What are the advantages and disadvantages of plate heat exchangers? A brazing plate heat exchanger manufacturer tells you.

　　What are the advantages and disadvantages of plate heat exchangers, as explained by a manufacturer of brazed plate heat exchangers?

　　Advantages, as explained by a brazed plate heat exchanger manufacturer:

　　1. High heat transfer coefficient

　　Plate heat exchangers are composed of corrugated plates. The corrugated shape of the plates forms a complex flow path, which causes strong turbulence in the heat exchange medium, resulting in a very high heat transfer coefficient.

　　2. Compact structure, small footprint

　　The heat exchange area per unit volume can reach 250m2.

　　3. Large logarithmic mean temperature difference, small terminal temperature difference

　　Plate heat exchangers are mostly downstream or countercurrent, and the correction coefficient of the logarithmic mean temperature difference is about 0.95. The flow of cold and hot fluids in the heat exchanger is parallel to the heat exchange surface, without side flow. The terminal temperature difference is small, and the water-water heat exchange can be below 1℃.

　　4. Easy to change heat exchange area or process combination

　　If you want to increase or decrease the heat exchange area, simply add or remove plates; if you want to change the process combination, simply change the arrangement of the plates or replace a few plates to adapt to the new heat exchange conditions.

　　5. Low cost

　　Plate heat exchangers mainly use metal plates, and the raw material price is lower than that of metal pipes.

　　6. Scaling resistance

　　The fluid is greatly disturbed in the flow path, and fouling is not easy to deposit.

　　7. Easy to disassemble and clean

　　Simply loosen the clamping bolts and move the movable end plate to remove the plates for cleaning, which is suitable for working conditions requiring frequent cleaning and maintenance.

　　Disadvantages, as explained by a brazed plate heat exchanger manufacturer:

　　1. The gap between the heat transfer surfaces is small, and the heat transfer surfaces are uneven, so the pressure loss is large.

　　2. Plate heat exchangers should be sealed with sealing gaskets, and the working pressure generally does not exceed 2MPa.

　　3. The operating temperature is limited by the heat resistance of the sealing gasket material. If the temperature is too high, the heat exchanger will leak.

　　3. The inter-plate channels are narrow, generally only 2-5mm, and are not suitable for media containing large particles or fibrous materials, and are easily blocked. In this case, wide-channel plate heat exchangers can be used to ensure good permeability and avoid blockage.

　　4. The flow path is small, not suitable for gas-gas heat exchange.

　　Plate heat exchangers are used to heat dairy products, remove bacteria at low temperatures, cool curd cheese, baby food, residues, etc. Stainless steel plate heat exchangers are suitable for the fine processing of food. Brewing industry: beer, yeast, wort, green beer, etc. can be heated, sighing beverages can also be heated, and the heat recovery rate can reach 96%. Juice and beverage industry: juices, syrups, tea, concentrated juices, carbonated soft drinks or carbonated soft drinks without pulp can be preserved. It can also be bottled (cold and hot) for low-temperature bacteria removal or heat treatment. The products we provide include heat exchangers, heat exchange devices, air coolers, wide-channel plate heat exchangers, fully welded plate heat exchangers, plate evaporators, air handling systems, cooling water devices, waste heat recovery integrated devices, etc. We serve the heating and air conditioning, chemical, food and beverage, sugar, metallurgy, power, papermaking, textile, shipping, refrigeration and other fields.