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. If B is the cost for all tubeside wetted components made of stainless, B = 1.5 A.
2. If C is the cost for all tubeside pressure components made of stainless, C = 1.8 A.
3. If D is the cost for all shellside wetted components made of stainless, D = 2.5 A.
4. 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.

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