Semi-welded Plate Heat Exchangers (SWPHE): Advantages in critical media applications

Typical applications of Semi-welded Plate Heat Exchangers

Refrigerant evaporator

• Evaporation of refrigerant on the welded side in order to cool the media on the gasketed side.

Evaporation of heat transfer fluid in geothermal power plants

• Evaporation of ammonia on welded side with the heat from geothermal water on the gasketed side.

Economical alternative to FKM / PTFE-PHEs

• Only FKM / PTFE-O-rings needed.
• High security due to reduced gasket-length by 90%.

Cassettes created with coupled plates

Media flowing in cassette in contact only with o-ring gasket

Semiwelded typical Advantages

• Gasketed side can be inspected and cleaned as normal gasketed PHE plates
• Sealing length with gasket reduced to 20% (ring gasket) à Risk of leakage reduced by 95%
• High flexibility due to exchangeable modules. Extensions of PHEs can be done easily.
• Existing gasketed PHEs can be redesigned to semi-welded
• No spare parts on welded side needed à faster ROI
• Investments lower compared to gasketed PHEs FKM / PTFE

Therefore Heat Transfer Specialists when you have to design an Heat Exchangers in severe conditions, before to move to Shell& Tube HE's, Bloc Type or Shell&Plate HE's start to consider a Semi-welded PHE as valuable option!

Happy calculations!