Just about every household HVAC system uses a heat exchanger. Other, larger mechanisms may use them for temperature maintenance and energy conservation, but how do these components work?
There are two things people want to know when exploring heat exchangers: how they work and why they’re essential. Grasshopper Heating & Cooling’s staff hold the proper licensing and training for these types of HVAC technologies. Here are the basics regarding heat exchangers and why they make your property’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems work.
What Are Heat Exchangers, and Why Do We Use Them?
You’ve learned about three basic states of matter – gasses, liquids, and solids – that can each contain thermal energy. Heat exchangers transfer heat between gasses and liquids. That ability to “exchange” heat is how manufacturers can design machines to stay at a reasonable temperature as they operate.
Overheated HVAC components start fires, cause explosions, and lead to catastrophic system failures, so heat transfer is vital. The main reason a unit’s heat exchanger is so essential is that it reduces safety hazards and prevents injuries in residential, commercial, and industrial applications. Another reason heat exchangers are critical is that they’re how some appliances heat and cool – one example is a heat pump.
Types of Heat Exchangers
You only need to know two basic things when exploring heat exchangers: how they work and why they’re essential. However, heat exchanger types are important, too. These are the four common heat exchangers technicians use:
#1 Shell-and-Tube
This version utilizes several tubes inside a cylindrical shell, with liquids running through each of these two areas. Heat energy inside the tube liquid transfers to the shell liquid, cools, and returns to the system. Shell-and-tube exchangers work best in power plants and oil refineries for controlled fluid heating.
#2 Plate-and-Frame
Plate-and-frame heat exchangers rely on stacks of thin, grooved plates with gaps between them for liquid. The large surface area on the plates increases their thermal efficiency, so the liquids exchange thermal energy through the plates. Food and chemical processors use plate heat exchangers to stabilize fluid heat levels with little to no loss in liquid pressure.
#3 Air-to-Air
Many air-to-air heat exchangers use refrigerant, a substance that changes from gas to liquid and back again. Refrigerant heats up when under pressure, and to cool it, HVAC systems will blow cool air over the coils or reduce the pressure levels. Most air conditioners and other ventilation systems use fans to blow hot or cold air over the refrigerant tubes to exchange thermal energy.
#4 Double-Pipe
Double-pipe exchangers have a smaller pipe inside a larger one. They work like the shell-and-tube heat exchanger on a smaller scale. A system like this works best for smaller industrial plants or as temperature management for certain renewable energy systems.
New York’s Leading Company for HVAC Care
That’s all you need to know when exploring heat exchangers: how they work and why they’re essential in your property’s heating and cooling. If you’re in New York, learn more by calling (518) 252-7939 or visit Grasshopper Heating & Cooling’s contact page for a free quote today!
