Brazed Plate Heat Exchanger

A brazed plate heat exchanger (BPHE) is made from a stack of stainless steel plates bonded together in a vacuum brazing furnace, typically using copper as the braze filler material, or nickel for duties where copper is not compatible with the process fluid. The result is a single, rigid, fully sealed block with no gaskets and no frame, in the way a gasketed or welded unit needs.

Because there is no frame, no tie bolts, and no gasket material, brazed plate heat exchangers are significantly smaller, lighter, and lower cost than an equivalent gasketed or welded unit for the same duty. The compact size and light weight make them the standard choice wherever space and weight are at a premium, and where the duty and fluid quality fit within a sealed, non-serviceable design.

The trade-off is that a brazed unit cannot be opened, re-plated, or re-gasketed. If the plate pack fouls or is damaged, the entire unit is replaced rather than serviced, so BPHEs are best suited to clean fluids on both sides, such as refrigerants, water, glycol and other HVAC or refrigeration process fluids, rather than dirty or fouling industrial streams.

Copper-brazed units are the standard for most HVAC and refrigeration duties, while nickel-brazed units are used where the fluid is not compatible with copper, such as in some domestic hot water, food-grade, or mildly aggressive water treatment applications.

SRJ supplies brazed plate heat exchangers for chillers, heat pumps, condensers, evaporators, and district cooling interface duties, with each unit factory pressure tested before dispatch and mounting brackets or connection adaptors available to match your existing pipework.