Heat exchanger symbols
Heat transfer equipment moves heat between two fluids or into one. The symbols show the type: shell and tube, plate, air-cooled, fired heater, cooling tower and reboiler.
- Shell and tube heat exchangerA shell and tube heat exchanger passes one fluid through a bundle of tubes and the other around them inside a shell, transferring heat through the tube walls.
- Plate heat exchangerA plate heat exchanger passes two fluids between alternate thin corrugated plates.
- Air coolerAn air cooler cools a process fluid in finned tubes with air blown across them by fans.
- Fired heaterA fired heater heats a process fluid in tubes with the flame from burning fuel.
- Cooling towerA cooling tower cools water by evaporating part of it into air drawn up through the tower.
- Kettle reboilerA kettle reboiler boils liquid from the bottom of a column to make the vapour that drives the separation.
Heat exchangers in ISO 10628-2
About ISO 10628-2Heat exchangers usually carry a tag starting with E, and fired heaters with H or F. The two sides are labelled shell and tube, or hot and cold, with their design conditions.
The cards at the top use the forms of US legend sheets (PIP PIC001 practice). The grids below them show the same symbols as ISO 10628-2 or IEC 62424 draw them. See ISA vs ISO P&ID symbols for the differences.
Frequently asked questions
What are heat exchanger symbols on a P&ID?
Heat transfer equipment moves heat between two fluids or into one. The symbols show the type: shell and tube, plate, air-cooled, fired heater, cooling tower and reboiler.
How many heat exchanger symbols are there?
This legend covers the 6 most common ones: shell and tube heat exchanger, plate heat exchanger, air cooler, fired heater, cooling tower, kettle reboiler. Project legends may add company-specific variants.
Can I download these symbols?
Yes. Each symbol page has a free SVG and PNG, and the whole legend is available as a printable PDF chart on the P&ID symbols page.