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The BPHE is in principle constructed as a plate package of corrugated channel plates between front and rear cover-plate packages. The cover plate packages consist of sealing plates, blind rings and cover plates. The type of connection can be customized to meet specific market and application requirements. During the vacuum-brazing process, a brazed joint is formed at every contact point between the base and the filler material. The design creates a heat exchanger that consists of two separate channels or circuits.
Sealing plates are used to seal off the space between the cover plate and the first and last channel plate. The number of cover plates varies, e.g. with the type and size of BPHE and its pressure rating. Some BPHEs have a blind ring fo seal off the space between the channel plate and the cover plate. In some BPHEs the blind rings are integrated in the cover plate and first/last channel plates.
BPHE plates and channel types
Some BPHEs are available with different types of channel plates where the herringbone pattern varies. By mixing different plates (high, medium, low resistance), the thermal characteristics of the BPHE can be modified. For example, a BPHE can have the same pressure-drop on both sides despite different flow rates.
The fluids can pass through the heat exchanger in different ways. For parallel flow BPHEs, there are two different flow configurations: co-current or counter-current (click images on the right).
There are several different versions of the channel plate packages. Below are a couple of examples:
Material Combinations
There are different types of BPHE product categories depending on material combinations and design pressures. The standard plate materials are stainless steel, S, in AISI 316 vacuum-brazed with a pure copper filler, C, or a nickel-based filler, N. For demanding applications, the plates can be made of SMO 254, a stainless steel with a higher content of molybdenum.
