HTRI Heat Transfer Academy

HTA-2

Rules of thumb for heat exchanger

cost comparisons
Richard L. Shilling

Alloy material changes

Let A represent the cost of a heat exchanger constructed of carbon steel materials. For stainless steel materials,
1.
2.
3.
4.

If B is the cost for all tubeside wetted components made of stainless, B = 1.5 A.
If C is the cost for all tubeside pressure components made of stainless, C = 1.8 A.
If D is the cost for all shellside wetted components made of stainless, D = 2.5 A.
If E is the cost all components made of stainless, E = 3.2 A.

Note: The metrics above are based on 304 stainless steel, which is comparable in cost to 316 stainless steel.
Non-ferrous materials and higher nickel alloys will be more expensive; whether slightly or substantially
more depends upon the particular material.

Retrofitting
Let M represent the cost for a heat exchanger made from all the same material.
1. Assuming bundle replacement during a scheduled turnaround:
If N is the cost of a replacement bundle for the heat exchanger, N = 0.8 M.
2. Assuming replacement of an existing heat exchanger with a different exchanger design:
If P is the plant cost of heat exchanger replacement, P = 10 M.
This amount assumes replacement during a scheduled turnaround and includes costs for piping changes,
engineering pipe stress analysis, foundation inspection, and other necessary functions associated with
the replacement.
Note: Replacing a bundle (either in kind or with a new design) is much less expensive and less time-consuming
than replacing an entire heat exchanger in a plant. In many cases, a heat transfer engineer will populate a
new process plant with heat exchangers based upon standard technologies so that individual heat
exchangers can be upgraded later, as needed, through bundle replacement.

Heat Transfer Research, Inc. All rights reserved.