Double Pipe Heat Exchangers is just one pipe inside another larger pipe. One fluid flows through the inside pipe and the other flows through the annulus between the two pipes. The wall of the inner pipe is the heat transfer surface. The pipes are usually doubled back multiple times as shown in the diagram at the left, in order to make the overall unit more compact. The term 'hairpin heat exchanger' is also used for a heat exchanger of the configuration in the diagram.

Double Pipe Heat Exchangers is just one pipe inside another larger pipe. One fluid flows through the inside pipe and the other flows through the annulus between the two pipes. The wall of the inner pipe is the heat transfer surface. The pipes are usually doubled back multiple times as shown in the diagram at the left, in order to make the overall unit more compact. The term 'hairpin heat exchanger' is also used for a heat exchanger of the configuration in the diagram.