Causes of fluid mixing in plate heat exchangers and solutions

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A plate heat exchanger is composed of a series of plates with a certain corrugated shape stacked together, and it is a major heat exchange device used in both civilian and industrial applications. During the operation of the equipment, many heat exchangers have experienced fluid cross-contamination and leakage. Next, I will share with you the causes of fluid mixing in plate heat exchangers and the solutions to address them. 1. Causes of fluid leakage: (1) Improper selection of the material for the plates in plate heat exchangers, leading to corrosion of the plates and the formation of cracks or perforations. (2) Residual stresses resulting from the cold stamping of the sheet metal, along with overly tight clamping dimensions during assembly, cause stress corrosion. (3) The operating conditions do not meet the design requirements. (4) There is a slight leakage at the plate leakage groove, which causes harmful substances in the medium to concentrate and corrode the plates, resulting in cross-connection of fluids. 2. Liquid leakage treatment method: (1) Replace cracked or perforated plates, and use the light-transmission method on-site to locate cracks in the plates. (2) When assembling or repairing plate heat exchangers, the clamping size should meet the requirements; it is not the case that the smaller it is, the better. (3) Adjust the operating parameters to meet the design conditions. (4) Select an appropriate sheet material based on the heat exchange medium and operating pressure. The above are the reasons for fluid leakage in plate heat exchangers and the corresponding solutions. To ensure the continuous and stable operation of heat exchange equipment, it is necessary to carry out regular maintenance on plate heat exchangers in order to prevent problems from arising during their operation.