

They are built with specific thermodynamic goals in mind, and so most heat exchangers are custom made or are at least rated for highly specific rates of heating/cooling. Heat exchangers must be fabricated correctly, as they are integral components in refrigeration, power production, transportation, and other vital applications. To get a fuller understanding of the workings of these devices, consult our article on understanding heat exchangers. While complicated in structure, their basic working principle remains unchanged: circulate a working fluid to transfer heat between two systems, where the desired action is either to cool, heat, or equalize one/ both system(s). Heat exchangers are engineering devices that do exactly as their name implies: they exchange heat between two spaces.
