Application of Vertical Wide Gap Plate Heat Exchanger in Alumina Industry

As an intermediate cooling equipment in the decomposition process of alumina industry, wide gap plate heat exchanger has been used more and more widely because of its high heat transfer efficiency, easy cleaning and the special structure of wide channel non-contact. However, with the decline of ore quality, the need to increase production, and the plates of wide channel plate heat exchanger are flat, resulting in slurry deposition in the channel, which leads to the consequences of  reduced heat transfer efficiency, abrasion and frequent cleaning. In order to fundamentally solve the blocking problem and maximize the cleaning cycle and equipment service life, the vertical placement of plates and the reduction of slurry flow rate are the best solution to solve the above problems.

Place vertically as shown in the figure.

Flow analysis:

When the solid and liquid two-phase working medium flows from top to bottom, the gravity action direction of solid particles is consistent with the flow direction, deposition will not occur. Because the drag force on solid particles can completely counteract their gravitational effect, and a small flow velocity can make all solid particles suspended.

When the particle distribution is relatively uniform, there is no significant particle accumulation area or no particle area in the channel, as well as there is no obvious high solid content area near the plate, so the heat transfer efficiency is enhanced. After shutdown, the slurry is discharged smoothly under its own gravity, and there is no slurry deposition problem inside the equipment.

In a word, on the basis of inheriting and retaining the advantages of the traditional horizontal wide gap plate heat exchanger, the vertical wide gap plate heat exchanger has made a qualitative improvement in the aspects of anti blockage, anti abrasion and convenient maintenance.  It can be seen that the vertical wide gap plate heat exchanger is a new demand for intermediate cooling equipment because it not only prolongs the cleaning cycle and service life, but completely solves the problems of blockage and abrasion.