Evolution of Plate Heat Exchangers

Since the introduction in the 1920s for commercial usage plate-and-frame heat exchangers has evolved over the last several decades and various modifications were developed. Some of these modifications were driven by new strategies for making more compact equipment, some focused on overcoming disadvantages of PHEs, others on expanding the applications spectrum. That resulted mostly in variations of corrugation patterns of plate’s surfaces and altered construction.

Brazed plate heat exchangers are the most compact type of heat exchangers available on a market today. And it is the most efficient one. Brazed plate heat exchangers are made of a pack of thin corrugated plates that are brazed together to form a durable, self-contained unit.

Brazing eliminates the need of frames and gaskets, and results in a unit able to withstand higher pressure and temperatures compared to PHEs. They are compact and lightweight due to absence of frames.

Typical applications of brazed plate heat exchangers include heating and cooling in the process industry, evaporation and condensation in refrigeration systems, and other HVAC installations.