Use of high performance plate heat exchangers in chemical and process industries

Abstract

At present, plate heat exchangers constantly open up new application fields in the chemical, process, and allied industries due to their numerous advantages. The channel flow between individual plates is characterized by high turbulence induced at low flow velocities. Heat transfer coefficients are generally higher in plate heat exchangers than in conventional shell-and-tube heat exchangers. According to the nature of the process, physical properties of the media, and allowable pressure drops, plates with a variety of patterns are available to adapt the equipment optimally to the specific process conditions. For handling aggressive media the module welded plate heat exchanger was developed. The laser welded modular design keeps the inherent advantages of plate type heat exchanger. It can be disassembled and mechanically cleaned outside the modules. The capacity can also be subsequently modified by changing the number of plates, or the plate patterns can be altered as it can be with the gasketed units. Typical applications of module welded plate heat exchangers in the chemical industry are acid coolers, thermal oil coolers, or condensers for hydrocarbon mixtures.