Best practices in maintaining plate heat exchangers
Today’s moving bed heat exchangers (MBHEs) are incredibly robust. Highly engineered and world-tested, it’s not uncommon to see these units still operational decades later with minimal investment along the way.
Yet that doesn’t mean they are unbreakable. Foreign materials, changing process conditions and, most commonly, neglect are just a handful of the common culprits behind why these heat exchangers are often cut down before their time.
In the March 2022 issue of Heat Exchanger World magazine, Sven van der Heide and Francisco Castellano of Solex Thermal Science discuss why MBHEs that use vertical plate technology to indirectly heat, cool or dry free-flow granular solids are no exception to the danger of early retirement. The internal components of this proven heat exchange technology used in industries such as fertilizer, oilseeds and sugar represent the infrastructure that supports the science of heat. And these components need some attention – specifically the heat exchanger plates that have likely seen plenty of front-line action.
According to van der Heide and Castellano, the good news is it’s rarely too late to maintain your heat exchanger plates. The key is knowing what to look for when it comes to early signs of aging, mitigating processing conditions that might contribute to excess wear and, most importantly, creating a regular maintenance schedule.
Learn more by downloading a pdf version of the full story in Heat Exchanger World magazine.
This entry was last updated on 2022-6-14
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