Alfa Laval Corporate Ab

Alfa Laval Corporation Ab

Claes Stenhede

Mats Strömblad

Ralf Erik Blomgren

Klas Bertilsson

Magnus Nilsson

Ingvar Lindholm

Björn Sollie

Roland Larsson

Istvan Knoll

Per-Ola Magnus Helin

Liquid separator (), designed as a U-shaped pipe () and arranged essentially horizontally, for a plate heat exchanger evaporator () system for separation of liquid droplets from vapor transported from the evaporator to the separator.

Liquid separator for an evaporator system

The invention relates to a plate package for a heat exchanger device including a tank with an inner space and an inner wall surface. A sectional plane (p) extends vertically through the inner space. The tank has an inlet for the supply of a liquid medium and an outlet for discharging the medium in a gaseous state. The inner space defines a lower part space and an upper part space. The plate package () with heat exchanger plates () is provided in the inner space. Each heat exchanger plate has an extension plane perpendicular to the sectional plane. The heat exchanger plates form first plate interspaces that are open towards the inner space for recirculation of the medium, and second plate interspaces, which are closed towards the inner space for the recirculation of a fluid for evaporating the medium. Each heat exchanger plate includes a first porthole () and a second porthole (). Furthermore, each heat exchanger plate includes an elongated distribution element () which extends into the adjacent second plate interspace and substantially transversally to the sectional plane (p).

Plate package

The invention provides a submerged evaporator () with integrated plate heat ex-changer () that may operate with markedly increased capacity, where the evaporator () does not require more space than other known types and have a smaller filling volume of refrigerant () than prior art units. The integrated plate heat exchanger () is built up with an outer contour that substantially follow the lower contour of the casing () and the liquid level, where the integrated heat exchanger () has at least one inlet connection () and at least one outlet connection () for secondary refrigerant (), and where the upper volume of the casing acts as a liquid separator. With such design, much less space is occupied than with prior art types of submerged evaporators. The reason is that the internal volume is better utilised. Typically, there is a cylindric casing () with welded or screwed on ends (), where internally there is mounted a plate heat exchanger () having a part cylindric shape and an external diameter which is between 5 and 15 mm less than the internal diameter of the casing (). Hereby is achieved a submerged evaporator () with reduced filling of refrigerant ().

Submerged evaporator with integrated heat exchanger

The invention refers to a plate heat exchanger, which includes a sensor device and a plate package of heat transfer plates (). The heat transfer plates form between the plates () first passages () for a first fluid and second passages () for a second fluid. The sensor device includes a space (), which is closed to the first passages () and the second passages (). The closed space () is arranged to contain a medium, which can be influenced by the temperature of at least one of the fluids, and to be connectable to a device () for sensing a pressure change of the medium in the closed space (). The closed space () is at least partly defined by at least one of the plates ().

Plate heat exchanger

Plate heat exchanger for three heat exchanging fluids

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Verona, Italy

Claes Stenhede