(70b) Application of Plate Exchangers in Bio-Ethanol Plant

Gasketed plate heat exchangers are quickly becoming the most highly used type of heat transfer equipment used in ethanol production today. The ongoing development of plate and gasket material to handle higher temperatures and pressures has allowed gasketed plate heat exchangers to take the place of typical shell and tube applications used in the past. Also, plate heat exchangers can provide average channel spacing up to ¾? to handle high solid fluids. Many plate heat exchangers are being used as condensers, evaporators, and high solids applications in ethanol facilities.

In addition, with many ethanol facilities expanding their production capacity, the flexibility of the plate heat exchanger provides an economic advantage over a typical shell and tube. This flexibility is seen by changing plate configurations to increase velocity or reduce pressure drop or adding plates to expand capacity. Plate heat exchangers provide a smaller footprint than shell and tube heat exchangers and better heat transfer allows for less area needed to perform the same duty.

Fouling and cleaning the plate heat exchangers provide an economic benefit as well. Most plate heat exchangers can be cleaned-in-place or taken apart by 1 or 2 maintenance personnel and reassembled in less than 8 hours. In addition, the small hold up volume, compared to a shell and tube, of the plate heat exchanger provides a savings in the amount of material required to clean the units.