The Alfa Laval CB range of brazed plate heat exchangers feature efficient heat transfer.
Brazed plate heat exchanger
A brazed plate heat exchanger consists of a pack of thin corrugated metal plates. A thin copper foil is placed between each plate. The assembly is placed in a high temperature furnace in which the copper foil melts and brazes two adjacent plates together. The melted foil also seals the channel formed between two plates. In order to retain high internal pressure, two thicker front and end plates are normally brazed to both sides of the plate pack. Connections for media are either brazed or welded to the front plate.
The size of the unit and the number of plates are determined by the requirements of the particular application and duty. Each individual brazed plate heat exchanger is optimized for its duty and as a result, the usage of materials is kept to a minimum.
Construction materials
Plates and connections: Both the corrugated plates and the thicker front and end plates are made of stainless steel type 304 or type 316. The degree of recycled material in stainless steel 316 is typically between 60-90%. Connections are normally made of stainless steel type 304 or 316, but may also be made of carbon steel.
Packing: Packing material consists of wood, plastics, cardboard boxes and, in some cases, metal straps. Alfa Laval enforces strict environmental demands on suppliers for all types of packing material.
Brazing material: The brazing material is copper with 99.9% purity. For a complete brazed heat exchanger, the copper constitutes around 10% of the total weight.
Insulation material: The brazed heat exchanger is often insulted in order to minimize heat transfer between the heat exchanger and the ambient. In cooling duties, the insulation is made of polypropylene, and in heating duties it is made of polyurethane.
Restricted substances: All components are checked against EU legislation and global agreements such as the Montreal Protocol and the REACH candidate list. No components contain any substances on those lists.
The Alfa Laval heating insulations for brazed and fusion bonded plate heat exchangers are easily assembled and dismantled. The heating insulation provides protection from the heat pack and keeps the climate in the operating room dry and not too hot.
For the smaller sizes, up to CB110 / CB112 / AlfaNova 76, the insulations can only be ordered as extras. For the larger sizes, the insulations are customized and assembled at the factory and are therefore ordered as a part of the heat exchanger. The heating insulations can be combined with feet and support kits. Together with the rigid foot for CB110 / CB112 / AlfaNova 76, manual adjustments of the insulation may be needed.