Plate Heat Exchangers Are Just Like Any Other Heat Exchanger

Plate heat exchangers are just like any other heat exchanger, but in this case they use plates to transfer heat between two fluids. The fluids are exposed to a much larger surface area than a traditional Heat exchanger and thus offer an advantage in the speed of the temperature change. Pipes are used in heat exchangers to heat or cool one fluid by transferring heat between it and another fluid. Often the exchanger consists of a coiled pipe containing a fluid that passes through a chamber containing another fluid. The walls of the pipe are usually made from metal (used for its high thermal conductivity) to facilitate the interchange. The outer casing of the large chamber is made of a plastic to prevent the heat from escaping from the exchanger. Plate heat exchangers (otherwise known as PHE) were invented in 1923 by Dr. Richard Seligman and revolutionized the then methods of indirect heating and cooling of fluids. There are many advantages to the plate heat exchanger, such as compactness, the units in a plate heat exchanger occupy less floor space. Flexibility is another advantage, as many changes can be made to heat exchanger performance, such as modifying design specifications, conditions and fluids. Plate heat exchangers are made from pressed plates, allowing greater resistance to corrosion and chemical reactions, they also have the added advantage of being cheaper than their alterative, welded plates. The article can be easily dismantled for inspection and cleaning and the plates are replaced easily and individually, saving on cost. It also operates with small temperature differences, this is a benefit when high temperatures must be avoided. There are also some disadvantages to using this type of heat exchanger, such as a potential for leakage. Many a cooling tower company produces plate heat exchangers as part of their production. Source: hicow.com/heat-exchanger