Plate Heat Exchanger Servicing
HRS FUNKE offers a complete plate heat exchanger refurbishment program. Our engineers are available to attend site to open heat
exchangers and remove the existing plates and gaskets. We would recommended using our rotating plate pack solution with this
service.
You can also return the complete plate heat exchanger, to our works, for refurbishment. This service will also include a full
hydraulic pressure test, complete with test certificate, before the heat exchanger is returned to site.
Stage 1: Pre-Clean & Inital Inspection
When the plates and gaskets arrive back at our works they are checked in against your specifications. After a visual inspection,
the old gaskets are removed and the heat transfer plates are pre-cleaned using a pressure washer.
Stage 2: Chemical Clean
The heat transfer plates are then dipped in a series of chemical baths to remove deposits and scale. They are then completely
rinsed with clean water and visually inspected for a second time.
Stage 3: Dye Penetrant Testing
The cleaned plates are sprayed with a fluorescent dye and inspected with a an ultra violet lamp, for pit corrosion, pin holes and
cracks.
To help reduce servicing costs, we first select a random percentage for testing. This allows us to efficently identify any
failure trends before the entire plate pack is tested.
Stage 4: Regasketing
The heat transfer plates are regasketed with new gaskets and assembled in plate pack order ready for installation in the heat
exchanger frame.
Should the Heat transfer plates require glued gaskets. During the regasketing process the gaskets are tapped to the plates and
stacked to minimize gasket movement, ready for the next stage.
Stage 5: Oven Cure
Heat transfer plates with glued gaskets are placed inside a temperature controlled oven, for a specific time period. The curing
is an important stage as it eliminates gasket movement during final assembly.
Stage 6: Final Assembly
The heat transfer plates will be installed in the plate heat exchanger frame. This work is completed by trained service engineers,
as each plate heat exchanger has a specific heat transfer plate arrangement.
A full hydraulic pressure test will be carried out on all plate heat exchangers, which have been serviced at our works.
Rotating Plate Packs
If your heat exchanger is part of a critical application or if downtime for servicing must be kept to an absolute minimum we
would recommend a rotating plate pack.
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Minimised Downtime
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Reduced Risk
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Damage Limitation
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Prolonged Heat Exchanger Life
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Minimise Downtime
When the heat exchanger is first serviced the existing plate pack is removed and replaced with a new set of plates and gaskets.
This minimises downtime, usually 1 - 3 hours, as no cleaning or regasketing is required.
The old plate pack is removed to be cleaned, regasketed and held ready for the next service. When the heat exchanger is next
serviced the process is repeated. The existing plate pack is removed and replaced with the refurbished plate pack, once again
downtime is kept to just a few hours rather than the 1 - 2 weeks that would normally be required to refurbish the plates.
This method of plate pack rotation is particularly cost effective if you have several heat exchangers on site that have identical
plate packs, as just one rotating plate pack can be used to service many heat exchangers.
Reduced Risk
In critical applications unexpected heat exchanger failures can cost thousands of pounds for every day the heat exchanger is not
running. Adopting the rotating plate pack system means you have a spare plate pack ready to install in the event that a heat
exchanger fails unexpectedly. This can be vital, especially as the lead time for spare parts can be several weeks for some heat
exchangers, particularly obsolete models.
Damage Limitation
The normal plate cleaning process downtime may be kept to 1 week assuming all the plates pass the dye penetrant test but what
happens if some of the plates fail? If new plates are not available from stock your downtime can suddenly change from 1 week to
several weeks with dramatic consequences. Having a rotating pack gives you precious time to replace any plates that have failed
whilst keeping your heat exchanger in operation.
Prolonged Heat Exchanger Life
Regularly refurbishing your heat exchanger plates will prolong their life in the long run. Deposits and scale left in a heat
exchanger for long periods of time may damage the heat transfer plates, often rendering them useless even after the first service.
Regular preventative maintenance will ensure consistently high efficiency and maximum heat exchanger life.
Plate Heat Exchanger Installation
If access is poor or your plate heat exchangers are simply too big to be installed in one piece, our engineers can flat pack them
for ease of transporting and positioning.
The heat exchangers are broken down in to their key components and palletised ready for transporting to the plant room.
Following a site survey the flat packed heat exchanger is positioned in line with the plant room drawing, rebuilt and pressure
tested. As the work is undertaken by our own engineers your 12 month warranty is not affected.
This is a common problem when refurbishing existing buildings but can also affect new builds.
Case Study:
When building a new office block at Canary Wharf (London). The Primary Contractor required four 3700kW heat exchangers, weighing
8000kG each, for the air conditioning.
These were too big for the goods hoist and therefore had to be broken down to their component parts (the frame plate still
weighed 2000kG each) and lifted to the 30th floor plantroom via tower crane.
The parts were then transported across the newly built floor, to their final position and re-assembled. Once our work was
complete, the plantroom walls were built around the heat exchangers.
Service Contracts
The performance of heat exchange equipment will steadily reduce from the first time it’s used. To maintain your water temperature
you will have to adjust flow rates and boiler or chiller temperatures. This in turn will increase time, effort and more
importantly costs.
With a Heatexchangerspares.com service contract you can be safe in the knowledge that your essential heat exchange equipment will
be fully functional. Regular inspections enable us to identify any reduction in performance or mechanical problems early,
reducing their impact and likelihood of a breakdown occurring.
Equipment Covered
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Plate Heat Exchangers - Hygienic
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Plate Heat Exchangers - Industrial
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Hot Water Sets
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Aquasave
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Aquasave BIO
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Aquamodule / Cetemodule
How It Works
During the annual contract period, you will receive a minimum of two visits. These can be either scheduled or used as an
emergency visit. You will also benefit from discount on spare parts.
After each visit you will receive a detailed service report on the condition of the equipment, this allows us to tailor the
maintenance programme more accurately to your requirements.