// Catalogue

Heat Exchangers: Shell, Tube and Plate Heat Exchangers for Hydraulic Oil

Heat exchangers move heat from hot hydraulic oil into cooling water, in a compact, quiet package. TSA Hydraulics Engineering supplies them within the Filtration & Cooling family of our Motors & Drives range, alongside Oil Coolers, Filters, Filters & Filter Elements and Accumulators & Monitoring.

The oil side usually gets the attention, but the water side is where most exchangers lose the fight. Scale, silt and low water flow choke the tubes or plates until the oil runs hot. Clean water matters as much as a new core. Send the model or the heat load and flows, and we’ll match a genuine unit or an equivalent, shipped fast from Sydney.

1product

// Buying guide

How a Heat Exchanger Works

Hot oil flows through one side and cooling water through the other, separated by thin metal walls. Heat passes through the walls into the water, which carries it away. Running the two flows in opposite directions, called counterflow, gives the best result from the smallest unit.

Types of Heat Exchanger

Shell and tube: oil flows around a bundle of tubes inside a shell, with water running through the tubes. They’re tough, easy to clean and very common on power units.
Brazed plate: stainless plates stacked and brazed into one compact block. Very efficient and small, but best with clean water because they can’t be opened.
Gasketed plate: plates clamped in a frame with gaskets. They can be opened for cleaning, and extra plates can be added as heat loads grow.

Choosing Materials

Copper or brass tubes: standard for clean fresh water.
Stainless steel: for plate units and many process waters.
Copper nickel or titanium: for seawater and aggressive water on marine and coastal sites.

Match the materials to your water quality, not just to the oil.

Sizing a Heat Exchanger

You’ll need:

The heat load in kW.
The oil flow and oil inlet temperature.
The water flow and water inlet temperature.
The oil temperature you want to hold.
The allowable pressure drop on both sides.

Allow a margin for fouling, especially with cooling tower or bore water.

Installation and Care

Connect the flows in counterflow.
Fit a strainer on the water inlet to keep silt and debris out.
Use a thermostatic or water regulating valve to stop overcooling and save water.
Keep the oil pressure above the water pressure where possible, so any leak doesn’t push water into the oil.
Drain the water side if it could freeze.
Clean the water side on a regular schedule.

Signs of Trouble

Oil temperature creeping up at the same load.
Water leaving barely warmer than it came in, which is a sign of fouling.
Milky or cloudy oil, which can mean an internal leak.
Rising pressure drop on either side.

Heat Exchanger or Air Blast Cooler?

Choose a water cooled heat exchanger when you have a reliable water supply, a big heat load, limited space or a noise limit. Where there’s no water on site, or on mobile plant, an air blast oil cooler is usually the simpler choice.

Heat Exchangers Specifications to Check

Type: shell and tube, brazed plate or gasketed plate
Heat rejection in kW at your flows
Oil and water flow rates and pressure drops
Maximum working pressure and temperature
Materials and gasket type
Connection sizes and mounting

Why Buy From TSA Hydraulics Engineering

As a heat exchangers supplier, we size the unit around your heat load, flows and water quality, not just the old model number. You get clear prices in AUD, OEM or equivalent options, and help sourcing heat exchangers replacement parts such as tube bundles, gaskets, plates and seals. We tell you upfront whether a unit is genuine or an equivalent.

// FAQs