Gasket vs brazed PHEs
THE PROBLEM: Some heat exchanger distributors will often claim that gasket heat exchangers are a better solution then the brazed ones. Their main argument is that in the case of clogging or breaking you can dismantle the heat exchanger plate by plate and wash them or replace the broken ones.
Read on and we’ll prove to you that it is not advantageous to do so.
This is our third installment in our “Watch out” series. Throughout this series of articles we’ll try to help you avoid mistakes and dishonest sales tactics when choosing your heat exchanger.
You can read here the other installments.
First there’s the price
What some distributors do not tell you is that gaskets themselves and the plates are very expensive.
And if you dismantle the plates, when you mount them back, then invariably you will have to replace all the gaskets. Their price can reach 50% to 100% of the price for a new brazed plate heat exchanger.
Secondly there’s the matter of efficiency
The heat transfer for gasket heat exchangers is lesser then in the case of brazed ones. This means that brazed heat exchangers need less material to be produced, resulting thus a lower price.
Brazed plate heat exchangers have a lower acquisition cost and a lower replacement cost, making them the more economical solution.
And their higher heat transfer efficiency allows them to have a smaller size, which means you will need a smaller space to install it. Read here a detailed argumentation of brazed vs gasket plate heat exchangers.
So why some distributors continue to recommend buying gasket heat exchangers
It’s simple, it’s because they are more profitable for them – they have a higher acquisition cost and a high cost for replacing the gaskets.
With a good protection against rust, chalk and other impurities the brazed plate heat exchangers are the more economical and practical solution.
And if the exchanger clogs, then you can wash it without dismantling it. For this you need to use a proper cleaning solution and very importantly, after you washed it, you will have to circulate a neutralizing solution. When done correctly this procedure poses no risk of breaking the heat exchanger.
You can read here more about clogging and here about cleaning a heat exchanger.
Key Takeaways
- You have all the reasons to choose a brazed plate heat exchanger instead of a gasket one
- There are proven solutions to fight against BPHE clogging
- The replacement cost of a whole brazed heat exchanger is lower then the cost of replacing the gaskets and the plates for a gasket heat exchanger