Why is the deformation of the rubber gasket in the plate heat exchanger so severe?
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For this sulfuric acid modification project at our company, the design has been changed from one rotation and one suction to two rotations and two suction cycles. The area of the heat exchanger plates was increased by 10 square meters. During installation today, I noticed that the inside of the heat exchanger plates wasn’t very clean, so I decided to clean them. As a result, the rubber gaskets that had come into contact with sulfuric acid became severely deformed, with their length increasing by more than 3 centimeters; they no longer fit into their original grooves. I thought about using 502 glue to stick the gaskets in place, but this glue doesn’t provide any adhesive effect at all – it’s just as ineffective as in the skit performed by Huang Hongyan. Please suggest some solutions for me.
Rubber deformation? Is it swelling? If oil enters the circulating acid, the rubber will inevitably swell and deform.
If there are no finished mats available temporarily, old mats can be used. The procedure is as follows: cut off the excess parts of the old mat due to expansion, trim the cut ends at an angle to prevent leaks, then apply neoprene sealant to the grooves in the panels; it is advisable to use the cut panel washers as well. Determine the position of the bevel notch based on the flow direction of water or acid. You can try cutting one first.
Our previous approach was the same as Shuang'er’s! ! The key is not to clean the plate heat exchanger frequently; filters should be installed in the circulation water lines to prevent impurities from entering. For cleaning the plate heat exchanger, dilute phosphoric acid is used to dissolve scale ； When the plate heat exchanger gasket is in contact with water for an extended period of time, it swells, becoming thicker and longer, which makes it very difficult to tidy up! It’s also a hassle to have spare new mats ready in time! Or buy a living hinge pad in the future.
It is called a “T-shaped seal strip”.