Reduce your risk of gasketed plate heat exchanger downtime

Getting the best plate heat exchanger performance requires preventive maintenance, especially for hygienic applications within the food, dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical, home and personal care industries. Each process system, however, has different parameters that affect the heat transfer and sealing efficiencies of the plates and gaskets.

A gasket, its material properties and its construction are specifically selected to provide optimal sealing performance for its intended application. But over time, all gaskets wear due to natural ageing as well as the temperature, pressure and stress of normal operating conditions.

Knowing exactly when to replace gaskets is almost impossible, since the timing varies depending on the application. Without preventive maintenance, users risk unplanned downtime that can be costly. Users should therefore consider:

• Temperature and pressure: Higher operating temperatures and pressure cause more wear and tear on the gaskets.
• Compression: Gaskets are subjected to local stress from the moment you first clip them on to and tighten the plates.
• Store spare gaskets in a sealed bag, in a dry, cold and dark place, and away from ozone-producing equipment such as machines or light armatures.

Pictured: An Alfa Laval FrontLine gasketed plate heat exchanger.