Common types of plate heat exchangers include frame-type (detachable) and brazed type. Plate types include herringbone corrugated plates, horizontal straight corrugated plates, and dovetail plates. Brazed heat exchangers mainly consist of plates, gaskets, fixed clamping plates, and movable clamping plates, manufactured using a vacuum brazing process. Two different media flow in adjacent channels, and the corrugated design on the plates enhances heat exchange. In the refrigeration field, brazed plate heat exchangers typically have one more water flow channel than refrigerant flow channel to meet specific heat exchange requirements.
The diagram shows a single-sided flow design, but some plate heat exchangers use a diagonal flow design, where one medium flows in channels Q1 and Q3, while another medium flows in channels Q2 and Q4.
All components use screw and bolt structures, making on-site disassembly and repair easy.
Next, let's understand the operating principle of plate heat exchangers. It is a high-efficiency heat exchanger composed of stacked metal plates with a specific corrugated shape. Its structure includes gaskets, clamping plates (including movable and fixed end plates), and a frame (containing upper and lower guide rods and a front support). Through the ingenious design of the sealing gaskets, not only is a seal achieved between the plates, but two fluid channels, one for cold fluid and one for hot fluid, are also formed. In these two channels, the cold and hot heat exchange media flow separately and exchange heat with adjacent plates, thus meeting the user's temperature requirements. Notably, each plate has carefully perforated corners, which, after assembly into a plate bundle, form fluid distribution and collection pipes. After heat exchange, the cold and hot media return from their respective collection pipes, achieving recycling.
