Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger
Compact plate-and-frame design for liquid-to-liquid duties. Plate count, material and gasket matched to your medium, temperature and pressure.
- District heating
- Dairy and food processing
- HVAC and chilled water
- Industrial cooling water
- · Plate / tube material
- · Design pressure & temperature
- · Connection type and size
- · Code and certification
Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger Overview
A Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger (GPHE) is a compact, high-efficiency heat transfer device built from a stack of pressed metal plates clamped between a fixed and a movable frame. Each plate carries a peripheral elastomer gasket that defines two independent flow channels — hot side and cold side — and the two media flow countercurrent through alternating channels, exchanging heat across the thin plate wall.
Because heat transfer occurs across a corrugated, turbulence-inducing surface and the plate metal is typically only 0.4–0.6 mm thick, a GPHE delivers an overall heat transfer coefficient (U-value) several times higher than a comparable shell-and-tube exchanger, in roughly one-third of the footprint and one-fifth of the hold-up volume. The plate pack is fully detachable for inspection, mechanical cleaning, and capacity expansion by adding or removing plates.
Shanghai Jiangxing supplies gasketed plate heat exchangers from small district-heating substations up to large industrial duties, with plate materials, gasket compounds, port sizes and frame ratings selected for each specific service.
Operating Conditions
| Design pressure | Up to 2.5 MPa (25 bar), standard frames; higher on request |
| Design temperature | −25 °C to +180 °C, gasket-limited |
| Heat transfer area | 0.1 – 2,500 m² per unit |
| Single-unit flow rate | Up to ~3,600 m³/h water-equivalent |
| Plate thickness | 0.4 – 0.8 mm, chevron / herringbone corrugation |
| Connection sizes | DN25 – DN500, flanged or threaded |
| Typical approach temperature | As low as 1 °C between streams |
Materials of Construction
| Plate materials | AISI 304, 316L, 254 SMO, titanium Gr.1/Gr.2, Hastelloy C276, nickel 200, SAF 2205 duplex |
| Gasket compounds | NBR (≤110 °C), EPDM (≤150 °C), EPDM-HT (≤180 °C), FKM/Viton (chemical), HNBR, food-grade FDA-compliant variants |
| Frame & tie bolts | Carbon steel painted, optional stainless cladding or 316 fully wetted |
| Connection liners | Stainless, rubber-lined, or titanium for seawater duties |
Selection Parameters
Information our engineering team uses to size and quote this unit.
- Hot-side and cold-side medium (chemical composition, contaminants)
- Flow rate on both sides (m³/h or kg/h) and allowable pressure drop
- Inlet and outlet temperatures on both sides
- Design pressure and design temperature for each side
- Required heat duty (kW) or LMTD target
- Fouling factors / cleanliness expectations
- Connection orientation, footprint envelope, and any code requirements (PED, ASME, GB)
RFQ Data Checklist
Send the items below with your inquiry for the fastest accurate quotation.
- Application / process description
- Medium on each side (and concentration if applicable)
- Flow rate, inlet and outlet temperatures on each side
- Design pressure and design temperature on each side
- Required heat duty (kW) or required outlet temperature
- Allowable pressure drop on each side
- Preferred plate material and gasket compound (if known)
- Code requirements: PED, ASME U-stamp, GB, classification society, etc.
Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger Industry Applications
Heating water 95/70 °C against secondary loop 60/80 °C, 6 MW duty, 316L plates with EPDM-HT gaskets — typical municipal heat exchanger station.
Three-section unit (regeneration / heating / cooling) with FDA-compliant gaskets, 316L plates and clamp-style sanitary connections.
Free-cooling interface between cooling-tower loop and chilled-water loop, allowing chillers to be bypassed for 30–40 % of the year in temperate climates.
Acidic process stream cooled with plant cooling water, titanium Gr.1 plates with FKM gaskets for chloride resistance.
Gasketed Plate vs Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger
Both technologies cover the same broad range of liquid/liquid duties, but a gasketed plate exchanger is dramatically more compact and efficient where the media are clean. Shell-and-tube wins where pressure, temperature, fouling or phase change exceed plate limits.
| Gasketed Plate (GPHE) | Shell-and-Tube (STHE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Heat transfer coefficient (U) | 3,000 – 7,000 W/m²·K typical | 300 – 1,500 W/m²·K typical |
| Footprint for same duty | ≈ 1/3 the floor area | Baseline — significantly larger |
| Hold-up volume | ≈ 1/5 the fluid volume | Large shell-side volume |
| Closest approach temperature | As low as 1 °C | Practically 5 – 10 °C |
| Max design pressure | Up to 25 bar standard | Up to 200+ bar, custom designs higher |
| Max design temperature | ≈ 180 °C (gasket-limited) | Up to 600 °C+ |
| Phase change duties | Limited — partial vaporization only | Excellent — condensers, reboilers, vaporizers |
| Tolerance to fouling / solids | Sensitive — narrow channels | Tolerant — large tubes, mechanical cleaning |
| Maintenance | Open frame, clean every plate, replace gaskets | Pull tube bundle, mechanical or chemical cleaning |
| Best-fit duties | District heating, HVAC, dairy/food, process cooling with clean media | High pressure/temperature, dirty service, vaporizers, condensers, large refineries |
Gasketed Plate vs Brazed Plate Heat Exchanger
Same plate geometry, different sealing strategy. Brazed units win on compactness and high pressure; gasketed units win on serviceability, large areas and aggressive media.
| Gasketed Plate (GPHE) | Brazed Plate (BPHE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | Plate pack with peripheral gaskets, clamped between frame plates | Vacuum-brazed plate pack — sealed, no gaskets or bolts |
| Max design pressure | Typically up to 25 bar | Up to 45 bar standard; 140 bar for CO₂ versions |
| Max design temperature | ≈ +180 °C, limited by gasket compound | +225 °C (copper-brazed); +400 °C (nickel-brazed, short-term) |
| Heat transfer area range | 0.1 – 2,500 m² per unit | 0.01 – 60 m² per unit |
| Field serviceability | Fully openable — inspect every plate, replace gaskets, add/remove plates | Not openable — CIP cleaning only |
| Best-fit duties | District heating, dairy/food, central HVAC, process cooling, large industrial duties | Refrigeration evaporators/condensers, heat pumps, oil cooling, DHW modules, OEM chillers |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sourcing, verification and next steps
Every unit is engineered to the confirmed duty, materials and inspection scope of the order. Design codes, test certificates and third-party inspection are quoted as options and confirmed per project rather than assumed. See our heat exchanger manufacturing and OEM capability, the quality control and inspection workflow, and the heat exchanger cost guide for what drives price. For a first-pass thermal check, use the heat exchanger sizing calculator, then send your process data for a quotation.
Need a Heat Exchanger for Your Project?
Send your working conditions, drawing or datasheet. Blair will review your request and help confirm the next step.