Heat exchanger with a vertical rod baffle structure and at least one notched longitudinal partition plate

A rod baffle heat exchanger comprising:

• a shell;
• a tube-sheet;
• a tube bundle having a plurality of heat exchange tubes extending in an axial direction of the shell, wherein the tube bundle is a U-tube bundle comprising a U-bend in the plurality of heat exchange tubes;
• six or more longitudinal partition plates, each plate having a first end attached to the shell and each extending towards an opposing side of the shell, wherein at least one of the six or more longitudinal partition plates is a notched longitudinal partition plate having a notched second end at a distance Dn from the shell;
• and
• a plurality of rod baffle rings provided and spaced from each other along an axial length of the plurality of heat exchange tubes, wherein each of the plurality of rod baffle rings either has lateral rod baffles extending from an inner surface of the rod baffle ring to an opposite inner surface of the rod baffle ring or has longitudinal rod baffles extending from an inner surface of the rod baffle ring to an opposite inner surface of the rod baffle ring, wherein the lateral rod baffles and the longitudinal rod baffles are perpendicular to each other and to the axial direction of the shell,
• wherein the lateral rod baffles and the longitudinal rod baffles pass through gaps between every two adjacent tubes of the plurality of heat exchange tubes, and the lateral rod baffles further pass through openings in the notched longitudinal partition plates, and
• wherein the at least one notched longitudinal partition plate extends length in the longitudinal direction of the shell from the tube sheet to at least a lowest point of the U-tube bundle at which a tube of the plurality of heat exchanges tubes is provided in the U-tube bundle, and
• wherein the at least one notched longitudinal partition plate extends a length toward the opposite side of the shell such that the notched second end is located within the U-tube bundle.