Looking for heatexchanger w/ connecting pipes

[radaes]

OK, not the most accurate or descriptive subject line ever, so here are the details:

We're using a Platecoil HXer manufactured by Tranter PHE in TX, and I want to know if there are any other companies anywhere that make something similar.

The HXer is basically a single serpentine tube with the space between the tube walls filled by a plate. or think of a serpentine tube with a plate welded to either side. (the real thing is actually just formed from 2 plates with channels bent/molded into them. the 2 plates are then welded together, with the channels forming the tubes)

to illustrate, it looks something like this ASCII art below - looking from the side
___________
| _________|___ -->
|(________ |
| ________)|
|(_________|___ <--
|__________|

the theory is that this is more efficient than just having the tube, since it increases the surface area for heat exchange, but cheaper than having lots of fins. The plate is basically one big fin.

platecoil is the proprietary name assigned by Tranter - haven't been able to find any other examples. I suppose it's just a "primary surface HXer" but haven't seen anything that really compares.

So here's the actual question: Does anyone know of a company, anywhere in the world, that manufactures a "Platecoil-equivalent" heat exchanger?

cheers,
rad
"According to my calculations the problem doesn't exist."

 

[MikeHalloran]

Dean Products Inc Panelcoil Div
643 Ridge Pike
Lafayette Hill, PA (Pennsylvania) 19444-2041
Phone: (610) 828-8940

;---

... If your soup is not terribly corrosive ...
You'd be stunned at how cheap finned tube is when you buy as little as a couple hundred feet.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[rmw]

Mueller makes a product called dimple plate. Try googling either one of those terms.

I don't like dimple plate because there is no control of the flow path of the fluid between the plates. It will take the path of least resistance, possibly by-passing large areas of the plate, where as the Tranter plate (there are several different styles) controls the flow to all areas of the plate.

rmw

 

[thermcool]

The choice of the heat exchange (shell-tube, plate-and-coil type or fin type) is very much application specific. Its hard to decide which is cheaper and which one is costly until you define the application.

Try this link

http://www.heatexchangersonline.com/doublewall.htm

 

[panduru]

The one factor that comes to mind is pressure drop. In comparison with a bare or finned tube exchanger, it seems the pressure drop across a plate-coil exchanger would be very high.

At the same time, the overall heat transfer could be much less for the same surface area.

If anything, only the process conditions may warrant and justify the use of such design, rather than efficiency considerations. I am not sure, though.

 

[radaes]

thanks for the input, everybody
@mike: sounds like exactly what I'm looking for (from the example I found online). I'll give them a call today. thanks

@rmw: Dimple plate sounds interesting, but you're right, it doesn't look like there is a controlled (or controllable) path defined. I want to maximize dwell time, so I don't think this would work. I'll look at it some more, though.

@thermcool: this isn't really so much about cheaper, as it is about exploring alternate sources. I like the product, I just have issues with the sales staff. If it turns out that my current supplier is the best one, I'll stick with them.

@panduru: the platecoil has (almost exactly) the same pressure-characteristics as a bare tube exchanger - after all, it's basically a bare tube exchanger with the spaces between the tubes filled in by a large fin.

Thanks for all your help. If you think of anything else, please let me know.

cheers,
rad
"According to my calculations the problem doesn't exist."

 

[speco]

Radaes,

One more to add to the "platecoil" list: Mueller

http://www.muel.com/products/heattransfer/transfer/

Regards,

Speco

 

[radaes]

@mike: I'm bummed, Dean Products is no longer in business. Any idea what happened to their inventory? was the company sold to somebody, or did they go broke?


cheers,
rad
"According to my calculations the problem doesn't exist."

 

[MikeHalloran]

Drat. Now I'm bummed, too.

They used to be in Brooklyn, NY. Maybe the move killed them. I've been through it myself more than once.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[speco]

Radaes and MikeHalloran,

I believe that Dean went out of business several (maybe 8-10?) years ago. Another platecoil manufacturer was DEC. They are also out of business.

Regards,

Speco (

http://www.stoneprocess.com)

 

[rjw57]

Tranter Platecoil - still in business. Out of Texas AFAIK

 

[radaes]

@rjw57 - lol. yeah, like I said in the first post, that's who we're using at the moment. I was just wondering if there was anyone else out there that made a comparable product.

cheers,
rad
"According to my calculations the problem doesn't exist."

 

[rjw57]

@radaes -

Sorry. Jumped the gun and didn't read your post thru. How about these...

http://www.southwestthermal.com/products/gasketembossedplate.htm

http://www.lytron.com/standard/cold_plates.asp

http://www.irishassociates.com/heat.htm

(See "Techmark Platecoil")

http://www.heseco.com/platecoil.htm

http://www.mbamanufacturing.com/ProductsPages/SX2Coils.htm

Hope this makes up for my bad...

rjw57