Heat exchanger development history China's heat exchanger industry started relatively late. In 1963, Fushun Machinery Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. produced China's first shell-and-tube heat exchanger according to the TEMA standard in the United States. In 1965, Lanzhou Petroleum Machinery Research Institute developed China's first plate heat exchanger. Suzhou Xinsu Chemical Machinery Co., LTD. (formerly Suzhou Chemical Machinery Factory) developed China's first spiral plate heat exchanger in the 1960s. After that, Lanzhou Institute of Petroleum Machinery first introduced Germany Schmidt (Schmidt) heat exchanger technology, the former Siping heat exchanger plant introduced France Vicarb heat exchanger technology, the domestic heat exchanger industry in the digestion and absorption of foreign technology on the basis of rapid development.

After the 1980s, there has been a new trend of independent development of heat transfer technology in China, a large number of enhanced heat transfer elements have been introduced to the market, and the representative of the peak period of domestic heat transfer technology is a batch of excellent high efficiency heat exchangers such as baffler heat exchanger, new structure high efficiency heat exchanger, high efficiency reboiler, high efficiency condenser, double shell heat exchanger, plate and shell heat exchanger, surface evaporative air cooler.  After entering the 21st century, a large number of enhanced heat transfer technology is applied to industrial equipment, and China's heat exchanger industry has been rapidly improved in technical level, and plate heat exchangers are rising day by day. For example, the plate heat exchanger of Lanshi Heat Exchange Equipment Company has successfully entered the conventional island and nuclear island fields of domestic nuclear power construction projects, and has successively used plate heat exchangers for large ethylene projects, titanium dioxide production lines and other fields. Siping Juyuan Hanyang Plate Heat Exchanger Company has also successfully entered the conventional island and nuclear island fields of Daya Bay Phase II Lingao Nuclear Power Plant. In recent years, China has also made major breakthroughs in large tube and shell heat exchangers, large diameter thread locking ring high pressure heat exchangers, high efficiency and energy saving plate and shell heat exchangers, and large plate air preheaters. The rapidly growing Bourne brand (BHE) was born in 2004. In August 2008, China Petrochemical Group Shanghai Engineering Company, China First Heavy Machinery Company, Lanzhou Petroleum Machinery Research Institute, Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Company jointly undertaken the development of Zhenhai refining and chemical 1 million tons/year ethylene project -EO/EG device large-scale shell and tube heat exchanger development passed the technical appraisal. It marks a major breakthrough in the field of large-scale shell-and-tube heat exchangers in China. The heat exchanger is the first super large shell-and-tube heat exchanger with a heat exchange area of more than 10000m2 that is being manufactured in China.

In April 2009, China Petrochemical organization experts on the "large diameter screw lock ring high pressure heat exchanger domestic research and development" project for scientific and technological achievements appraisal. The project is based on the 3.2 million tons/year hydrotreating unit in the 10 million ton refinery project of SINOPEC Qingdao Refining & Chemical Co., LTD., jointly undertaken by Sinopec Engineering Construction Company, Sinopec Qingdao Refining & Chemical Co., LTD., Lanzhou Lanshi Machinery & Equipment Co., LTD., and Fushun Machinery & Equipment Manufacturing Co., LTD. The localization of the heat exchanger marks that China has the ability to design and manufacture screwlock ring high pressure heat exchangers below DN2000, which greatly reduces the construction cost of petrochemical engineering, and can save 14 million yuan in procurement funds, shorten the delivery time, and break the monopoly position of foreign companies.In June 2009, the first 10500m2 energy-saving plate shell heat exchanger developed by Gansu Lanke Petrochemical High-tech Equipment Co., Ltd. and the first 10910m2 plate air preheater of 1 million tons/year PX device in China passed factory acceptance in Shanghai. The 10500m2 high efficiency and energy saving plate and shell heat exchanger will be applied in the 1 million tons/year aromatics joint plant of China Petroleum Urumqi Petrochemical Company, which is currently the largest single heat exchange area of domestic plate and shell heat exchanger, and many technologies such as RZ4 plate type and T-type distributor are international leaders, and the heat exchanger as a whole has reached the international advanced level.  The successful development of 10500m2 energy-saving plate-and-shell heat exchanger is an important milestone in the development of domestic plate-and-shell heat exchanger, marking that domestic plate-and-shell heat exchanger has entered the international leading ranks, and will end the history of similar products relying on imports. The first domestic plate air preheater with a total heat transfer area of 10910m2 will be applied to the 1 million tons/year paraxylene (PX) aromatic combined unit of petrochina Urumqi Petrochemical Company, which is the first domestic set of heating furnace air preheater with all welding corrugated plate air preheater, and the first set of smoke exhaust temperature as low as 100℃ device. The overall technology has reached the international leading level. This air preheater is a high efficiency, environmental protection and energy saving heat exchanger, and its successful development marks a new step in the development of domestic all-welded corrugated plate air preheater.

References: China Machinery Industry Federation Shang Baiyi heat exchanger mall website editing