Compact exchanger hits the heights

Although renowned for their compactness in comparison with traditional shell-and-tube heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers do not have to be small.

Alfa Laval says its new T50 model is the largest plate exchanger it has ever built. Standing almost 4m tall and with a flow rate capacity of up to 975kg/s, the giant unit is said to be ideal for central cooling systems in petrochemical refineries, chemical plants and offshore oil and gas platforms.

The T50 has a new plate system that the company says improves performance for large cooling applications. The system enables three basic plate types — low-theta, medium-theta and high-theta — to be combined in five different channel arrangements for specific temperature programmes.

The unit can be supplied with plates in stainless steel or titanium, nitrile or EPDM gaskets, and with connections to DIN or ASME standards. Each plate provides 3.5m2 of heat transfer surface, resulting in a complete unit of 2880m2 heat transfer area.