In standard shell and tube exchangers, heat transfer is often limited by the fluid with the lowest heat transfer coefficient (usually air or gas). Fin tube heat exchangers solve this bottleneck by routing the liquid through the inside of the tubes while forcing the air or gas across the exterior finned surfaces. The heat from the internal fluid conducts through the tube wall and rapidly spreads across the fins. Because the fins vastly increase the contact area with the passing gas, the system transfers significantly more thermal energy in a shorter period.
Keywords
