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Heat exchangers are mechanical devices designed for the proficient transfer of heat from one fluid matter to another via a solid surface. It is important to note that the fluids themselves never mix but instead are separated by the solid surface. This process has found wide application in the engineering world, but also in everyday household uses such as air conditioning and refrigeration. Probably the most well known heat exchanging device is a car’s radiator. Other examples include intercoolers, boilers, condensers, and also pre-heaters. All these devices share the common characteristic that they rely on heat exchangers, including a process of convection and conduction to function. In order to properly measure the operation of heat exchangers, both the efficiency as well as the size must be taken into account.

Efficiency is most often rated by the measurement of the actual temperature change that both fluids experience, as well as the drop in pressure the heat exchanger evidences. The size of the heat exchanger is determined by the required temperature change forecasted, the speed at which this change is to be accomplished, as well as the allowable pressure drop. A lack of efficiency may point to improper operation of the device, while a sudden drop in efficiency is a clear sign of material failure or input/output strain. Other troubleshooting steps should include proper removal of chemical buildups.

Heat Exchangers fall into a number of categories, name parallel-flow, counter-flow, and cross-flow. These classifications pertain to the flow definition, i.e. a parallel-flow heat exchanger allows the fluids to enter the device at the same end and travel through it in parallel mode, exiting at the opposite end. Counter-flow devices force the fluids to enter at opposite ends and also exit opposite from one another. Cross-flow exchangers, on the other hand, have the fluids traveling at right angles to one another through the device.