Alfa Laval Heat Exchangers
In heat transfer, getting the most energy-efficient and reliable performance comes down to having the ideal technology for your specific conditions. For 90 years, Alfa Laval has been developing plate heat exchanger technology tailored to our customers’ applications. Today we offer the market’s most comprehensive portfolio of plate heat exchangers to cover the widest range of needs. With the experience we have gained along the way, we can match you with your optimal solution.
Brazed Plate Heat Exchangers
Alfa Laval copper-brazed plate heat exchangers are a compact, efficient and maintenance-free solution for heating, cooling, evaporation and condensing in numerous applications. Each unit is designed for duty optimization, with a range of unique features that ensure both superior thermal performance and maximum reliability. This enables the longest possible service life.
Alfa Laval Brazed Plate Heat Exchanger
Sustainable Heat Transfer
Key Benefits
- Lightweight brazed construction offers much greater thermal efficiency and 75% smaller footprint than comparable shell-and-tubes
- The DynaStatic distribution system in our AC and SE models enhances the efficiency of evaporation and condensation duties
- Alfa Laval’s FlexFlow plate design provides channel asymmetry that can be tailored to fit the application
- We help you select the optimal pressing depth, plate pattern and configuration for your application
- An ideal solution for use with natural refrigerants, thanks to the compact footprint, optimized plate design and high design pressure
With a robust and reliable construction, Alfa Laval’s comprehensive range of brazed plate technology offers a smart alternative to traditional heat exchangers. The application experience of Alfa Laval’s heating and cooling experts, combined with our continuous innovation in design and manufacturing techniques, ensures you always have access to the most competitive solution available. Example positions for our brazed heat exchangers include air conditioning and process chillers, commercial and industrial refrigeration, district heating, domestic hot water and heat pumps.
Fusion-bonded Plate Heat Exchangers
Alfa Laval’s patented AlfaFusion bonding technology creates highly efficient, compact heat exchangers made entirely of stainless steel. Virtually maintenance free and capable of handling extremely high pressures and temperatures, they are an ideal heat transfer solution for challenging applications. These include duties with high cleanliness demands, with aggressive media such as ammonia, or where copper or nickel pose contamination risks.
AlfaNova Fusion-bonded Plate Heat Exchangers
Sustainable Heat Transfer
Key Benefits
- 100% stainless steel construction means 100% recyclability
- Resists corrosion from aggressive media and process fluids
- Prevents nickel or copper-contamination when working with drinking water or any other hygienic fluid
- AlfaFusion technology enables higher temperature resistance than traditional brazed heat exchangers with same high-pressure capabilities
- Optimized plate design with asymmetric channel configuration provides maximum efficiency in demanding heating and cooling applications
AlfaFusion is a breakthrough manufacturing technique that combines improved hygiene and corrosion resistance with the high efficiency and compact footprint of a brazed plate heat exchanger. By enabling a full stainless steel construction, our fusion-bonded AlfaNova heat exchangers can be used in installations normally reserved for conventional semi-welded and welded technologies. They are also a confident choice when the prime focus is on cleanliness, such as in clean water refrigeration and tap water heating systems.
Gasketed Plate-and-Frame Heat Exchangers
Alfa Laval doesn’t do average. Whether it is our multi-purpose Industrial range; the Semi-welded industrial range for refrigeration and exacting processes; the Hygienic range for food, beverage and pharma applications; or the Specialized range for condensation, evaporation and fibrous media – you buy into reduced cost of ownership and increased efficiency and safety.
Gasketed Plate Heat Exchangers for Modern Requirements
Key Benefits
- Highest thermal efficiency and close temperature approach
- Compact units – space saving, easy to service and maintain
- Maximum uptime – less fouling, stress, wear and corrosion
- Flexible – easy to adapt to changed duty requirements
Our Gasketed plate heat exchangers optimize heat transfer using large surfaces of corrugated plates, drawing heat from one gas or liquid to another. Their high efficiency and outstanding reliability in a compact design offer an investment with the most attractive cost-to-own over the product lifetime – along with impressive energy-saving capabilities and a low environmental footprint.
How Plate Heat Exchangers Work
The concept behind a heat exchanger is relatively simple – heating or cooling one medium by transferring heat between it and another one.
In a gasketed plate heat exchanger, the plates are fitted with elastomeric gaskets which seal the channels and direct the media into alternate channels. The plate pack is assembled between a frame plate and a pressure plate, and compressed by tightening bolts fitted between these plates. The channel plates and pressure plate are suspended from an upper carrying bar and fixed in position by a lower guiding bar, both of which are fixed to the support column. The design allows easy cleaning and simple capacity modification by removing or adding plates.
The heat transfer area consists of a series of corrugated plates, assembled between a frame and pressure plates. Gaskets act as seals between the plates. Fluids normally run counter-currently through the heat exchanger, providing the most efficient thermal performance and enabling a very close temperature approach – the temperature difference between the exiting process medium and the entering service medium.
For heat-sensitive or viscous media, co-current flow can be used so the coldest fluid meets the hottest when entering the heat exchanger, minimizing the risk of overheating or freezing.
Plates are available with various pressing depths, chevron angles, and corrugation shapes – all selected to achieve optimal performance. Each product range has specific plate features depending on the application.
The distribution area ensures even fluid distribution across the entire heat transfer surface and prevents stagnant zones that can cause fouling. High flow turbulence between plates increases heat transfer but also pressure drop – Alfa Laval’s thermal design engineers can help select the best model and configuration to deliver maximum thermal performance with minimal pressure drop.