eng

ger

fre
Instruction Manual
Plate Heat Exchangers spa
M15 TL10 T20 TS20
por
MX25 M30 MA30 TL35
ita

swe

dan
fin

dut

rus

pol

nor
Part number 34500621-01
0702
 Table of contents English

Table of contents

eng
Description ....................................................................................... 1
Main components ..................................................................... 1
Function .................................................................................... 2

Installation ........................................................................................ 3
Requirements ........................................................................... 3
Lifting ........................................................................................ 4
Raising ...................................................................................... 5

Operation .......................................................................................... 6
Start-up ..................................................................................... 6
Unit in operation ........................................................................ 7
Shut-down ................................................................................. 7

Maintenance ..................................................................................... 8
Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) ............................................................ 8
Manual cleaning ........................................................................ 9
Pressure test after maintenance.............................................. 16
Regasketing ............................................................................ 17

How to contact Alfa Laval:

Except for this Instruction Manual, the following documents are also
Contact details for all countries included in this shipment:
are continually updated on our
website. – Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE) drawing

Please visit www.alfalaval.com – Plate hanging list

and contact your local Alfa Laval
Representative. – Parts list with exploded view drawing.

Plate Heat Exchanger eng

 English Notes

Notes
eng

eng Plate Heat Exchanger

 Description English

Description

eng
Main components
Carrying bar
Carries the channel plates Support
Frame plate and the pressure plate. column

Tightening bolts
Press the channel
plates together.

Bolt
protection

Connections
Holes through the
frame plate, permitting
the media to enter into
the heat exchanger.

Threaded studs
around the holes se-
cure the pipes to the
apparatus. Metallic or
rubber-type linings
may be used to pro-
tect the holes against
corrosion. Guiding bar
Keeps the channel
plates in line at their
lower end.
Pressure plate
Moveable steel plate. In some cases
pipes may be connected to the
pressure plate.
Channel plates
Heat is transferred from one medium to
the other through the thin channel plates.

The number of plates determines the total

heat transfer surface.

Protective sheets
Supplied on request.

Plate Heat Exchanger eng 1

 English Description

Function
eng

The plate heat exchanger consists of a pack of tightening bolts. The plates are fitted with a gasket
corrugated metal plates with portholes for the pas- which seals the channel and directs the fluids into
sage of the two fluids between which heat transfer alternate channels. The plate corrugation pro-
will take place. motes fluid turbulence and supports the plates
against differential pressure.
The plate pack is assembled between a frame
plate and a pressure plate and compressed by

The A-plate is a plate The B-plate is a plate

hanging with the chevron hanging with the chev-
pointing downwards. ron pointing upwards.

eng 2 Plate Heat Exchanger

 Installation English

Installation

eng
Requirements

Multi-pass units:
Connections on the pressure plate
It is important that the plate pack has been
tightened to the correct measurement
(check against drawing) before the pipe is
connected.

Elbow
To make it easier to
disconnect the plate
heat exchanger, an el-
bow should be flanged
to the connection in the
pressure plate, direct-
ed upwards or side-
ways, and with another
flange located just out-
side the contour of the
Space heat exchanger.
1500 mm minimum free
space is needed for lifting
plates in and out.

Foundation
Shut-off valves Install on a flat foundation
To be able to open the giving enough support to
heat exchanger, shut-off the frame.
valves should be provid-
ed in all connections.

Note! Safety valves should be installed according to

• Before connecting any piping, make sure current pressure vessel regulations.
all foreign objects have been rinsed out of
the system. If PHE surface temperature is expected to be hot
• When connecting the pipe system make or cold, the PHE should be isolated.
sure the pipes do not subject the plate heat
exchanger to stress or strain. It is recommended that protective sheets are
• To avoid water hammer, do not use fast- used to cover the PHE.
closing valves.
For each model, design pressures and tempera-
tures are marked on the identification plate.
Those must not be exceeded.

Plate Heat Exchanger eng 3

 English Installation

Lifting
eng

Warning!
Never lift by the connections or the studs
around them. Straps should be used when
lifting. Place straps according to picture.

M15, TL10, T20, TS20 MX25, M30, MA30, TL35

eng 4 Plate Heat Exchanger

 Installation English

Raising

eng
Place two timber beams on the floor. Place straps around one bolt on each side.
1 4

Lift the heat exchanger off pallet using e.g.

2 straps.

Lift the heat exchanger off the timber

5 beams.

Place the heat exchanger on the timber

3 beams.

Lower the heat exchanger to horizontal

6 position and place it on the floor.

Plate Heat Exchanger eng 5

 English Operation

Operation
eng

Start-up
Note! If there is a valve at the exit, make sure it
If several pumps are included in the sys- 3 is fully open.
tem, make sure you know which one
Open the vent and start the pump.
should be activated first.
4
Note!
Adjustments of flowrates should be made Open
slowly in order to avoid the risk of water
hammer.

Water hammer is a shortlasting pressure

peak that can appear during start-up or
shut-down of a system, causing liquids to
travel along a pipe as a wave at the speed
of sound. This can cause considerable Open the valve slowly.
damage to the equipment.
5
Open slowly
Check that measurement A is correct. For
1 A, see enclosed PHE-drawing.

Check that the valve is closed between the

2 pump and the unit controlling the system When all air is out, close the vent.
flowrate.
6
Closed
Close

Open

Repeat steps 1–6 for the second media.

7
eng 6 Plate Heat Exchanger
 Operation English

Unit in operation Shut-down

eng
Note! Note!
Adjustments of flowrates should be made If several pumps are included in the system,
slowly in order to protect the system make sure you know which one should be
against sudden and extreme variations of stopped first.
temperature and pressure.
Slowly close the valve controlling the flow-
During operation, check that
1 rate of the pump you are about to stop.
media temperatures and pressures are within
Close
the limits stated on the PHE-drawing
no leakages appear due to faulty tightening
of the plate pack or to defective or damaged
gaskets
carrying bar and guiding bar are kept clean
and greased
the bolts are kept clean and greased.

When the valve is closed, stop the pump.

2
Repeat steps 1–2 for the other side.
3
If the heat exchanger is shut down for sev-
4 eral days or longer, it should be drained.
Draining should also be done if the proc-
ess is shut down and the ambient temper-
ature is below freezing temperature of the
media. Depending on the media proc-
essed, it is also recommended to rinse and
dry it.

Clean and
greased
No leakage

Always consult your local Alfa Laval office for

advice on
• new plate pack dimensions if you intend to
change number of plates
• selection of gasket material if operating temper-
atures and pressures are permanently
changed, or if another medium is to be proc-
essed in the PHE.

Plate Heat Exchanger eng 7

 English Maintenance

Maintenance
eng

Cleaning-In-Place (CIP)

The Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) equipment permits Follow the instructions of the CIP equipment.
cleaning of the plate heat exchanger without open-
ing it. The following CIP models can be used: CIP75,
CIP200, CIP400 and CIP800.
If CIP cannot be done, cleaning must be per-
formed manually, see section “Manual cleaning”

CIP performs

• cleaning of fouling and descaling of lime

deposits

• passivation of cleaned surfaces to reduce sus-

ceptibility to corrosion

• neutralization of cleaning liquids before drain-

ing.

Cleaning liquids

Cleaning liquid Description

AlfaCaus A strong alkaline liquid, for removing paint, fat, oil and biological deposits.
AlfaPhos An acid cleaning liquid for removing metallic oxides, rust, lime and other
inorganic scale.
AlfaPass An alkaline liquid for passivation (inhibition of corrosion).
AlfaNeutra A strong alkaline liquid for neutralization of AlfaPhos before drainage.
Alfa P-Scale An acidic cleaning powder with a corrosion inhibitor particularly effective
for removing of calcium carbonate and other inorganic scale.
Alfa P-Neutra An alkaline powder for neutralization of used Alfa P-Scale prior to dis-
posal.
AlfaAdd A neutral cleaning strengthener to be used with AlfaPhos, AlfaCaus and
Alfa P-Scale. Provides better cleaning results on oily, fatty surfaces and
where biological growth occurs. AlfaAdd also reduces any foaming.
Alpacon Descalant An acidic, water based, non-hazardous cleaning agent designed for
removal of scale, magnetite, algae, humus, mussels, shellfish, lime and
rust. Containing BIOGEN ACTIVE, a biological mixture made from renew-
able materials, as an active ingredient.
Alpacon Degreaser A neutral degreaser to be used with Alpacon Descalant. Effectively
removes oil, fat or grease layers, but also reduces foaming. Containing
BIOGEN ACTIVE, a biological mixture made from renewable materials,
as an active ingredient.

eng 8 Plate Heat Exchanger

 Maintenance English

Manual cleaning

eng
Warning! Opening
To avoid hand injuries owing to sharp edges,
protective gloves should always be worn Warning!
when handling plates and protective sheets. If the heat exchanger is
hot, wait until it has cooled
down to about 40 °C
(104 °F).

Drain the plate heat exchanger.

1

Inspect the sliding surfaces of the carrying

2 bar and wipe clean.

Plate Heat Exchanger eng 9

 English Maintenance

Mark the plate assembly on the outside by The pairs of bolts that are fitted with bear-
3 6
eng

a diagonal line. ing boxes are opened alternately and diag-

onally in two steps, see figures below.

Step Bolt No. To dimension

1 1–2–3–4 1,05A
2 1–2 or 3–4 Opening

Be careful so that the frame plate and

pressure plate are always in parallel.
Skewing of the pressure plate during open-
ing must not exceed 10 mm (2 turns per
bolt) across the width and 25 mm (5 turns
per bolt) vertically.
Mark
Step 1: Loosen the four bolts alternately
and diagonally until the plate package
Measure and note down the dimension A. measures 1,05A.
4

Loosen the bolts which are not fitted with Step 2: Loosen the two diagonal pairs of
5 bearing boxes and remove them. bolts are loosened alternately, as shown in
the figure below.

Remove
the bolts

Remove
the bolts

eng 10 Plate Heat Exchanger

 Maintenance English

Open the plate pack by letting the pressure

7

eng
plate glide on the carrying bar.

If plates are to be numbered, do this before

removing the plates.

Plates need not to be removed if cleaning

is done using only water, i.e. without clean-
ing agent.

Remove
the plates

Plate Heat Exchanger eng 11

 English Maintenance

Manual cleaning of opened units

eng

Caution! Note!
Never use hydrochloric acid with Be careful not to damage the gasket dur-
stainless steel plates. Water of more ing manual cleaning.
than 330 ppm Cl may not be used for
the preparation of cleaning solutions.
It is very important that carrying bars
and support columns in aluminium
are protected against chemicals.

Deposits removable with water and brush

Plates need not to be removed from the plate heat exchanger during cleaning.

Remove deposits using a soft brush and Rinse with water using a high pressure
1 running water. 2 hose.

Deposits not removable with water and brush

Plates must be removed from the plate heat exchanger during cleaning.

Brush with cleaning agent. Rinse with water.

1 2

eng 12 Plate Heat Exchanger

 Maintenance English

Cleaning agents – Incrustation, scaling

eng
Concentration max 4 %
Temperature max 60 °C (140 °F)

Incrustation – Scaling Sediment Cleaning agent

Calcium carbonate Corrosion products Nitric acid

Calcium sulphate Metal oxides Sulfamic acid
Silicates Silt Citric acid
Alumina Phosphoric acid
Diatomic organisms and Complexing agents (EDTA, NTA)
their excrement of various Sodium polyphosphates
colours

Cleaning agents – Biological growth, slime

Concentration max 4 %
Temperature max 80 °C (176 °F)

Biological growth – Slime Cleaning agent

Bacteria Sodium hydroxide

Nematodes Sodium carbonate
Protozoa Cleaning effect can be considerably increased by the addition of
small quantities of hypochlorite or agents for the formation of com-
plexes and surfactants.

Cleaning agents – Oil residues, asphalt, fats

Deposit Cleaning agent

Oil residues Paraffinic naphta-based solvent (e.g. kerosine).

Asphalt
Fats Note!
Gaskets in EPDM rubber qualities swell in these media. Contact
time should be limited to 30 minutes.

Caution!
The following solutions should not be used:
• Ketones (e.g. Acetone, Methyletylke-
tone, Methylisobutylketone
• Esters (e.g. Ethylacetate, Butylacetate)
• Halogenated hydrocarbons (e.g. Chlo-
rothene, Carbon tetrachloride, Freons)
• Aromatics (e.g. Benzene, Toluene).

Plate Heat Exchanger eng 13

 English Maintenance

Closing
eng

Check that all the sealing surfaces are Press the plate assembly together. Tight-
1 clean. 5 ening is done in two steps, see figures be-
low. Be careful so that the frame plate and
the pressure plate are always in parallel.
Brush the threads of the bolts clean, using
2 a steel wire brush. Lubricate the threads
with a thin layer of grease, e.g. Gleitmo
Step Bolt No. To dimension

800 or equivalent. 1 1–2 or 3–4 1,10A

2 1–2–3–4 A

Step 1: Tighten the two diagonal pairs of

bolts alternately until the plate package
measures 1,10A.

Attach gaskets to the plates or check that

3 all the gaskets are properly attached.

Note!
If the gasket is wrongly positioned, it will
show by the fact that it rises out of the gas-
ket groove or that it is positioned outside
the groove.

Step 2: After that bolts are tightened alter-

Insert the plates with the herring bone pat- nately and diagonally, as shown in the fig-
4 tern positioned in alternate directions and
with the gaskets turned towards the frame
ure below. Check the dimension A during
tightening at the positions of the bolts that
plate. are being used.

eng 14 Plate Heat Exchanger

 Maintenance English

Max tightening torque • The plate package length at all bolts

eng
must not differ more than 1 %.
Note! • If the unit does not seal fully, it can be
When a pneumatic tightening device is used, tightened to give dimension A – 1 %.
see table below for maximum torque. Meas- The maximum tightening torque must
ure dimension A during tightening. not, however, be exceeded.

Bolt Bolt with bearing Bolt with washers

size box
N·m kpm N·m kpm
M24 450 45
M30 900 90
M39 1300 130 2000 200
M48 2100 210 3300 330

For manual tightening, the tightening torque has to

be estimated.

If dimension A cannot be reached

• Check the number of plates and the dimension A.
• Check that all the nuts and bearing boxes are If the plates are correctly assembled, the
running freely. If not, clean and lubricate, or
replace.
7 edges form a “honeycomb” pattern, see
picture below.

The dimension A can be exceeded in exceptional

cases. The following plate package lengths could
then be accepted:

Plate package length/plate Plate package

length (dimension A)
>4 mm A+1%
3–4 mm A + 1,5 %
<3 mm A+2%

Place the other bolts in position.

6 • Inspect the washers.
• When fully tightened, the bolts should
all be equally tensioned.
• The difference between the plate pack-
age lengths (the dimension A) meas-
ured at adjacent bolts should not
exceed:
– 2 mm when A <1000 mm
– 4 mm when A >1000 mm.

Plate Heat Exchanger eng 15

 English Maintenance

Pressure test after maintenance

eng

Before start-up of production, whenever plates or

gaskets have been removed, inserted or ex-
changed, it is strongly recommended to perform a
pressure test to confirm the internal and external
sealing function of the PHE. At this test, one media
side at the time must be tested with the other side
open to the atmosphere.

The pressure testing shall be performed at a pres-

sure equal to the operating pressure of the actual
unit but never above the design pressure as stated
on the nameplate.

The recommended test time is 10 minutes.

Please note that PHE units for refrigeration appli-

cations and units with media not mixable with wa-
ter must be dried after hydrostatic pressure
testing.

Please consult the local office/representative of

the supplier for advice on the pressure testing pro-
cedure.

eng 16 Plate Heat Exchanger

 Maintenance English

Regasketing

eng
Clip-on gaskets Clip-AD gaskets (MX25)
Open the plate heat exchanger according The Clip-AD gasket represents a system with the
1 to page 9, and remove the plate that is to
have a new gasket.
conventional Clip-on fastening around the ports and
fastening by means of adhesive tape along the sides
of the plates.

Remove the old gasket. The use of the adhesive tape (GC1) is a simple way
2 to obtain secure gasket positioning. It is adhered to
the gasket groove by means of a special tape pistol,
making it easy to apply the tape exactly where want-
ed.
Assure that all sealing surfaces are dry,
3 clean and free of foreign matters.
1
Open the plate heat exchanger according
to page 9, and remove the plate that is to
have a new gasket.

Attach the clip-on gasket to the plate. Slip

4 the gasket prongs under the edge of the
plate. 2
Remove the old gasket.

It is not necessary to remove old tapes as

3 the film is very thin. Make sure, however,
that the gasket groove is clean and dry.

Adhere tape, using the pistol.

4

Note!
Make sure the two gasket prongs are in
correct position.

Proceed with the next plate to be regasket-

5 ed until all plates in need of regasketing
are done with.

Close the plate heat exchanger according

6 to page 14.

Plate Heat Exchanger eng 17

 English Maintenance

Attach the gasket to the plate. Slip the gas-

5
eng

ket prongs under the edge of the plate.

Close the plate heat exchanger according

6 to page 14.

Glued gaskets
Separate gluing instructions will be delivered to-
gether with the glue.

eng 18 Plate Heat Exchanger