Heat exchanger failure?
Thread Content
One of the mixers in my company uses a plate heat exchanger with circulating water for cooling, but the effect is very poor. When the rotation speed reaches a high level, the material temperature can reach around 70°C. Our ideal situation is to maintain the material temperature inside the mixer at around 30°C. I wonder if this can be achieved? According to the workers on site, this plate heat exchanger has been in this condition since it was first installed. After the machine has been running for some time, both the inlet and outlet pipes become hot, so it fails to perform any effective heat exchange function. Winter is a bit better; recently the weather has been hot and the machines are finding it a bit tough. I hope the experienced folks here can offer some guidance – what could be the possible reasons for this situation? How should one diagnose and resolve it?
The diameter of the circulation water pipe is small, resulting in insufficient circulation water volume
Generally speaking, the heat exchange efficiency of plate heat exchangers is somewhat lower. Additionally, it’s possible that the heat exchanger is underpowered for the task at hand – in other words, its heat exchange area is small and the volume of water being heated is limited; before the temperature of the material can be reduced, the water temperature already reaches that of the material. Before the water temperature has a chance to drop, more water enters the heat exchanger, and this is why both the inlet and outlet pipes are hot. How to solve it? I think through, one. Replace the heat exchanger with a larger heat exchange area. II. Increase the volume of water used in the heat exchange cycle; ensure that the water to be cooled enters the heat exchanger after it has been fully cooled, thereby preventing the water from becoming increasingly hot as it goes through the heat exchange process. Third, check whether the circulation pipelines are suitable, avoiding the use of small-diameter pipes that result in overloading the system. Fourth, it is necessary to regularly check for water scaling in the heat exchanger, as the formation of scale can also affect the heat exchange efficiency.