GAP heat recuperators: the combination of plates and pipes. When innovation acts for savings

Plate exchangers are much smaller and lighter than pipe exchangers but are not always as effective. ACTE’s GAP exchangers are manufactured using a clever mix of pipes and plates, allowing a closed volume in which a liquid can flow, providing a much larger surface area for the same length: the Doublet.

Exchange surface of a 1” pipe: 0.08 m² per m
Exchange surface of a doublet: 0.8 m² per m

The GAP 50-3-3 waste heat recuperator has been the first standard product to be developed within the GAP range. Its features have been finetuned to allow it to answer most waste heat recovery needs within a large power range from 100 to 900 kW. The 3 mm gap between plates together with the overall size of this heat recuperator make it fit with many kinds of applications involving fumes or gas. The GAP 50-3-3 has been specially designed to fit within DN500 (20”) chimney ducts.

Example:
Let’s consider the available fumes flow rate is 2000 Nm³ per hour and the temperature is 450°C:
»» The power recovered is therefore 170 kW
»» The pressure drop on the fumes is around 5600 Pa
»» The corresponding flow rate is 7.8 m³ per hour
»» The pressure drop on the water side is 8600 Pa

In conclusion heat recovery is a big challenge in industries and this range of products is dedicated to answering applications requiring :

• Compactness
• Lightweight (from as low as 40kg)
• Ease of implementation (directly in the chimney duct)
• Low pressure drops (thanks to the possibility to adapt the gap between plates)
• Several applications : fumes to water/thermal oil/air/steam generation
• High temperature fumes : from 200°C to 650°C and higher (depending on specification)

Therefore when you're facing waste heat recovey situation starto to consider a GAP Heat recuperator: the simplest a lightest solution...