Compact Heat Exchanger and Compact Heat Exchange Reactor
CompRex Compact Heat Exchangers and Compact Heat Exchanger Reactors are custom designed for a wide range of chemical processes, oil and natural gas processing, industrial gas and power generation applications where efficient heat transfer and compact size are often critical.
ShimRex® is one of CompRex’s main product lines of compact heat exchangers and compact heat exchanger reactors. It is manufactured using diffusion bonded technology. The alternating layers of heat transfer streams allow for efficient heat transfer. Channel sizes have hydraulic diameters less than 3 mm, so heat travels short distances and the surface area-to-volume ratio of the unit is one of the highest in the industry.
ShimRex units are manufactured by photochemical etching the internal heat transfer surface and structure into sheets of metal that are then stacked in a pattern and diffusion bonded into a single block. CompRex uses a patented technology to provide customized internal heat transfer surfaces that provide the thermal and hydraulic performance required for each particular application.
Advantages of ShimRex Heat Exchanger
Custom design for exact client needs
Very high temperature and pressure applications
Internal ligaments for increased mixing and even higher heat transfer
Tight approach temperatures (less than 2F for some applications)
Relatively low pressure drop
Extremely high surface area-to-volume ratio
Compactness
Applications of ShimRex Heat Exchanger
Aerospace industry
Marine
Cryogenics
Power industry
sCO2 Brayton Cycle
Hydrogen production
Solar industry
Fuel Cells
Advantages of ShimRex Reactor
High temperature/high pressure reactions
Small catalyst particles packing for high catalyst utilization (up to 5x)
Intermittent injection within the reactor block
No liquid catalyst premixing prior to reactor
Intermittent reactant injection for higher selectivity and productivity
Tight temperature control
Highly exothermic or endothermic reactions
Sensitive catalyst or product
Higher yields of desired products
Compact design
Smaller footprint and auxiliary equipment
Lower catalyst requirements
Applications of ShimRex Reactor
Gas-to-Liquid processes
Partial oxidation reactions
Hydrogenation
Polymerization
Petrochemical processes
Hydrogen production
Fuel Cells
Construction Materials
The ShimRex exchangers and reactors can be manufactured out of a variety of metals and alloys. Choice of construction material is dependent on application conditions, such as temperature, pressure and fluid properties. Materials include:
Stainless Steel
Titanium
Aluminum
Super alloys (for extreme temperature and pressure applications)
Including 617 and 740H
Copper
Fabrication Process
ShimRex products are manufactured by photochemical etching of metal sheets to the desired internal shapes of the unit. The thin sheets are stacked and heated at high temperatures under intense pressures until the metal sheets are bonded into a single block of metal. The ShimRex manufacturing process results in units that can withstand severe operating conditions.
