Brazed plate heat exchanger maintenance

The simple solution to scaling and fouling

The highly turbulent flows inside a brazed plate heat exchanger are usually enough to keep it clean. However, in applications with a high risk of fouling or scaling due to high temperatures, hard water, or high pH levels, cleaning in place (CIP) may be necessary to maintain efficiency.

No disassembly required

Cleaning in place is a simple process that involves circulating a specialized cleaning fluid through the heat exchanger. CIP quickly and easily removes scale and residue from the interior surfaces of the heat exchanger, as well as from pipes, vessels, process equipment, and filters. Best of all, the unit does not need to be disassembled. To make it even easier, customized CIP ports are available.

How often should I CIP?

While BPHEs can usually be cleaned, they can rarely be unblocked, so continual monitoring is crucial to maintaining performance. Fouling and scaling can constrict the channels in the plates inside the heat exchanger and coat the heat transfer surfaces, reducing efficiency. The simplest way to evaluate your heat exchanger’s ongoing performance is to monitor its return temperatures. Smaller-than-specified temperature differences indicate a dirty heat exchanger.

No guesswork

If the fluids on both sides of your BHE have similar physical properties, the Pressure Drop tool in our SSP calculation software makes it possible to compare your unit’s pressure drop with the expected performance of a clean Brazed Plate Heat Exchanger. A 30% increase indicates cleaning is needed.

For advice about CIP solutions, equipment, or
specialized ports for your application

Contact Us