Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger
Compact plate-and-frame design for liquid-to-liquid duties.
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
Short answer
A gasketed plate heat exchanger—also called a plate and frame heat exchanger—uses a removable plate pack with elastomer gaskets to separate alternating hot and cold liquid channels. Choose it when compact liquid-to-liquid heat transfer and direct access for inspection, cleaning or gasket replacement matter. As a gasketed plate heat exchanger manufacturer, Shanghai Jiangxing selects the plate pattern, channel arrangement, plate material, gasket compound and frame for the confirmed process conditions.
A gasketed plate heat exchanger (GPHE) consists of corrugated heat-transfer plates compressed between fixed and movable frame plates. Peripheral gaskets seal the plate edges and direct the hot and cold liquids through alternating channels, usually in counter-current flow.
Unlike a permanently sealed plate exchanger, its plate pack can be opened. Operators can inspect individual plates, remove deposits mechanically, replace worn gaskets and, where the frame and thermal design allow, add or remove plates when the duty changes.
Typical selection starts with the two fluids, temperatures, flow rates, allowable pressure drop, fouling tendency and cleaning method. HVAC isolation, district heating, process cooling and suitable food duties are common applications; final construction and materials are confirmed against the project data.
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 | Selected from the confirmed duty, pressure-drop allowance and available frame size |
| 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 |
Choose this when / Do not choose this when
A quick suitability check before you commit to a construction.
Choose this construction when
- Both streams are clean liquids and the duty sits inside the gasket envelope (standard frames to 2.5 MPa, about 180 °C)
- A close temperature approach is worth paying for — heat recovery, district heating, free cooling
- Floor area or hold-up volume is restricted
- The plate pack must be openable for inspection, mechanical cleaning or gasket replacement
- Duty may grow later and you want to add plates instead of replacing the unit
- Food, dairy or hygienic service requiring FDA-compliant gasket compounds and inspectable surfaces
Do not choose this construction when
- Design pressure or temperature exceeds the gasket-limited frame rating
- The medium carries fibres, large particles or settling solids that would block narrow channels
- The duty is a large-vapour-fraction condenser, reboiler or vaporizer
- The gasket compound has no compatible option for the medium — consider fully welded plate instead
- The unit must be sealed and unattended in an OEM package — a brazed plate unit fits that better
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)
- Corrosion data: chloride content, pH, concentration, any known material restrictions
- Fouling tendency, suspended solids or fibres, and cleaning method (CIP or mechanical)
- Code requirements: PED, ASME U-stamp, GB, classification society, etc.
Procurement and selection dimensions
The dimensions that decide the configuration, and what each one changes in the quotation.
Sets the required plate area and channel arrangement
Balances channel velocity, plate pattern and frame size
Sets plate material and confirms whether narrow channels are suitable
Sets the elastomer compound and usable service envelope
Sets channel gap, design margin and maintenance access
Sets spare frame capacity and whether plates can be added later
Confirms the frame can be installed and serviced in place
Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger Industry Applications
Transfers heat between primary and secondary water circuits while keeping the systems hydraulically separated. Plate, gasket and frame selections depend on the confirmed water chemistry and design conditions.
An openable plate pack supports inspection and planned cleaning. Hygienic connections, plate finish and gasket requirements are confirmed for the specific process.
Separates chilled-water, cooling-water or heat-recovery loops where compact installation and service access are priorities.
Alternative plate and gasket materials can be evaluated from fluid composition, concentration, chlorides, temperature and cleaning chemistry.
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 | Typically much smaller — often a fraction of the floor area, depending on duty | Baseline — significantly larger |
| Hold-up volume | Substantially lower 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 | Possible within the gasketed envelope, but limited by pressure, temperature and vapour volume — welded plate or shell-and-tube is usually preferred | Well established — 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.