During the selection stage, technical engineers often encounter situations where only the hot-side inlet temperature and flow rate are provided on site, while the cold-side outlet temperature is undetermined. In this case, the cold-side flow rate can first be estimated using the heat balance equation Q = m·cp·Δt, and then the number of plates and pass arrangement can be back-calculated based on the allowable pressure drop. The corrugation angle of BR-45 plate heat exchanger plates offers two resistance options, high and low. When pressure drop is limited, the low-resistance angle can be preferentially selected; when heat transfer area is insufficient, the high-resistance angle can be switched to without replacing the entire unit frame.
When the medium contains chloride ions, acids, alkalis, or organic solvents, the corrosion resistance grade of the plate material and gasket must be checked item by item. BR-45 can be equipped with plates such as 316L, titanium, and Hastelloy, and gaskets can be selected from nitrile, EPDM, and fluororubber. If the chloride ion content in the medium exceeds 200 mg/L, it is recommended to avoid 304 plates; when the temperature is above 150°C, the applicability of fluororubber gaskets must be confirmed in combination with the concentration curve. Providing complete medium physical properties during selection can reduce the risk of leakage caused by localized corrosion.
Allowable pressure drop is often underestimated. An increase in interplate flow velocity raises the heat transfer coefficient, while pressure drop increases with the square of the flow velocity. The equivalent diameter and channel cross-sectional area of BR-45 plates have been optimized for common water-to-water conditions, and it is recommended to control the single-pass pressure drop within the range of 50-100 kPa. If the system residual pressure is insufficient, parallel flow channels can be added or a symmetrical two-pass arrangement can be adopted, avoiding an excessive pressure drop caused by simply increasing the number of plates.
BR-45 offers same-side and diagonal port layouts. When arranging piping, technical engineers need to reserve space for plate withdrawal. The frame clamping dimension changes with the number of plates. After selection is confirmed, the maximum clamping length and on-site channel width should be checked to prevent inability to install additional plates later.
