Hybrid heat exchanger cranks up the pressure

Developed to combine the thermal efficiency of a Plate Heat Exchanger with the pressure and temperature resistance of a shell & tube unit, the new AlfaDisc all-welded exchanger is ideal for duties involving high pressures and temperatures such as steam heating and applications involving aggressive fluids.

AlfaDisc is designed for use with liquids, gases and two-phase mixtures at temperatures up to +538 0C (lowest temperature -195 0C) and pressures as high as 72 barg, making it ideal for applications involving steam heating duties and for use as an interchanger. It is a multi-pass unit, with a plate side and a shell side, which is capable of handling up to four passes on each side, with hot and cold media flowing through alternating channels in either co-current or true counter-current flow. This configuration increases the thermal efficiency of the AlfaDisc and enables close temperature approaches.

A feature of the design is that when only one side of the exchanger is subject to corrosive conditions, the two exchanger elements can be fabricated from different materials. This means that standard materials can be employed on the non-corrosive side with exotic materials restricted to the corrosive side; thereby enabling significant cost savings to be made. …./

Initially, the AlfaDisc range consists of three models, AlfaDisc 50, 100 and 150, the model numbers relating to the size of the DN connection on the plate side of the exchanger. On the shell side of the exchanger, nozzle sizes up to DN 400 can be supplied to provide higher vapour or liquid flow rates. The maximum liquid flow rate under optimum conditions is 139 kg/s.

AlfaDisc’s compact design is complemented by its all-welded construction – which eliminates the need for gaskets – and the ability to clean the unit on one side.

Further information can be found at http://www.alfalaval.co.uk