What Refinery Services Commonly Use Shell And Tube Heat Exchangers?

In oil refineries, shell and tube heat exchangers (STHEs) are used across nearly all process units because they can handle high pressure, high temperature, fouling, and continuous operation. The most common refinery services include the following:

1. Crude Oil Preheating (CDU / VDU)

• Heat crude oil using hot product streams or pump-around circuits

• Improve overall energy efficiency through heat recovery

• Operate with high fouling factors

2. Product Coolers

Used to cool refined products such as:

• Diesel

• Gasoline

• Kerosene

• Naphtha

• Fuel oil

Shell and tube exchangers are preferred due to ease of cleaning and durability.

3. Overhead Condensers

• Condense hydrocarbon vapors from distillation columns

• Often operate with cooling water or air as the cooling medium

• Must handle two-phase flow and corrosive overhead conditions

4. Reboilers

Provide heat input to distillation columns:

• Kettle-type reboilers

• Thermosiphon reboilers

Used in crude, vacuum, and fractionation columns.

5. Lube Oil Cooling and Heating

• Cool lube oil for pumps, compressors, and turbines

• Maintain viscosity and equipment protection

6. Feed / Effluent Heat Exchangers

• Recover heat from hot reactor effluent to preheat incoming feed

• Common in hydrotreating and hydrocracking units

• Operate at high pressure and temperature

7. Reactor Interchangers

• Control reactor temperature by transferring heat between process streams

• Critical for catalyst performance and safety

8. Pump-Around Heat Exchangers

• Remove excess heat from pump-around streams in distillation columns

• Improve fractionation efficiency and column stability

9. Condensate and Sour Water Coolers

• Cool condensate or sour water streams before downstream treatment

• Require corrosion-resistant materials due to H₂S and NH₃

10. Utility and Auxiliary Services

• Cooling water exchangers

• Boiler feedwater heaters

• Steam condensers

• Seal oil and hydraulic oil coolers

Summary Table

In summary, shell and tube heat exchangers are indispensable in refineries for heat recovery, phase change, and product temperature control, particularly where reliability and maintainability are critical.