Plate finned type Heat Exchanger
We are the leading manufacturers of Plate finned type Heat Exchanger in India. A plate-fin heat exchanger is a category of heat exchanger blueprint that uses plates and finned chambers to transfer heat between fluids. It is often categorized as a compact heat exchanger to emphasize its relatively high heat transfer surface area to volume ratio. The plate-fin heat exchanger is widely used in many industries, including the aerospace industry for its compact size and lightweight properties, as well as in cryogenics where its ability to facilitate heat transfer with small temperature differences is utilized. Plate-fin heat exchangers are generally applied in industries where the fluids have little chances of fouling. The delicate design as well as the thin channels in the plate-fin heat exchanger makes cleaning difficult or impossible.
Applications of plate-fin heat exchangers include :
- Natural gas liquification
- Cryogenic air separation
- Ammonia production
- Offshore processing
- Nuclear engineering
- Syngas production
Description :
A plate finned type heat exchanger is made of layers of corrugated sheets separated by flat metal plates, typically aluminium, to create a series of finned chambers. Separate hot and cold fluid streams flow through alternating layers of the heat exchanger and are enclosed at the edges by side bars. Heat is transferred from one stream through the fin interface to the separator plate and through the next set of fins into the adjacent fluid. The fins also serve to increase the structural integrity of the heat exchanger and allow it to withstand high pressures while providing an extended surface area for heat transfer.
A high degree of flexibility is present in plate-fin heat exchanger design as they can operate with any combination of gas, liquid, and two-phase fluids. Heat transfer between multiple process streams is also accommodated,with a variety of fin heights and types as different entry and exit points available for each stream.
The main four type of fins are: plain, which refer to simple straight-finned triangular or rectangular designs; herringbone, where the fins are placed sideways to provide a zig-zag path; and serrated and perforated which refer to cuts and perforations in the fins to augment flow distribution and improve heat transfer.
Advantages :
- High thermal effectiveness and close temperature approach. (Temperature approach as low as 3K between single phase fluid streams and 1K between boiling and condensing fluids is fairly common.),
- Large heat transfer surface area per unit volume (Typically 1000m2/m3),
- Low weight,
- Multi-stream operation (Up to ten process streams can exchange heat in a single heat exchanger.), and
- True counter-flow operation (Unlike the shell and tube heat exchanger, where the shell side flow is usually a mixture of cross and counter flow.).