Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger

A gasketed plate heat exchanger is built from a series of thin, corrugated stainless steel plates clamped together in a frame, with elastomer gaskets sealing the edges and port openings of each plate. Hot and cold fluids flow through alternate channels between the plates, separated only by a thin metal wall, so heat transfers across a very large surface area packed into a compact footprint.

The corrugated pattern pressed into each plate forces the fluid into a highly turbulent flow path even at low velocities, which dramatically increases the heat transfer coefficient compared to a smooth-walled tube. As a result, a gasketed plate heat exchanger typically achieves three to five times the heat transfer efficiency of a shell-and-tube unit handling the same duty, in a fraction of the footprint and weight.

Because the plate pack is held together mechanically with tie bolts rather than permanently sealed, it is the most flexible heat exchanger construction available. Capacity can be increased at any time by adding plates, or reduced by removing them, without replacing the whole unit. Every plate can also be individually removed for inspection, mechanical cleaning, or gasket replacement, making gasketed PHEs straightforward to maintain over their operating life.

This combination of high thermal efficiency, compact size, and full serviceability is why gasketed plate heat exchangers remain the standard choice across HVAC, process heating and cooling, dairy and food processing, and general industrial duties wherever the process fluids are compatible with standard elastomer gasket materials.

SRJ manufactures gasketed plate heat exchangers using its own plate press tooling and gasket moulding, giving full control over plate accuracy, gasket fit, and lead time. Every unit is pressure tested before dispatch, and plates, gaskets, and frame components are readily available as spares for the life of the exchanger.