Plate and frame type Heat Exchangers. 1

[magnetchief]

Looking for a little advice.
We have a pretty large Plate / frame type heat exchanger on a fresh water system.
It has a pretty large pressure drop across the plates. 40-50 psi.
We are considering pulling the thing apart to inspect/clean it.
My experience has been with tube type HE, are there any pitfalls I should look out for when inspecting / dismantling this type of unit.
TIA
Steve

 

[plasgears]

Plate to plate sealing is interrupted, and you may have a problem assuring a seal after re-assy. Proceed with caution, and engage a consultant who knows this style.

 

[HEC]

magnetchief
before you loosen the clamp bolts, measure the overall length of the plate pack. Loosen the bolts progressivly so the plates are not warped. When closing teh plate pack, tighten progressivly and try to keep the pressure plate fairly parallel to the fixed plate. tighten to the same length as you started with.


Mark Hutton