Plate type heat exchanger

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Plate type exchanger consists of variable number of  thin corrugated plates joined parallel together, creating a cavity for fluid flow inside it. Alternate sides of the plate carry two different fluids, between which heat transfer is carried out.

These are gasketed Titanium plates,clamped together between a closing pressure plate and a frame plate,these plates are clamped together with the help of clamping bolts.The inlet and outlet branches for each liquid is attached to the frame plate.

The arrangement of gasket between the plates provides passage between adjacent plates for the cooling liquid and hot liquid.Neoprene rubber gasket is stack with adhesive to the plate in addition to this a tell tale hole arrangement is also provided at each branch point to detect leakage and prevent intermixing or contamination of the fluids.

The plates supported and guided by the carrying bar on the top and support bar on the bottom.

The plates are arranged in such a way that the inlet and outlet chamber of hot and cold fluid forms a virtual pipe.The first plate should be a sea water plate and the last plate should be a low temperature or plate or the medium to be cooled,this arrangement is done so that the pressure plate doesn't need any prevention from corrosion.The gap between two plates depends on the thickness of the gasket.There are "H" shaped gaskets on the frame plate.These gaskets are provided in every inlet and outlet pipes of seawater and LT water respectively.

The cold fluid enters from the bottom and rises above to come out from the top while the hot fluid enters from the top and leaves from the bottom,this is mainly for venting in air or evaporated moisture,the flow pattern is a counter flow type.

The Corruguation of the plate is called herringbone chevron pattern it provided for following reasons

• To increase the surface area of heat transfer
• Create turbulence of the fluid 
• Increase the strength if the plate
• Compensate problem of contraction and expansion.  

Advantages of Plate type over shell and tube type heat exchanger are

• Compact in size i.e. requires less space
• No head room is required
• Easy for dismantling and cleaning.All the pipe connection are at the frame plate,hence they do not have to be disturbed when plates are dismantled.
• Plates numbers can be altered to meet capacity.