of tubes to be arranged on the same tube sheet area, so it is the most commonly used, but the outside of the tubes is difficult to clean. To facilitate external cleaning, square or cornered square tube bundles can be used.

The center distance of stainless steel heat exchanger tubes must ensure that the tube bridge (the clear distance between two adjacent tubes) has sufficient strength and width when the tubes are connected to the tube sheet. A channel must also be left between the tubes for cleaning.