Alfa Laval Thermal

HEAT EXCHANGER

FACTS
FOR THE HEAT EXCHANGER ENGINEER

How It Works:
Special Non-Clogging
Port on the Wide-Gap
Plate Heat Exchanger
Plate Section of a Double-Sided
Wide-Gap Plate Heat Exchanger

he Alfa Laval Wide-Gap Plate Heat

Exchanger works on the same prin-

Corrugated
port edges.

ciple as the conventional PHE but

No corrugations
on port edges.

has a significantly wider flow cross section

between the plates. This feature makes it an
excellent heat exchanger to efficiently handle
fluids with a high degree of fibers or solids.
A special feature of the Wide-Gap plate is
the non-clogging port design. This unique
design offers a wide conical shaped entrance
and exit area, to-and-from each flow channel.
Edges on both inlet and outlet ports are flat
(with no corrugations). This provides a

Regular Port Design

smooth unrestricted passage for the fluid

in-and-out of each flow channel. The conical

Wide-Gap Non-Clogging
Port Design

Frame Plate

shape in the port will also minimize dead

areas between the flow channels. This is an
area on a plate where media may remain
even after draining.

VOL. 8 - 11/97 - Published three times a year.

The Wide-Gap plates can be arranged in

either double-sided or single-sided channels
with the possibility to operate fibrous media
on either one or both hot and cold sides.
Each Wide-Gap channel is always equipped
with the special non-clogging port design.

Regular Port Design at Inlet

Wide-Gap Non-Clogging Port

Design at Inlet

Basic:

Lean Liquor
Cooler
Purified Gas

Heat Exchangers In
Amine Systems

Stripper

Absorption
and Stripping
Process

Absorber

The December issue of FACTS will review gasketing and

maintenance of plate heat exchangers in Amine Systems.

Sour Gas
Heating
Medium

Process Regeneration:
Using a reboiler to drive off acid gas and some water vapor;
and a condenser to remove water vapor, the result is almost
pure acid gas. The bottom stream leaves the column and is
now Lean Amine as it has been stripped of acid gas. The
Lean Amine must be cooled before it re-enters the absorber
(colder liquids dissolve more gas). A "Feed/Bottoms" plate
heat exchanger can be used In this process.

Lean/Rich Liquor Interchanger

particles of iron sulfide (generated by attack of H2S on the

steel piping and vessels) and hydrocarbons which become
absorbed or entrained into the amine. Using a 5 micron,
full-flow sock filter will greatly reduce the amount of material
present, however, the filter may need to be replaced as
often as daily. While it is a difficult daily practice for any
operator, it would greatly eliminate fouling problems and
maintenance, regardless of the type of exchanger used.

Simultaneous heating of the Rich amine and cooling

requirements on the Lean amine call for an interchanger to
reduce energy consumption and to decrease the size of the
reboiler and Lean cooler. This exchanger can be found in all
amine systems. Because of very long thermal length
required, a shell-and-tube configuration will normally employ
three shell-and-tubes in series which are stacked. The metallurgy can be carbon steel throughout the shell-and-tubes.
Alloy is often used on the rich side components to reduce
the rate of corrosion.

Designing to ensure that the shear stress is well above

50 Pa would be the ideal way to solve the problem, as the
particle size is small and can pass through even a plate
exchanger. Obtaining this shear in a shell-and-tube is
impossible to achieve. In a plate exchanger though,
because of the high turbulence induced by corrugated
channels, this value can be achieved with a 10-15 psi drop
across the unit. Again we are faced with a problem.
Normally, the exchanger is placed on the suction side of the
lean pump. The purpose is to cool the amine below the
flash point to eliminate cavitation problems in the pump.
However, there is a nominal suction head pressure (NPSH)
which also must be satisfied. Because the head is supplied
by the liquid head of the stripping column, there is little
pressure to spare for the exchanger.

A plate exchanger can perform deep temperature crosses

in the same service in a single unit. A plate exchanger
achieves a much closer approach, thus recovering more
energy, and reducing the size of the lean cooler. Often the
lean cooler is a air-cooled exchanger because of lack of
cooling water. Reducing the size of this air cooler, can
produce a significant savings. As more heat is recovered
into the rich amine, the reboiler is reduced in size. A plate
exchanger will always be alloy, generally 316SS, and very
corrosion resistant.

In a plate exchanger, both fluids travel in like channels. Flow

rates for both fluids are very close, the difference being the
weight and volume of the dissolved acid gas. Thus pressure
drops are going to be similar.

A second possible heat exchanger is the Lean cooler. As

gas plants are often in remote locations cooling water may
not be available. Air coolers are often needed for this service. If cooling water is available, a plate exchanger is an
excellent choice, provided the operating pressure of the
lean system is within the limitations of a PHE. In gas plants,
pressures can range from low 50 psig to over 1200 psig,
depending on the gas pressure at the absorber. Alfa Laval
now produces gasketed units that can operate at 400 psig,
and welded units up to 550 psig.

While the Rich amine may be operating with more than

sufficient pressure to allow the 10-15 (0.7-1 bar) necessary
for good shear stress, it is limited by the lean side drop,
usually 3-5 psig (0.2-0.35 bar), well below that required for
good shear stress.
Moving the exchanger to the discharge side would be ideal,
however, it will be necessary to increase the height of the
column to provide enough head pressure to keep the fluid
from flashing. Many operators are not willing to do this and
you are generally stuck with a dirty design, regardless of
which exchanger type is chosen.

Design Considerations
Lean/rich amine exchangers can be extremely dirty, nearly
always on the rich side. The fouling deposit is a black waxy
substance very much like "shoe polish". Its made of fine

Phoenix Systems Uses Hastelloy Plate

Heat Exchangers To Recover Spent Acids
If its corrosive and messy and no one wants to work with it,
were the experts says Joe McDonnell, in charge of operations at Phoenix Systems in Woodburn, Oregon. Phoenix
Systems manufactures acid recycling systems for steel pickling, galvanizing, and other finishing applications.
They take supersaturated acid solutions containing hazardous materials such as zinc, chrome or nickel, and precipitate out the metals leaving rejuvinated acid for re-use. The
by-products, normally iron and zinc
sulfate, are sold as raw materials
100 F
for other processes.More importantly, the result is zero hazardous
waste and no long term liability.
Hot sulfuric acid at 160F is drawn
from operating pickling tanks and
passes through an Alfa Laval plate
heat exchanger where the hot acid
interchanges with 55F acid returning to the process. The hot acid
temperature is thus reduced to
105F. The cold, iron-free acid is
pre-heated to approximately 100F
in the plate heat exchanger before
returning to the process. Millions of
btus are recovered and several
tons of cooling is saved.

Pickling
Tank

160 F
Alfa Laval
Plate Heat
Exchanger
105 F

33 F
Chiller

55 F
Reactor

Salt to
separation
45 F

The 105F, cooled sufuric acid goes to a reactor vessel

where it is further cooled down to 55F. Salts precipitate to
the bottom and are evacuated to a settling tank; the
crystals form into a wet
slurry. The wet slurry is
pumped to a centrifuge for
liquid/crystal separation;
and the result is iron sulfate, a bluish crystal that is
resold for other applications: fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, chicken feed and
waste water treatment.

We have a greater change in temperature for precooling and preheating

than we have ever been able to maintain. Dont let the relatively small
profile of the Alfa Laval plate heat
exchanger fool you. Its incredibly
efficient. This engineering is sound.
Theyre doing a good job for us.
Joe McDonnell, President
Phoenix Systems, Inc.
Pollution Control Systems & Design

Initially shell-and-tube heat exchangers were used in their

systems until a customer recommended Alfa Laval plate
heat exchangers for their higher heat transfer rates, compact size and flexibility. Due to chlorides present in the acid
which can pit some alloys in a matter of weeks they use
plates pressed in Hastelloy Alloy C-22. This material is a
high nickel-chromium molybdenum alloy with high resistance to corrosion and oxidizing acids with chloride irons.

FROM THE PLANT

chemicals and secure at

operating temperatures above
200F compared to rubber
based cements which tend to
break-down.

Gasket Selection:
To Glue
Or Not To Glue.

Glue-Free Gaskets:
Glue-free gaskets, also called
Clip-on gaskets, should not be
used if the PHE requires service
more than once a year. More
frequent opening, closing,
power-washing and cleaning
may damage gaskets. Glue-Free
gaskets should not be used in
applications where the gasket
material is subject to chemical
attack and swelling. If a gasket
swells more than 5% due to
trace contaminants it may
stretch to a point where it no
longer fits the plate, and
must be replaced.

epending upon the application, selecting glued or

glue-free gaskets for a plate heat exchanger can
be as critical as the heat exchanger itself. Media
fouling, corrosion resistance, temperature, trace elements
of contaminants, maintenance frequency, plate metallurgy,
type of glue and how its applied (spot glued or fully glued)
to the gasket should be considered. Ignoring any one of
these factors could have catastrophic results for the heat
exchanger operation.
Glued Gaskets:
If a proper glue and gluing technique is applied to plates, a
glued gasket PHE should be able to withstand opening and
power-washing several times within its estimated gasket
service life.Glued gaskets are the best choice in high fouling services that require frequent PHE cleaning. For these
applications Alfa Laval recommends a two-part, oven-cured
epoxy: GC-6. This special adhesive is resistant to most

Glued Gasket

Glue-Free (Clip-On)
Gasket

Alfa Laval Thermal Inc. full service engineers are available

to provide expert advise on proper gasket selection for your
specific application, E-mail mark.sloan@ alfalaval.com or
call 804-236-1322.

Advantage

Disadvantage

Typical Applications

Glued Gasket

Debris can not accumulate

underneath the gasket.
Easy to power-wash on-site.
Provides extra protection against
pressure surges.
Gaskets stay-in-place even with
slight swelling.

Requires more labor to remove the

gasket and glue residue for on-site
regasketing.
Slightly higher initial cost.

Distillary, amine
interchangers,
sour water coolers,
sulfuric acid, caustic
coolers, crude oil
coolers, produced
water coolers, and
desalters.

Glue-Free
(Clip-on) Gasket

Lower initial costs.

Gaskets may be changed on the
plate while still in the frame.
Requires less time on-site to
replace the gasket.
Longer service life at higher
operating temperatures.
No special tools required to
change gaskets.

Greater risk of damage during cleaning.

Requires more time and labor to realign
the gaskets on-site after cleaning.
Gaskets must be changed if gasket
swells more than 5%.
More prone to gasket blowout with
pressure surges.
Debris can accumulate under
the gasket.

Chilled water
systems and
closed loop coolers,
sweetener
processing.

For information on Alfa Laval Heat Exchangers and plate technologies, please call your local representative
or Alfa Laval Thermal Inc., USA Headquarters, Richmond, VA: 804-236-1361 or Fax your request to
804-236-1360, attention Marketing Communications. E-mail: joan.izzo@ alfalaval.com. Visit Alfa Laval at www.alfalaval.com.