Constructed of Brazed Plate Heat Exchanger
The construction process is key to its properties:
- Plate Pack Assembly: Multiple stainless-steel plates (typically AISI 304 or 316), each stamped with a corrugated (herringbone) pattern, are stacked together, alternating the orientation of the pattern.
- Brazing Material Placement: A brazing material—usually copper or, for corrosive applications, nickel—is applied as a foil or paste at the contact points between the plates and around the ports.
- Vacuum Brazing Furnace: The entire assembly is placed in a vacuum furnace and heated to a temperature above the melting point of the brazing material but below that of the stainless-steel plates.
- Fusion: The brazing material melts, is drawn into the spaces between the plates by capillary action, and then solidifies, creating a strong, permanent bond at every contact point.
This process creates two separate, leak-proof channel systems for the hot and cold fluids to flow through, exactly like in a gasketed plate exchanger.