Heat Pipe
Heat Exchanger
High-efficiency Waste Heat
Recovery for Demanding
Industrial Applications
Flue gas cooling and waste heat recovery
Capturing waste energy to lower the cost of carbon capture
LJUNGSTRÖM’s Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger is a highly efficient, passive heat recovery solution designed for energy, oil & gas, and industrial applications where reliability, safety, and thermal performance are critical. By utilizing the latent heat of vaporization within sealed heat pipes, this technology enables exceptional heat transfer with minimal temperature differentials—without pumps, moving parts, or cross-stream leakage.
Ideal for harsh exhaust environments, LJUNGSTRÖM Heat Pipe Heat Exchangers help operators recover valuable waste heat, reduce fuel consumption, improve overall process efficiency, and extend equipment life.
How It Works
A heat pipe heat exchanger transfers thermal energy between two separate fluid streams using a phase-change working fluid—typically water—contained within sealed pipes.
Heat from a hot exhaust gas or process stream causes the working fluid to evaporate in the evaporator section. The vapor then travels to the condenser section, where it releases latent heat to a cooler fluid such as air, water, or thermal oil. The condensed liquid returns to the evaporator by gravity or capillary action, creating a continuous, passive heat transfer cycle.
This isothermal operation ensures uniform temperatures along the length of the heat pipe, eliminating cold spots and reducing the risk of acid condensation and corrosion.
Problems
We Help Solve
Industrial operators face increasing pressure to improve efficiency, control operating costs, and maintain uptime—often in extreme thermal and corrosive environments. LJUNGSTRÖM Heat Pipe Heat Exchangers address these challenges by:
- Recovering waste heat from
high-temperature exhaust streams
(up to ~1,000°C) - Eliminating cross-contamination
risks between hot and cold process streams - Eliminating thermal stress common in conventional shell-and-tube designs
- Preventing acid dewpoint corrosion through isothermal operation
- Improving safety in oil and gas applications near auto-ignition temperatures
- Delivering long service life with minimal maintenance requirements
Key Features
and Advantages
High Thermal Efficiency
Zero Cross-Stream Leakage
Complete separation of primary and secondary fluids for the life of the unit
Isothermal Operation:
Inherent
Reliability
Low Thermal
Stress
and contraction reduce fatigue and distortion
No Moving Parts
Long Service Life
High Redundancy
Multiple heat pipes provide built-in reliability and uptime assurance
Application Flexibility
to support a wide range of industrial heat recovery configurations:
Gas-to-Gas / Gas-to-Air
Designed to recover thermal energy from hot exhaust streams and transfer it efficiently to secondary gas or air flows. Ideal for combustion air preheating, dryer systems, and process air heating.
Gas-to-Water / Water-to-Gas
Well suited for high-temperature gas applications where conventional exchangers may experience thermal fatigue or distortion. Provides reliable heat transfer for hot water generation and process heating.
Gas-to-Oil
Specifically engineered for oil & gas applications where safe separation of oil and gas is critical—particularly near auto-ignition temperatures. An adiabatic safety section ensures thermal oil and high-temperature flue gas remain fully isolated, eliminating ignition risk.
Heat Recovery Steam
Generators (HRSG)
Heat pipe steam generators are fully integrated systems with the steam drum incorporated directly into the unit. This simplifies system design by reducing auxiliary piping, valves, and controls while efficiently converting recovered heat into steam.
Industries Served
Energy
and Power Generation
Oil and Gas (Upstream, Midstream, Downstream)
Refining and Petrochemical
Metals
and Mining
Construction Materials
Food and Pharmaceutical Processing
Industrial Manufacturing
With decades of experience in advanced heat transfer technologies, LJUNGSTRÖM delivers proven solutions designed to perform in the world’s most demanding environments. Our Heat Pipe Heat Exchangers provide high efficiency, inherent safety, and long-term reliability—helping operators recover energy, reduce emissions, and protect critical assets.
We work closely with customers to evaluate heat recovery opportunities, design optimized systems, and provide technical support throughout the lifecycle of the equipment.
Contact your LJUNGSTRÖM representative to discuss Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger applications, system evaluations, or technical support.