Differences in usage between acid coolers and plate exchangers

Plate-type acid coolers and anode-protected stainless steel shell-and-tube acid coolers are widely used in sulfuric acid production plants in China. Plate-type acid coolers have advantages such as small size and high heat transfer coefficients, making them suitable for small and medium-sized installations. Domestic anode-protected stainless steel shell-and-tube acid coolers can be used in acid production facilities of all sizes. For the same heat exchange area, plate-type acid coolers are much more expensive than anode-protected stainless steel shell-and-tube acid coolers.

It can’t be simply compared based on the price per square meter, right? The heat transfer coefficient for plate heat exchangers is generally around 5000, while that for Yangbao types is probably less than 1000… So it’s definitely unreasonable to use the area as a basis for comparison.

Plate acid coolers have higher resistance than shell-and-tube acid coolers

The resistance can be discussed prior to design. The advantage of plate heat exchangers is their high heat transfer coefficient and ease of disassembly and cleaning. To achieve a high heat transfer coefficient, a high level of turbulence is necessary; therefore, a slightly higher resistance loss helps to improve the heat transfer coefficient.

Domestic sulfuric acid manufacturers generally use domestically produced anode-protected stainless steel shell-and-tube acid coolers, with few using plate-type acid coolers.

In fact, the K value of plate exchangers cannot reach such high levels; the K value for anodic protection is generally around 800, with some values exceeding 1000. To increase the K value, it is necessary to raise the flow rate, among other factors. Sulfuric acid is a viscous liquid, and the extent to which its flow rate can be increased is something that users of plate exchangers are aware of. Additionally, the flow channels in plate exchangers are narrow, and scaling and blockages can easily occur on the water side when operating at high temperatures. Currently, in sulfuric acid production facilities, plate exchangers are not used for concentrated acid, but they are still employed for dilute acid, and they perform very well in such applications. Anodic protection cannot be implemented in dilute acid conditions at present. Of course, cost efficiency also needs to be taken into account; the price per square meter for plate heat exchangers is roughly three times that of shell-and-tube heat exchangers. Additionally, I agree with what was said on the 5th floor. This post was last edited by 30dman on 2008-3-29 at 09:29

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