ARES PHE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL

ARES Plate Heat Exchanger Ltd. T: + 90 322 394 3200

HSOSB Ordu Cad. No:4 F: + 90 322 394 3228
01350 Adana, TURKEY [Link]
 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION 3-4

INTRODUCTION 3
PRINCIPLE OF PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER 3
IDENTIFICATION OF PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER 4

MAIN COMPONENTS 6-8

PLATES 6
GASKETS 8

INSTALLATION 9-11
TRANSPORTATION 9
POSITIONING 10
INSTALLATION 11

OPERATION 12-14
COMISSIONING 12
START-UP 12
SHUT-DOWN 14

MAINTENANCE 15-19
OPENING 15
CLEANING 16
CLOSING 18
CLEANING AGENT 19

TROUBLESHOOTING 20

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INTRODUCTION

This instruction manuel is a guide for installation, operation, maintenance for ARES plate heat exchanger. It
is meant for those who are responsible for the installation, use and maintenance of the heat exchangers.
ARES PHE strongly recommends that you read this instruction manual carefully before starting any work.

This manual is applicable to all heat exchangers produced by ARES. Our company is not responsible for any
damage due to incorrect installation, use or maintenance of our heat exchangers as well as not complying
with our instruction manual.

Please note that ARES plate heat exchangers are specially designed and built for the operating conditions
according to the information provided by the customer. Sudden pressure increase above the normal
operating pressure, which can occur during start-up or stopping of the system can severely damage the
equipment. ARES is not responsible for any damage as a result of any operation deviating from the original
design conditions.

If you would like to contact ARES about any plate heat exchanger, then please have the plate type, serial
number ready as mentioned on the name plate of our product.

PRINCIPLE OF PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER

A plate heat exchanger consists of a frame, which consists of a head plate, pressure plate, support column,
carrying bar, guiding bar, and tie bolts. The plates are placed between head and pressure plate and tighten
by tie bolts to form a pressure resistant equipment.

Heat is transferred from one medium to another medium passing through plates, which have been pressed
into a special pattern called “herringbone”. The hot and cold mediums exchange their heat load between
each the plate channel. Positioning of gaskets on heat transfer plates helps to direct the flow of the
mediums to prevent mixing the fluids between each other.

Each plate is equipped with a gasket, so that

the plates form a pressurized system of
parallel flow channels, through which the
medias flow alternately at every second
interval. Each plate is equipped with a double
sealing system that keeps the fluids between
the channels. The gaskets are attaached on to
the plates, which secure tightness between
fluids and the atmosphere. When putting
plates between the frames, every second
plate has to be rotated 180 degrees so that
the plates form a closed system. The head
plate or/and pressure plate have connections
to install pipework which lets the fluids run
into the plate heat exchanger.

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IDENTIFICATION OF PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER

All plate heat exchangers supplied by ARES has a unique name plate fixed to the front (head plate) of the
unit. The name plates include necessary information for service and spare part requests. The manufacturing
number is a unique one, which holds all the information about the product. In case of loss of this name plate,
please ask ARES staff to replace it as soon as possible to avoid any confusion.

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MAIN COMPONENTS
The plate heat exchanger consists of front frame (head plate), rear frame (pressure plate), carrying bar,
guiding bar, tigtening bolts, support column and plate pack. The plates are hanged on the carrying bar and
are kept in line by a guiding bar at the lower part called guiding bar. The tightening bolts holds the head and
pressure plate under pressure.

The length of the carrying bar, guiding bar and tightening bolts vary on different models and plate pack size.
In addition, the number of tightening bolts and diameter also vary depending on the model of the plate heat
exchanger.

Optional components are insulation jacket, dripping tray and protective sheet over plate pack. These options
are included only during ordering process.

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PLATES

The corrugated plates used in plate heat exchangers are manufactured in any
metal or alloy which can be cold formed. Stainless steel, nickel alloys,
titanium, incoloy are among the most common plate materials. The cold
stamping process used to give the herringbone pattern to the plates. The
material of the plates vary on the duty of the plate heat exchanger. The fluid
properties and corrosion affect determines the quality of the material.

Most of the plate models have two types which are L (Low) and H (High)
plates. The plates have different heat transfer and pressure drop
performance. Therefore, it is important to identify each plate when
assembling or ordering parts for the unit.

The most common plate materials are : AISI316, AISI304 and Titanium Gr.1.

PLATE TYPES

The plate pack consists of a start plate, channel plates (H and L ) and an end plate.

Start Plate : Two gaskets are cut and glued to the plate as shown on the drawing.

Left Plate / Right Plate : These plates are identical to each other. When L plate is turned 180 degrees it
becomes right plate.

End Plate : End plate is a plate without any port hole which is usually situated at the end of
the plate pack.

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PLATE PORT HOLES and PLATE TYPES

Depending on application and plate arrangement the plates might have

different hole configurations. Each port is represented by a number. For
example: A1S L1234 means that A1S model “L” plate and 4 holes open. 0
means no hole. For example: A1S L1200 means that 1 and 2 ports are open and
3 and 4 are blind ports. It is important to know the plate type whether it is
“R(right)” or “L(left)” plate before deciding the port configurations.

Flow Plate : R1234 – L1234

End Plate : 0000
Pass Plate : Different combinations – 1200, 0034, 1034 etc.

FLOW ARRANGEMENT

In a single-pass plate heat exchanger design, there is no pass plates with “0” port. A single pass arrangement
is when each fluid flows in just one direction in the channels formed by adjacent pair of plates in a plate heat
exchanger.

A multi-pass flow arrangement on the other hand is when a plate with less than four port holes is used to
make the fluids flow in the opposite direction in a part of the plate heat exchanger.

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GASKETS

The performance and lifetime of the plate heat exchanger is depent on the gaskets used and their material
reliability. Plate heat exchangers gaskets are usually one piece elastomers, and their type is selected on the
basis of fluid, operationg temperature and conditions. They act as a seal between plates which are seated in
gasket grooves on the plates to prevent leakage of the unit.

“A” model ARES plate heat exchangers are all equiped with hang on gasket
technology which eliminates to use of glue. Glueless gaskets are much easier for
service and operation compare to glued gaskets.

“AWG” model wide gap plate types use only glued type gaskets. Therefore please
pay extra attention when servicing these models.

 IDENTIFICATION OF ARES GASKETS

o EPDM : GREY COLOR
o NBR : BLUE COLOR
o VITON : BROWN COLOR

NOTE: For accurate information to order spare parts, plase provide serial no. of the plate heat exchanger
which is on the name plate over the frame.

USE ONLY NITRIL BASED GLUES ON GASKET

Note: Please consult ARES for the best solution for glues.

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INSTALLATION
Installation of the plate heat exchanger requires a careful operation. It is important to follow each step in
order to have a safe and correct operation.

Plate heat exchangers are sensitive equipments which can be damaged during carrying and installation. It is
important to use lifting lugs or instructed way to lift and carry them. If handled wrongly, the plate pack might
move and result in leakage during start up.

It is also important that the space required for plate heat exchanger is enough for servicing and replacing
plates&gaskets. When positioning the unit, the space must be left from all sides for ease of operation.

TRANPORTATION

Please follow the necessary steps to lift the product. If the heat exchanger
is lying down on a wooden pallet, it must be lifted as shown in the picture.
It is important to have balanced lifting technique to avoid any kind of fall
and injury.

After lifting the heat exchanger, place it on top of 2 or more timbers which
creates a space between the floor and the heat exchanger. You can also
use other material than wood such as hard plastic etc. After placing the
heat exchanger carefully on the floor. Please follow next to put it on
standing position.

Place straps from bottom to the top of the plate heat exchanger as shown on
the left photo. As you do this make sure that the bolt nut is between the
straps. This will ensure the equipment will not slide down when lifting.

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Please use lifting lugs when lifting and/or carrying the plate heat exchanger (A4,A6,A8, A12

and AWG models). Do not use any other part such as; bolts, carrying bar etc. to avoid any

damage. Make sure the that the lines are equal and do not create imbalance when lifting the

unit to prevent any injury.

For (A1,A2,A3) small models there are no special lifting lugs, therefore you can use nuts and bolts on the
frame and pressure plate to carry the plate heat exchanger. Please follow same procedure for carrying and
lifting.

During these operations, please pay attention to the guidelines. Damage to the plate pack and frame
construction might create serious problems such as leaking, bending plates and connections.

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POSITIONING - INSTALLATION

 Make sure the foundation of the plate heat exchanger is flat and level.
 The heat exchanger MUST have enough area on either side for easier access during maintenance.
The amount of space should be minimum as the plate height.
 The pipe work must be fully supported to avoid weight/forces acting upon the unit.
 Always install flexible connections onto the follow cover to prevent vibrations. These flexible
connections also prevent expansion of the pipe work, caused by temperature influence onto the
heat exchanger.
 The pipe work needs to be thoroughly cleaned and flushed before connecting up to the heat
exchanger.
 Always install vents on the top and drains on the bottom of the heat exchanger for proper venting.
 Install drain valve on lower side of a bottom nozzle, and vent valve on upper side of a top nozzle for
plate heat exchanger.
 Install safety valve for suitable capacity near an outlet nozzle for the safety operation of plate heat
exchanger.
 Install pressure gauges and thermometers on the inlet/outlet nozzles on both circuits to observe
performance/fouling of the plate heat exchanger.
 Install elbows on pressure plate for multipass plate heat exchangers to ease the maintenance of the
unit. DO NOT install direct piping to the pressure plate which may cause serious problems when the
unit needs to be opened.

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OPERATION
Commissioning should only be done by a person, which has been trained specially for the job. Control,
maintenance and repair of the plate heat exchanger should be done by authorized, trained and properly
trained staff.

Maintenance and cleaning should always be done with a shut down heat exchanger. Check if all connections
are correctly fitted or not. The media flowing through the heat exchanger should not contain any bigger
particles and if necessary, filters should be fitted. Check the pressure and temperatures of the media and
make sure that the values are not more than the specified value on the identification plate.

START - UP

Before starting up for first time or after a long shut down of the
system, make sure that the plate pack is compressed to the right
measurement (see name plate - min. assembling measure). It is
very important that the plate heat exchanger is protected against
sudden and extreme change of temperature and pressure to
avoid damages to the plates and the gaskets.

Before the initial start-up:

 Check that the operating data does not exceed the data
given on the heat exchanger’s nameplate: Max. design
tempreture, max. design pressure.

 Check that all tightening bolts are properly tightened.

 It is recommended that to start the pump first for cold

circuit. Pumps feeding the plate heat exchanger must be
provided with regulating valves. If the pumps can deliver
higher pressure than the rated pressure for the plate
heat exchanger, safety valves must be installed. The
pumps must not suck in air which can affect heat transfer performance. Higher pressure rates may
result gasket failure and leakage during start up.

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 To avoid pressure shock the pumps must be started against closed valves. The valves on the inlet
and outlet should be opened at the same time as possible. The flow rate is then increased slowly
until operating temperature is reached. Hammering must be avoided; otherwise the rubber gaskets
may slide out of the groove and may result leakage. Check that the exit valve is fully opened during
starting condition. Then, open the vent, start the pump, open the valve slowly.

 Immediately after start-up the equipment must be vented. Remaining air can cause air locks and
serious deformation of the plates, reducing the heat transfer capacity and increasing the risk of
corrosion.

 Cold leakage might happen during cold conditions and when the unit reaches to the working
temperature it should stop. Therefore, please observe leakage if there is any, until the working the
plate heat exchanger reaches to the working temperatures.

When using steam as one of the media:

 Make sure that the steam control valve is fully closed

 Make sure that the plate heat exchanger is fully drained of condensate
 Start cold circuit first, then the steam side
 Open steam control valve slowly – this helps preventing water hammer of any condensate in the
steam circuit and reduces the pressure/thermal shock to the exchanger.
o Thermal/pressure shocks can create fatigue on plates and may result cracks on them.
 Ensure that the steam trap is correctly sized to allow full condensate discharge –this prevents water
clogging inside the exchanger which may crack plates and damage gaskets.

 Always check for pressure pulsations in the heat exchanger caused

by the pumps and/or control valves.
 Always check the unit for leakages.
 Check that all vents are closed to prevent air being sucked into the
system.

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SHUT DOWN

 Shut-down for a short period

If the plate type heat exchanger has to be shut down for a short period, please follow the following
procedure:
 Slowly close the control valve in the hotcircuit while maintaining the full flow in the cold circuit,
 Shut off the hot circuit pump/s,
 Cool down the heat exchanger to under to safe temperature to handle,
 Gradually close the control valve in the cold circuit,
 Shut off the cold circuit pump,
 Close all remaining shut off valves (inlet and outlet for both circuits).

 Shut-down for a long period

Apply procedures for shut-down for a short period, then follow the steps below:
 Let unit to cool down so it can be handled safely,
 Drain all circuits by drain valves
 Lubricate threads on the tightening bolts to prevent friction,
 Loosen tightening bolts until the plate pack is relaxed,
 The tightening bolts should not be removed or loosened to such an extent that dirt is allowed to
enter in-between the plates.
 The plate heat exchanger must be drained fully since some steady media can create corrosion or
different type of contamination on the plate surface.
 It is recommended to cover the plate pack to protect from sunlight, welding, or any kind of
reconstruction work.

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MAINTENANCE
Maintenance of the plate heat exchanger is the most important factor to have safe and reliable operation.
ARES PHE recommends preventive maintenance to avoid any sudden problems which can affect your
valuable process. Therefore, it is essential; depending on the applications plate heat exchangers must be
serviced from time to time. ARES also suggests that to keep minimum number of spare parts as plates and
gaskets for any unforeseen problems caused by these equipments.

ARES staff is avaliable at all times for your need and assistance for your service needs.

Before handling the plate heat exchanger:

 Always wear protective equipment when handling plate heat exchanger.

 Make sure the media inside the circuits is not dangerous in a way of skin
contact, inhaling etc.
 Always work on spacious place to avoid any injury or cut from the plates.
 The plates have very sharp edge, handle them carefully.

OPENING THE PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER

Please follow the required steps to open the plate heat exchanger.

 Slowly close the valves on the inlet nozzles.

 Shut off pumps and close the valves on both outlets.
 If the plate pack is too hot, then wait until the temperature is cooled down.
 Open the drain & vent valve to empty the media (Open the first drain valve,
and vent valve).
 Remove pipe connection from head plate and pressure plate (if the unit is
multi pass).
 Check sliding surface of carrying bar and roller of movable cover to see for any
part as an obstacle.
 Remove protected cover from tie bolts.
 Clean the threads of the tie bolts and lubricate with grease to reduce
friction
 Mark the no. of plates in sequence as shown on drawing.
 Remove the tie bolts from the frame.
 Pull away the pressure plate to have access to the plate pack.

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CLEANING

Most of the plate heat exchangers are exposed to fouling/contamination. Contamination/fouling may occur
at the inlet ports, plate port area and on the plate itself in different types. Fouling if not cleaned increases
the pressure drop (as a result of clogging) and reduces the heat transfer performance. Therefore, cleaning is
essential to prevent these problems. Fouling on the plates can be removed manually or by CIP (cleaning in
place). The cleaning of the plate heat exchanger may vary depending on the size, application, plate and
gasket material.

 Frame Cleaning
o Clean the outside of the PHE frame, especially the carrying bar, guiding bar, bolts.
o Grease the tightening bolts so they are not exposed to corrosive environment
o If there is any chipped paint area, redo paint damage on the frames to prevent
spreading of corrosion.

 Plate Cleaning
Cleaning agent must be chosen carefully, which can remove the scaling on the plates without damaging the
plates and gaskets. All stainless steel material has a protecting layer and this film must not be destroyed,
since this layer provides the resistance of the stainless steel against corrosion. We advise you to ask for a
confirmation from the supplier of the cleaning agent that it will not damage the materials. ollow the
instructions carefully as given by the detergent supplier/cleaning specialist.

 CIP Cleaning

CIP (Cleaning In Place) is method of cleaning without opening the plate heat exchanger. Cleaning
media is pumped through the plate pack to clean the mild/medium fouling on the surface of the
plate. Depending on the application and level of fouling CIP might be best solution but not a
permanent solution for your process. It is important to use the correct cleaning media against
the contamination to be effective.

Use only recommended cleaning agents by ARES.

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 Manual Cleaning
o Open the unit in according to the given disassembly procedures
o Clean each plate separately while hanging or on a flat surface depending on the level of
contamination.
o Never use a steel brush on the plates. If a brush is required, use the ones with hard
plastic or similar which are softer and do not have metal content in it. If iron is forcibly
rubbed on a stainless steel surface, it will result in accelerated rusting and/or corrosion.
o Be careful not to scratch the gasket surfaces which can cause leakage.
o After brushing, each plate should be rinsed with clean water.
o Use high pressure rinse when cleaning to be more effective.
o The gaskets must be wiped dry and solid particles to be removed off them ( Even a grain
of sand might cause leakage if stuck between a plate and a gasket)
o The lower portion of each plate as hung in the unit should be inspected carefully and
cleaned appropriately as this is the primary area where residual solid material tends to
accumulate.

 Do not use hydrochloric acids, or water containing in excess of 300 ppm chlorides, with
stainless steel.
 Do not use phosphoric or sulfamic acid on titanium plates.
 DO NOT USE cleaning solution concentration to 4% in strength, with temperatures not
exceeding 60°C unless otherwise specified.

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RECOMMENDED CLEANING AGENTS

Cleaning agents - Incrustation,scaling

Concentration max 4%

Temperature max. 60 °C
Incrustation-Scaling Sediment Cleaning agent
Calcium carbonate Corrosion products Nitric acid
Calcium sulphate Metal oxides Sulfamic acid
Silt Citric acid
Alumina Phosphoric acid
Silicates Diatomic orgsnisms and colours Complexing agnets (EDTA,NTA)
their excrement of various Sodium polyphosphates
colours

Cleaning agents - Biological growth, slime

Concentration max 4 %

Temperature max. 60 °C
Biologial growth -Slime Cleaning agent
Bacteria Sodium hydroxide
Nematodes Sodium carbonate
Cleaning effect can be considerably increased by the addition of
Protozoa small quantities of hypochlorite or agents for the formation of
complexes and surfactants

Cleaning agents - Oil residues, asphalt fats

Deposit Cleaning agent
Oil residues Paraffinic naphta-based solvent ([Link])
Asphalt
Fats
Gaskets in EPDM swells in these media. Contact
time should be limited to 30 minutes.

Cleaning agents - Gasket Glue

Glue Deposit Cleaning agent
Dried glue for gasket Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) - Acetone

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CLOSING

After maintenance and servicing the heat exchanger, you can close it according to the below specifications.

Diffrent type of tools such as hydraulic and pneumatic can be used to ease the operation of closing.
Tightening the plate pack is more difficult as it comes closer to the minimum tightening distance, therefore it
is recommended to do it in 30 minutes intervals as it gets harder to let the plate pack settle during this time.

 Put plates one by one in to the frame, checking each gasket surface to prevent any particle to enter
between plate and gaskets.
 Make sure that you put plates in the right place as you draw a line before disaseembling it.
 After putting all the plates between the frame push/close the pressure plate (rear frame) to keep
the plate pack fixed in between.
 Observe that you have a honeycomb pattern as shown on the drawing, which indicates correct
placement of the plate pack.
 Put lubrication oil on tigtening bolts and nuts to reduce friction force.
 Put longer bolts first and then start tigtening by the desired method. Tighten the bolts in cross
method so the frame is not deformed by an excessive force.
 When plate pack is tigtened to a certain distance, put shorter bolts to keep a balanced tightening
mehod. Make sure the difference along the plate pack is not over 5mm after changing to the other
bolts.
 Tighten the unit until the minimum tightening distance (A) is reached.
 Make sure that final difference along the plate pack at each section is not over 3mm.
 Test each circuit before putting into operation to see if there is any leakage at any section.
 Follow procedures for start-up.

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TROUBLESHOOTING

PROBLEM POSSIBLE CAUSE SOLUTION

*Check the rubber liners

*Check the flange gasket
At connnection between frame and flange
*Check the O-ring
*Fit the pipes tension-free
Leakage

Mixing of hot and cold fluids *Check the plates for holes and/or cracks

*Check the assembly dıstance

Plate pack *Check the condition of the gaskets
*Check the proper position of the gaskets

Pressure and temperature above design

*Adjust operating condıtıons
parameters

*De-aerate the pipe system by air-vents

Air in the system
*Check the pipe work for possible air traps
Insufficent
capacity

The operating conditions deviate from the *Adjust the operating conditions
specification ( flow rate, inlet temperatures)

The heat exchanger is dirty *Clean the heat exchanger

*Redo the pipe work (apply inlet and outlet ports

The connections have been interchanged
as in the datasheet

Flow larger than the design flow *Adjust the flow

Too high pressure drop

Plate channels are blocked *Flush/clean

Instrument malfunction *Check the pressure indicator

*Addition of cleaning agents or anti-freeze may

Medium devating from the design properties change
performance
*De-aerate the pipe system
Air in the system
*Check the pipe work for possible air traps
*Apply CIP or open heat exchanger to clean port
Inlet ports are clogged
entries

Piping connections are correctly placed *Change piping according to the datasheet
Mixing Fluids

Make sure pass plates (if the hex is multi pass) *Open heat exchanger and place plates correctly
placed according to the plate arrangement list according to the flow arrangement list
Make sure the gaskets on the dioganol part, where *Open heat exchanger and spot the plate which
the ports are not slipped off the groove has a slipped gasket.
*Open heat exchanger and dye-penetrant test
Cracked plates
each plate to find the crack.

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