ThermaFlex Plate Heat Exchangers
Overview
Gasketed plate heat exchangers offer a highly effective method of transferring heat from one fluid to another. They are made by compressing a number of gasketed, corrugated plates together in a frame, so that the gaskets give a good seal. The corrugations touch where they cross, support the plates, resisting high working pressures and enhancing heat transfer.
Please also see our ThermaPak plate heat exchanger packages page.
GMS offer both gasketed plate heat exchangers and brazed heat exchangers. Brazed heat exchangers work on the same principle as gasketed exchangers but are manufactured by brazing the plates together instead of using gaskets and bolts.
We can also offer WRAS Approved Plate Heat Exchangers if required.
High heat transfer rates are achieved by:
- Counterflow operation - passing the fluids in opposite directions through adjacent channels between the plates
- High heat transfer coefficients - the corrugations cause high turbulence
- Low thermal resistance - Use of corrosion resistant materials (e.g. stainless steels, titanium etc.) combined with the inherent strength of the corrugated plates mean that only relatively thin plates are needed
- Efficient use of heat transfer surfaces - almost all the plate surface is involved in heat transfer - minimising cost
Other advantages:
- Design flexibility - two types of plates in each size can be combined in six different ways to give the optimum heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics
- Designed for the job - test-proven computer programs calculate the optimum configuration for each duty
- Space saving - compared to shell and tube units
- Close temperatures? - PHE's can achieve good heat transfer rates even when the temperature difference between the two fluids is small
- Easily modified - more plates can be added to increase duty
- Easily maintained - dismantling and reassembly are simple
- Resistant to scaling and fouling - due to the high level of turbulence
- Fluids don't mix if gaskets leak - because of a double seal (with air hole to atmosphere) around the ports between plates, any gasket leak goes to atmosphere (where it is easily detected) and doesn't mix with the other fluid
Applications
PHE's are suitable for most heat transfer applications involving fluids at temperatures up to 150°C and pressures up to 16 BarG. Operating temperature is limited by the gaskets. This excludes use of steam above 3.7 BarG.
The ability to cope with close temperatures makes PHE's an excellent choice for heat recovery applications e.g. in industrial processes, laundries, swimming pools, solar heating systems etc. It also makes them ideal for keeping two systems hydraulically separate. Their thermal efficiency often makes them cost effective against shell and tube heat exchangers in many conventional applications such as in building services.
We would be pleased to hear about your particular application. GMS Thermal Products Ltd. manufacture and supply many kinds of heat exchanger and can advise on which type is best suited to it.
