PLATE HEAT-EXCHANGERS - METHOD OF CALCULATION, CHARTS AND GUIDELINES FOR SELECTING PLATE HEAT-EXCHANGER CONFIGURATIONS

A calculation procedure for plate heat exchangers is proposed. Based on this procedure, some useful charts are presented: the mean temperature difference DELTA-theta(m). versus the thermal effectiveness P and the log mean temperature difference correction factor-psi versus P, as functions of the number of transfer units NTU and the heat capacity rate ratio R, for the various plate heat exchanger configurations. About 150 different configurations, classified on the basis of number of channels, number of passes of each fluids and flow arrangement, have been analysed. The specific guidelines for selecting the appropriate plate heat exchanger configuration (taking into account the highest effectiveness) are proposed.