Alfa Laval multi section pasteurizer gasketed plate-and-frame heat exchanger

This animation shows the working principle of an Alfa Laval multi section pasteurizer gasketed plate-and frame heat exchanger. The heat exchanger in the animation has three sections; heating, cooling and heat recovery.

The product to be pasteurized (illustrated in white) enters through a corner connection to the middle section of the heat exchanger, the heat recovery section. Here the already heat treated product is cold down by transferring heat to the incoming product. The product continues to the heating section (the heat source is illustrated in red) where it reaches its maximum pasteurizing temperature. After passing the heat recovery section the product reaches the cooling section. The cooling media (illustrated in blue) efficiently cools the product before it leaves the pasteurizer.
As the fluids pass through the heat exchanger heat is transferred from the hot media to the cold media. Countercurrent flow enables maximum heat recovery possibilities and very close temperature approach can be achieved. Temperature cross is possible, meaning that the hot outlet can reach a lower temperature than the cold outlet.

The pasteurizer works as three heat exchangers in one so that the three sections are divided by connection plates. A fourth section, homogenization, is also possible, but is not shown in the animation.

The fluids enter through the connections and port holes of the heat transfer plates. Specially designed sealing gaskets located between the plates direct the fluids so that the hot and cold fluids pass counter-currently in alternating channels. When the fluid enters between the plates, it passes over the distribution area. Alfa Laval offers two types of distribution areas: our patented CurveFlowTM and the chocolate pattern. Alfa Laval’s well-designed distribution area is one of the most important features of a plate heat exchanger. Its main purpose is to ensure an even flow of fluid over the entire plate while maximizing heat transfer efficiency and minimizing maldistribution and fouling. In the animation you can see that the distribution area helps the fluids to quickly fill up the entire cross section of the plates.

The animation shows the working principle of a 3-section pasteurizer where the fluids run in 2 passes in each section. Typically, additional passes are used in pasteurizers, but for illustrative reasons only 2 passes per section are shown. The same working principle is applicable for our specialized ranges such as using Gemini double wall plates for extra product safety.

Alfa Laval has an extremely broad range of gasketed plate-and-frame heat exchangers which are used in all types of industries. The number of sizes, plate and gasket materials and available options are enormous.