AsyMatrix is SWEP’s innovative new technology that combines the usefulness of asymmetry with maximized heat transfer area.
Simply put, AsyMatrix involves better heat transfer, fewer plates, lighter heat exchangers and higher efficiencies.
In an asymmetric BPHE, the same mass flows through the heat exchanger give different pressure drops on each side. Across a number of applications, energy, material and space can be saved by using asymmetric fluid flows to manage pressure drop and heat transfer.
The demand for cooling varies, but for a chiller of a given size, the higher the cooling capacity the better.
Consequently, chillers and heat exchangers should be able to supply a high cooling capacity as well as a high fluid flow. However, the high flow generates a higher pressure drop and uses more energy for pumping.
The higher energy consumption does not correspond with the increasing market focus on energy efficiency. In a heat exchanger, the pressure drop should be reduced on the water side, while high performance is maintained. SWEP's seminal AsyMatrix concept can now solve this problem.
According to Tomas Dahlberg, Innovation Manager at SWEP, adjacent channels in a symmetric brazed plate heat exchanger (BPHE) have the same cross-sectional area and hold-up volume.
“In our asymmetric BPHEs, the cross-sectional area and the hold-up volume are not the same for two adjacent channels,” Dahlberg says. “This is because two adjacent plates do not have the same geometrical form. The different geometries create asymmetry in the BPHE, with narrow and wide channels.”
One of SWEP's products that include AsyMatrix is the DP300. It is a dedicated R410A evaporator intended for 50-300 kW cooling capacity. The DP300 keeps the efficiency of heat transfer high, but lowers the pressure drop on the secondary side. It therefore meets the market's requests for both energy efficiency and high performance. The upcoming DP700 is also based on the asymmetric concept.
“The implementation of AsyMatrix in the DP300 significantly reduces the hold-up volume in the refrigerant circuit,” Dahlberg says. “This lowers the charge of R410A, which also lowers the initial cost of refrigerants.”
SWEP's asymmetric concept is also ideal for gas boiler applications. The BPHE is used to provide hot water safely and rapidly at a low pressure drop. For tap water heating, the specified demand on the BPHE is typically asymmetric. AsyMatrix provides better heat transfer for the tap water side while decreasing the pressure drop on the central heating side, where the circulation pump is located, leading to lower energy consumption.
For thermally asymmetric tap water heating, AsyMatrix provides more efficient heat transfer compared with conventional technology. AsyMatrix also makes possible lighter BPHEs with a smaller footprint, combined with lower pump capacity in the central heating circuit thanks to the decreased pressure drop.
AsyMatrix has the advantages of more efficient heat transfer and lower pressure drop, giving a more cost-effective solution for the end customer.
AsyMatrix can be considered for any application requiring asymmetric heat transfer. Possibilities include oil cooling, condensers in heat pumps and chillers, economizers and heat recovery (desuperheaters).
