Accurate data on the heat transfer and pressure drop for plate heat exchangers
Thermowave markets a wide range of gasketed and module-welded plate heat exchangers in twelve sizes with three corrugation patterns, which can also be combined. This wide range of combinations makes it possible to optimally configure a plate heat exchanger of the appropriate size with the right number of plates to achieve the performance and pressure drop required by the customer.
Instead of resorting to theoretical performance curves or empirical equations taken from the literature, thermowave puts its products to the test. Measurements are taken with water as the hot and water-glycol as the cold fluid. The test facility is equipped with flow meters measuring Coriolis forces and other highly sensitive state-of-the-art sensors. “By carrying out a series of tests, varying the mass flow on both sides while maintaining constant inlet temperatures, we obtain results for the relevant range of Reynolds numbers”, explains Thomas Schulz, director of development at thermowave.
The characteristic curves obtained from the values measured for mass flow, temperature, and pressure differences, define the performance of the plate heat exchangers as regards heat transfer and pressure drop. The certification by TÜV Thüringen, which is renewed every two years, confirms that the design calculations agree with actual performance data.
thermowave evaluates and processes the results so that they can be incorporated directly into the design program. In this way it is possible to determine robust performance figures for all the sizes of plate heat exchangers with various channel profiles, so as to guarantee customers a performance profile that precisely fulfils their needs.
thermowave GmbH, based in Berga, Germany, specialises in plate heat exchangers for refrigeration, HVAC and the food and chemical industries. thermowave is one of the few companies in the world to have its own test facility where it tests all its products for heat transfer and pressure drop. Correlations obtained from a large number of measurement points are integrated into to the company”s own calculation software ThermoLineCalculator (TLC).
