Brazed plate heat exchanger replacement
Brazed plate heat exchanger replacement swaps a sealed unit that cannot be opened. Send the nameplate and what has happened, and a specialist who works on that type will come back to you. Coverage is UK wide.
Tell us about your brazed plate heat exchanger replacement
Five answers, all from memory. The detail comes next, and it is optional.
See the privacy notice for how these details are handled.
Common plate heat exchanger problems
Weeping at the pack
A leak along the edge of the plate pack, usually the gaskets rather than the plates.
Regasketing →Cross contaminationThe two fluids are mixing
Product or utility appearing on the wrong side, which normally means a cracked plate.
Repair options →Losing dutyPressure drop up, duty down
Fouling between the plates, widening the approach temperature and restricting flow.
Cleaning options →UnsureNot sure what is wrong
Send the nameplate and what you have noticed. That is enough to get an answer.
Send the details →Why a brazed unit is replaced, not repaired
Brazed plate heat exchanger replacement is the repair, because brazed units are sealed blocks with no gaskets and no way to open the pack. A fouled unit can often be cleaned; a failed one is replaced.
- The plates are brazed together into a sealed block, so the pack cannot be opened
- There are no gaskets to replace and no plates that can be taken out individually
- An internal leak between the circuits cannot be reached, which is why replacement is the repair
- Chemical cleaning is possible while the unit is still sound, and is worth doing before it is not
- Anyone offering to repair a brazed pack is describing something that cannot be done
What happens next
Send the nameplate
Make, model and the duty. On a sealed unit the nameplate is most of the information there is.
Confirm it is brazed
Brazed units are often mistaken for small gasketed ones. If it has tie bars and a frame it is gasketed, and it can be opened.
Match the replacement
The replacement is matched on duty, pressure, connections and physical size rather than on the model number alone, since models are discontinued and superseded.
Fit and commission
The old unit comes out, the new one goes in, and it is tested before it returns to service.
What affects the job
Whether cleaning is still worth trying
A brazed unit that is fouled rather than failed can often be chemically cleaned in place, which is worth establishing before it is condemned.
Why it failed
Freezing, water hammer and thermal cycling are common causes on brazed units. If the cause remains, the replacement fails the same way.
Availability
Brazed units are largely a stocked item, so availability turns on the specification instead of a fabrication lead time.
Connections and space
Connection type, size and orientation decide as much as thermal duty does when matching a replacement.
Brazed plate heat exchanger replacement questions
Can a brazed plate heat exchanger be repaired?
No. The plates are brazed into a sealed block with no gaskets and no way to open the pack, so an internal failure cannot be reached. A failed brazed unit is replaced.
Can a brazed plate heat exchanger be cleaned?
Yes, chemically, circulated through it while the unit is still sound. That is worth doing when performance has dropped, and it is not a fix for a unit that has already failed internally.
How do I know whether mine is brazed or gasketed?
A gasketed unit has a frame, tie bars and visible plate edges with gaskets between them. A brazed unit is a solid block of plates with connections, and nothing to undo.