A heat exchanger is a device that facilitates the process of heat exchange between two fluids that are at different temperatures. There are many heat exchangers on traditional oil and gas or bulk chemical process plants, though they are less common in some other industries, such as food and pharmaceuticals. The traditional standard type of heat exchanger is the shell and tube, though there are many variants of this design, and many other types of heat exchanger more suited to applications such as hygienic duty. The major types of heat transfer equipment are:

1. Shell-and-tube Type
2. Box Type Heat Exchanger
3. Multipass Heat Exchanger