Single & Multi-tube Heat Exchangers
VARITUBE® Tubular Heat Exchangers
The GEA VARITUBE® tubular heat exchanger is specifically designed for the thermal treatment of low to high-viscosity products including those products containing particles, pulp and fibres.
The most appropriate design can be selected from numerous versions of our VARITUBE® heat exchangers depending on the required production capacity and the physical properties of the product. Custom designs can also be developed and installed to suit each application. Using tried and tested technology, the aseptically designed VARITUBE® tubular heat exchanger series is available for liquid food, liquid dairy and beverage applications.
How does it work?
The GEA VARITUBE® tubular heat exchanger is a straight tube heat exchanger with one or more inner tubes situated in a shell. The inner tubes can either be plain or corrugated. Corrugation, and the optimized product/media volume ratio, increases the thermal efficiency of the heat exchangers.
Their modular design allows for easy installation, extension or modification. VARITUBE® modules are TÜV-approved and manufactured from 1.4571 (AISI 316 Ti) material. A sanitary O-ring sealing system and product flow paths without 'dead zones', ensure highest production reliability and product quality.
Heat exchanger for smooth, fiber-containing and viscous products
With the GEA VARITUBE® P, single tube heat exchanger, the product is guided through several straight inner tubes surrounded by the same product, which flows in a counter-current direction in the shell. The inner tubes are mounted in a floating manner and can be removed as a complete bundle for inspecting the product flow path.
Heat exchanger for products containing pieces
With the GEA VARITUBE® S single tube heat exchanger the product flows in one straight inner tube, while a heat-carrying medium flows around it in an external shell. The inner tube is mounted in a fixed or floating manner to compensate for the differences between shell and inner tube.
Universal heat exchanger
GEA VARITUBE® E, multi-tube heat exchanger guides the product through several straight inner tubes surrounded by a service medium in a shell. The “floating” design of the inner bundle compensates for the different thermal expansion between shell and inner tube bundle caused by high temperature differences.
The intermediate flange on the dynamically sealed side has a radially positioned leakage “tell pipe” to ensure that any leakages on the product or shell side can easily be detected. The inner bundle can be removed for inspection purposes.
Heat exchanger for hot water generation
The GEA VARITUBE® HS, multi-tube heat exchanger, is suitable for hot water generation and heating of CIP media for high thermal performance and volume flow rates up to 60 m³/h. This tubular heat exchanger features product guiding in several inner tubes which are bent around 180°.
The heat-carrying medium flows in the surrounding shell. This design allows for compensation of the different thermal expansions between inner bundle and shell, which could be caused by high temperature differences.
Indirect heat exchanger
The GEA VARITUBE® M is especially designed for products containing particles of approximately 18 mm diameter. The product flows in several straight inner tubes while a heat-carrying medium flows around it in a shell. The inner tube is mounted in a fixed or floating manner to compensate for the differences between shell and inner tube. The bundle inside could be fixed or removable with a length of 3 or 6m.
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