Brazed plate heat exchanger condenser provides cooling solution upgrade for hospital
An existing S&T condenser was successfully replaced with one of our much smaller brazed plate heat exchanger models and managed to outperform the older, larger technology easily.
Every technology is designed for a range of applications and has its own limitations, but sometimes there are many advantages to choosing one technology over another. Heat exchangers have different technologies and can be used in many application processes, however with the correct technology, it is possible to optimize and increase the efficiency of the application. This case study shows the replacement of a Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger (S&T) with a brazed plate heat exchanger and offers a side-by-side comparison of both technologies when applied as condensers.
Smaller brazed plate heat exchanger installed on top of the much larger S&T heat exchanger it replaced
Two different technologies working separately or at the same time
The customer reached out to SWEP looking to replace an S&T condenser that was in a very hard to reach area of a hospital. They had huge limitations to install new equipment, but also faced a temporary shut down for logistics and installation purposes if they were forced to go with the same S&T heat exchanger originally installed. At the same time, the customer was facing another problem with increasing demand needed due to hospital expansion plans. SWEP offered the brazed plate heat exchanger model B120THx50 (shown left) to replace the condenser and then provided all the necessary technical support required to make sure the installation was successful.
The brazed plate heat exchanger was applied in an air conditioning system that used cold water and fan coils and consisted of two circuits with one condenser in each. The replacement was done in only one circuit which then made it possible to compare the performance of the two different technologies working separately or at the same time. Here is a chart showing the real working conditions of the two independent circuits after operating for one full hour.
Form factor and efficiency
It was fascinating to see how a brazed plate heat exchanger can outperform other technologies in terms of form factor and efficiency! The picture on the next page shows how the brazed plate heat exchanger was installed, and its impressive, much more compact size compared to the older S&T unit. Due to many problems that the customer would have faced in removing the old S&T unit, they decided to leave it there as is. Since SWEP’s brazed plate heat exchangers are known for their small, yet efficient size, this was indeed possible for the customer to do, helping them avoid a stressful situation.
The brazed plate heat exchanger was performing much better than the S&T heat exchanger and the customer was very impressed about the performance. Especially since daily temperature complaints from patients and staff ceased after the installation of the new SWEP brazed plate heat exchanger.