Principle of Chiller Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE)

The principle of a Chiller Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE) revolves around efficient thermal energy transfer between two fluid streams—typically a process fluid requiring cooling and a refrigerant or chilled water circuit—without allowing them to mix. This is achieved through a compact assembly of corrugated metal plates, usually made from stainless steel or titanium for corrosion resistance, which are gasketed, brazed, or welded together to form channels. The plate design creates a large surface area relative to the unit’s footprint, promoting turbulent flow even at lower fluid velocities. This turbulence minimizes laminar boundary layers, significantly enhancing heat transfer coefficients compared to traditional shell-and-tube exchangers. In vapor compression or absorption chiller systems, the PHE acts as the evaporator or condenser where phase change occurs, leveraging the high thermal conductivity of the plates and the optimized flow paths to maximize efficiency. The logarithmic mean temperature difference (LMTD) is minimized due to the counter-current or cross-current flow arrangements, ensuring接近 approach temperatures and reducing the energy required for compression or pumping. Advanced designs incorporate asymmetrical plate patterns to handle differing fluid properties and pressures, while computational fluid dynamics (CFD) optimizes channel geometry for specific applications such as high-glide refrigerant mixtures or variable loads. The modularity allows for easy capacity adjustment by adding or removing plates, making it adaptable to precise thermal duties in HVAC, industrial process cooling, and data center cooling systems.

Why Use Chiller Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE)