Hot, corrosive process streams

Many industrial processes — petrochemical, chemical, and general manufacturing — exhaust hot gas that is often acidic, salty, or particle-laden. That heat is too valuable to waste; recovering it for combustion air, make-up air, or another process stream lowers fuel consumption and emissions.

Suitable exchanger types and how they work

High-temperature stainless or alloy plate exchangers recover sensible heat from the process exhaust to preheat incoming air. Where streams are separated by distance, a run-around coil links them with a pumped loop and guarantees isolation. A heat pipe core suits vertical, no-moving-part duties.

Design considerations for process duty

Corrosion is the dominant risk: choose alloys rated for the actual gas composition and dew point, provide condensate management, and allow for thermal expansion. Plan cleaning access for fouling, verify pressure drop against existing fans, and ensure no cross-leakage contaminates a clean process stream.