A. Advantages of a plate heat exchanger

When compared with the well-established shell-and-tube heat exchangers, the plate heat exchanger (PHE) shows a number of advantages within its capability range.

The PHE is the standard heat transfer equipment for liquid-food heat treatment, for example, pasteurization of beer, sterilization of milk, and cooling of yoghurt. It is increasingly becoming the standard for closed-circuit cooling applications aboard ships, on oil platforms, in power stations, where, for example, a titanium PHE may be used to transfer heat from closed-circuit cooling water to seawater. Wherever a close temperature approach is required weight or space is at a premium, or corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel or titanium are needed, the PHE becomes the prime candidate for heat exchanger selection, it is also used widely as a steam heater, as an evaporator, as part of air-conditioning plants in large buildings, as a wet gas cooler, and more recently in refrigeration plants.

The significant advantages are given below.

(a) High NTU values