In ammonia and urea plants the predominant heat transfer equipment has traditionally been the massive shell-and-tube heat exchanger. Alfa Laval, shows how compact plate heat exchangers have made inroads in even these exacting applications. The shell-and-tube heat exchanger is the most fried and tested of all heat exchanger designs. It dates back to the beginnings of the industrial revolution, when it was the basis of some of the earliest industrial steam boilers. It was the centrepiece of almost, if not absolutely, every steam locomotive that was ever built. It is still the most widely used single design type for heat exchangers. Its biggest advantage was its robustness and durability. But in relation to its heat transfer capacity it is both bulky and exceedingly massive.
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