Heat ExchangersDOE-HDBK-1018/1-93TYPES OF HEAT EXCHANGERSFigure 6 Single and Multi-Pass Heat ExchangersHeat exchangers are also classified by their function in a particular system. One commonclassification is regenerative or nonregenerative. A regenerativeheat exchanger is one in whichthe same fluid is both the cooling fluid and the cooled fluid, as illustrated in Figure 7. That is,the hot fluid leaving a system gives up its heat to "regenerate" or heat up the fluid returning tothe system. Regenerative heat exchangers are usually found in high temperature systems wherea portion of the system's fluid is removed from the main process, and then returned. Becausethe fluid removed from the main process contains energy (heat), the heat from the fluid leavingthe main system is used to reheat (regenerate) the returning fluid instead of being rejected to anexternal cooling medium to improve efficiency. It is important to remember that the termregenerative/nonregenerative only refers to "how" a heat exchanger functions in a system, anddoes not indicate any single type (tube and shell, plate, parallel flow, counter flow, etc.).Rev. 0ME-02Page 9
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