Ordering a Custom Plate Heat Exchanger unit is not like picking a pump from a catalog. The supplier needs matched thermal, hydraulic, control, and site data. If the temperatures, flows, and pressure limits conflict, the finished unit may miss its outlet temperature or use too much pumping power.
Established in 2015, Getreide focuses on plate heat exchangers, plates, gaskets, complete heat exchanger units, and Wartungsdienste. Its team covers research, selection, production, installation, and service, which is useful when a project involves more than a bare exchanger. For duties that require opening and cleaning, Grano recommends its modular Plattenwärmetauscher. Where space is tight and the fluids are clean, its gasket-free Gelöteter Plattenwärmetauscher can be the better fit.
What Media and Temperatures Define a Custom Plate Heat Exchanger?
Start with the two fluids and four design temperatures. These inputs set the thermal driving force and guide material and channel selection. “Water” is often not enough information. Treated heating water, seawater, glycol solution, and process water behave differently.
Identify Both Media Clearly
Name both media. For a mixed fluid, give its concentration and relevant density, viscosity, solids content, chloride level, or corrosive components. State whether either side may foul or crystallize. Corrugated plates create strong turbulence, but narrow passages still need accurate fluid data.
A gasketed unit is practical when regular inspection or mechanical cleaning is expected, and its plate count can change if duty grows. A brazed unit uses copper solder instead of rubber gaskets. It suits clean, compact heating and cooling circuits but cannot normally be opened for internal cleaning.
Where the fluid carries particles, provide their expected size and concentration. An upstream strainer may be needed because blocked channels raise pressure loss and reduce heat transfer. Also discuss water hardness and the planned cleaning method before fabrication.
Give All Four Temperatures
Provide inlet and outlet temperatures for both sides. Add normal, minimum, and maximum values if loads vary. Tell the supplier which figures are fixed and which may be calculated.
How Should You Define Flow Rate, Heat Duty, and Pressure Drop?
Next comes the thermal balance. Flow, heat duty, and pressure drop must describe the same operating point. Trouble starts when one number comes from a pump nameplate and another from an outdated drawing.
Match Flow Rate to Heat Duty
Give mass flow in kg/s or volume flow in m³/h for each side, with the fluid temperature used for conversion. Heat duty follows the standard relation Q = m × cp × ΔT. For water near ordinary heating temperatures, cp is commonly taken as about 4.18 kJ/(kg·K) for an initial calculation.
| Example Input | Value | Calculation or Result |
|---|---|---|
| Hot-water mass flow | 2.0 kg/s | Given design flow |
| Hot-water temperatures | 80°C to 60°C | ΔT = 20 K |
| Approximate heat duty | 167.2 kW | 2.0 × 4.18 × 20 |
| Cold-water temperature rise | 20°C to 40°C | Required flow is about 2.0 kg/s, ignoring external heat loss |
This simple check catches mismatched inquiry data before plate selection begins. For glycol, oil, or chemical solutions, actual property data should replace the water value.
Set a Pressure-Drop Limit for Each Side
State the allowable loss for each circuit. A higher allowance may support faster channel velocity and a smaller plate pack, but the pump works harder. A low limit may require more parallel channels. Grano can adjust the plate count and arrangement around the available pump head.
Which Working and Design Pressures Must You State?
Pressure ratings affect the frame, plates, gaskets, connections, valves, and pump selection. Give values for both circuits; they may not be equal.
Separate Operating Pressure from Design Pressure
Operating pressure applies during normal service. Design pressure covers credible conditions such as start-up, shut-down, and pump shutoff. Report normal and maximum operating pressures, then the specified design pressure. Add any required test standard or certification.
Mention Differential Pressure and Pressure Surges
Say if one side may stay pressurized while the other is empty, since the differential acts across every plate. Water hammer, rapid valve closure, and sudden pump starts can also deform plates or disturb gaskets.
What Pump, Valve, and Control Details Are Needed?
A Custom Plattenwärmetauscher becomes a working heat exchange system only when its pumps, valves, instruments, and control logic agree. A bare heat duty does not say how the unit should react when demand falls by half.
Define the Pump and Valve Arrangement
List pump flow, head, motor supply, and quantity. State whether you need one pump, a duty-and-standby pair, or variable speed. Required valves may include isolation, check, balancing, control, drain, vent, and safety types. Match their materials and pressure classes to service conditions.
Describe the Control Method
Specify the controlled variable, usually the secondary outlet temperature, and its acceptable band. Identify whether pump speed, a two-way valve, or a three-way valve provides control. Add sensor locations, alarms, interlocks, changeover logic, local or remote operation, and any required communication protocol.
What Site, Power, and Connection Data Complete the Selection?
The last group of inputs turns the thermal design into equipment that can actually enter the plant room and connect to existing services. It sounds obvious, yet doorway width and maintenance clearance are still frequent late-stage surprises.
Confirm Space and Maintenance Access
Give maximum dimensions, foundation details, lifting limits, access routes, and doorway sizes. A gasketed exchanger needs room to release clamping bolts and remove plates. Your Custom Plate Heat Exchanger layout should also leave access to pumps, strainers, valves, and the control cabinet.
List Electrical and Piping Interfaces
State voltage, frequency, phase, and available capacity. For piping, provide sizes, connection standards, pressure classes, nozzle directions, and preferred positions. Mark all four process connections. Drain, vent, instrument, cable, and anchoring interfaces belong on the same drawing, not in a late email.
Confirm whether all connections must face the fixed frame plate or whether a multi-pass arrangement is acceptable. Settle this point before the skid frame and piping are fabricated.
Schlussbetrachtung
A reliable Custom Plate Heat Exchanger starts with consistent process data. Send the media, four temperatures, flows, duty, pressure-drop limits, pressures, control needs, dimensions, power supply, and connections together. Grano can then recommend a serviceable gasketed unit or compact brazed design for the actual operating conditions.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Q1. Can a supplier select the unit if the heat duty is unknown?
A. Yes, if you provide reliable flow rates, fluid properties, and inlet and outlet temperatures. The supplier can calculate duty from the heat balance. Missing outlet temperatures or uncertain flow data will make the selection less reliable.
Q2. When is a brazed exchanger preferable to a gasketed model?
A. A brazed model often suits clean, compact heating or cooling duties where internal mechanical cleaning is not expected. Choose a gasketed model when you need easier inspection, cleaning, plate replacement, or later capacity changes.
Q3. What is the minimum information needed to quote a Custom Plate Heat Exchanger?
A. At minimum, Grano needs both media, four design temperatures, flow or heat duty, allowable pressure drop, working and design pressures, and connection sizes. Pump, control, electrical, and footprint details are also needed when the quotation covers a complete unit.
Q4. Why must allowable pressure drop be stated for both circuits?
A. The circuits may have different pump heads and piping resistance. Separate limits help meet the heat duty without overloading either pump.
Q5. Which site detail is most often missed during heat exchanger unit selection?
A. Maintenance clearance is commonly missed. A unit may fit the floor area but lack space for plate removal or pump service. Check access routes and nozzle directions before fabrication.
