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Plate heat exchangers feature high heat transfer coefficients, low pressure drops, compact structures, light weight, small space requirements, easy combination of area and flow configurations, high part interoperability, a wide range of available materials, and ease of large-scale production. They are widely used in industries such as food processing, machinery, metallurgy, petrochemicals, and shipbuilding, and have become the dominant heat exchange equipment in urban central heating systems. To ensure the proper operation of plate heat exchangers and extend the service life of their key components (such as plates and gaskets), it is particularly important to understand the faults that occur in these exchangers, their causes, and the methods for addressing them. 1 External leakage: External leakage in plate heat exchangers is mainly manifested as seepage (a small amount of water, with intermittent drops) and leakage (a larger amount of water, with continuous drops). The main areas where external leakage occurs are the seals between the plates, the secondary sealing leakage grooves of the plates, and the inner sides of the end plates and the compression plates. 2. Fluid mixing in plate heat exchangers: The main characteristic of fluid mixing in such exchangers is that the fluid from the side with higher pressure mixes with the fluid from the side with lower pressure, resulting in abnormal pressure and temperature conditions within the system. If the medium is corrosive, it may also cause corrosion of other equipment in the pipeline. Leakage usually occurs in the flow guiding area or the secondary sealing area. 3 High pressure drop: The pressure drop at the inlet and outlet of the fluid in the plate heat exchanger exceeds the design requirements, sometimes even by many times, which severely affects the system’s ability to meet the requirements regarding flow rate and temperature. In a heating system, if the pressure drop on the hot side is too high, the flow rate on the primary side will be severely insufficient; in other words, there won’t be enough heat source, which results in the outlet temperature on the secondary side not meeting the required levels. 4. The heating temperature does not meet the requirements. The main characteristic of a plate heat exchanger whose heating temperature does not meet the requirements is that the outlet temperature is too low, failing to reach the specified design values. The above are the common faults encountered in the use of plate heat exchangers; we hope this can provide you with some assistance. In subsequent articles, we will explain in detail the specific solutions for these faults.