A heat exchanger is a device used to transfer sensible heat from one fluid to another by means of convective heat transfer. There are many different implementations but the most common is metal tube and fin, the purpose of which is to maximize the surface area upon which both fluids make contact. In automotive applications this is typically done with a gas (air) on the shell (external) side, and a liquid on the internal side (coolant for your heater, CFCs for your air conditioner).
As a chemical engineer I had to answer this one
Two possible reasons why you are overheating: debris is causing a blockage, or you have air the system. One is a lot easier to fix. Air is a ****************ty heat transfer fluid and thus will not keep your car cool (hence why we all switched to water cooled engines in the late 80s). Also note that the symptoms of both are the same. In other words if your heater is blowing cold when your car is hot, you do not necessarily have air in the system, it could still be a blockage.
Let the car cool. Take off rad cap and start the car, allow to run for 30 sec, add more coolant while running. This will help displace any trapped air. Also someone said there is an air bleeder valve in the system, use that, itll help. As someone else suggested, be careful about running too long. The thermostat will only measure temps in one location, while you may be boiling off coolant at or near the cylinders (which would be VERY bad)
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