This paper surveys the evolution of power condenser tube bundle arrangements and examines present-day designs. Condensation heat transfer during shell-side flow is reviewed, including the effects of vapor shear, condensate inundation, noncondensable gases, and enhancement techniques. The difficulties experienced in calculating vapor pressure drop through tube bundles are described, as well as recent attempts to obtain more reliable correlations. The modeling of these phenomena to predict shell-side condenser performance is reviewed, as well as the use of one- and two-dimensional computer codes. Appropriate topics for future research are identified.