This animation shows the working principle of an Alfa Laval gasketed plate-and- frame heat exchanger when used as a steam heater. The steam or vapour (illustrated in grey) enters through one of the upper connections and the condensate leaves through the connection underneath. The cold liquid (illustrated in blue transferring into red) enters through one of the lower connections and leaves through the connection above.

As the fluids pass through the heat exchanger heat is transferred from the condensing steam/vapour to the cold media.
The fluids enter through the connections and port holes of the heat transfer plates. Specially designed sealing gaskets located between the plates direct the fluids so that the hot and cold fluids pass counter-currently in alternating channels. When the fluid enters between the plates, it passes over the distribution area. Alfa Laval offers two types of distribution areas: our patented CurveFlowTM and the chocolate pattern. Alfa Laval’s well-designed distribution area is one of the most important features of a plate heat exchanger. Its main purpose is to ensure an even flow of fluid over the entire plate while maximizing heat transfer efficiency and minimizing maldistribution and fouling. In the animation you can see that the distribution area helps the fluids to quickly fill up the entire cross section of the plates.

The animation shows the working principle of a conventional gasketed plate-and-frame heat exchanger, but the same working principle is applicable also to specialized ranges such as our semi-welded and WideGap plate heat exchangers.

Alfa Laval has an extremely broad range of gasketed plate-and-frame heat exchangers which are used in all types of industries. The number of sizes, plate and gasket materials and available options are enormous.