Presentation: How to Properly Specify and Design Plate and Frame Heat Exchangers
Presenter: Tracey Putnam, Commercial Markets Sales Manager for Alfa Laval
Theme: Joint Meeting with MCA/SMACNA
Social Time: 11:30-11:55 AM
Chapter Business/Introductions: 11:55 AM – 12:00 PM
Lunch/Main Presentation: 12:00 PM
Presenter Bio:
Tracey Putnam holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University. She began her career as a process engineer at a toll manufacturer where she was responsible for new product start-ups. This provided initial exposure into what is involved in procuring equipment, operator training and commissioning a new process. She spent the first 9 years of her career at Alfa Laval as an applications engineer focusing on technology conversion and energy efficiency within the Petrochemical and Refining markets. In 2010, Tracey transitioned to the Commercial side of the business and has been concentrated on Comfort cooling ever since. Her mission is to educate the engineering community on how to properly specify plate heat exchangers to optimize energy usage, reduce maintenance requirements and total cost of ownership.
Topic Description:
Designing a plate and frame heat exchanger is not as straightforward as it may seem. We all understand the principles of heat transfer, however fluid mechanics play a very large role in the performance and uptime of a heat exchanger. An improperly designed heat exchanger will cause other equipment to work harder and increase the energy consumption in the HVAC system – we must learn to look beyond the initial capital investment and consider the total cost of ownership. AHRI has helped to standardize manufacturers’ designs but there are parameters that engineers must still consider and verify. In today’s presentation we will discuss:
• Basic heat transfer theory
• The effects of temperature approach on the size and cost of a heat exchanger
• Hydraulic design and its effect on performance, fouling and total cost of ownership
• AHRI – what it is and when it’s applicable