Alternative Design Approach for Plate and Frame Heat Exchangers Using Parameter Plots

The simultaneous design and specification of heat exchangers of the plate-and-frame type is analyzed. A pictorial representation of the design space is used to guide the designer toward the selection of the geometry that best meets the heat duty within the limitations of pressure drop. The design space is represented by a bar plot where the number of thermal plates is plotted for three conditions: (1) for fully meeting the required heat load, (2) for fully absorbing the allowable pressure drop in the cold stream, and (3) for fully absorbing the allowable pressure drop in the hot stream. This type of plot is suitable for representing the design space, given the discrete nature of the plate geometrical characteristics, such as effective plate length and plate width. Applications of the use of bypasses as a design strategy are also presented.