The Company The Products
Plate Heat Exchangers
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Your contact:The specifications contained in this printing unit are intended only to serve the non-binding description of our products and services and are not subject to guarantee. Binding specifications, especially pertaining to performance data and suitability forspecific operating purposes, are dependent upon the individual circumstances at theoperation location and can, therefore, only be made in terms of precise requests.
GEA EcoflexGmbH
Process EquipmentDivision
GEA Ecoflex GmbH · Karl-Schiller-Str. 1–3 · D-31157 Sarstedt · Phone: +49 (0) 50 66 /6 01-0 · Fax: +49 (0) 50 66 /6 01-104 · www.gea-ecoflex.com · E-mail: [email protected]
A company of GEA Group
GEA PHE SystemsCompetence in Heat Transfer
With emphasis on the highest quality standards and constant innovations, GEA Ecoflex continues to expand its market position: Within the GEA Process Equipment Division, GEA Ecoflex together with GEA Ecobraze, GEA WTT, GEA PHE Systems North America and GEA EcoServe forms GEA PHE Systems, the Center of Competence and Service Center for gasketed, brazed and fully welded plate heat exchangers of GEA Group AG.
• HVAC• refrigeration
• sugar• chemical
• paper• food
• life science• marine
• power• renewable energy
Contact details at:
www.gea-phe.com
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Whether you are a major player on a regional,
national or global basis – GEA Ecoflex is your
competent partner for all types of plate heat
exchangers (PHE). Our know-how is the
assurance of your success:
individual solutions
highest product quality
economic implementation
comprehensive service.
With 75 years of experience in consistently
meeting the specific needs of the customer,
GEA Ecoflex has achieved a leading position
on the global market for plate heat exchangers.
GEA Ecoflex invests considerably in research
and development, to maintain and continuously
expand our competence. In doing this we give
our customers a competitive edge, by our
constant development of new, more efficient
plate types to suit every field of application.
The GEA Group The GEA Group, headquartered in Bochum,
Germany, is a globally successful technology
group with operating companies in around 50
countries.
GEA stands for Global Engineering Alliance. The
company now focuses on specialty mechanical
engineering – especially process engineering and
equipment – and plant engineering.
The GEA Group is one of the world's market and
technology leaders in 90 percent of its businesses.
The seven divisions of specialty mechanical engi-
neering include:
Process engineering components
Energy technology
Air treatment
Refrigeration
Process engineering
Mechanical separation
Dairy farm systems
and are bundled in the Customized Systems,
Process Equipment and Process Engineering
segments.
GEA Ecoflex
Assuring your success
Would you wear overalls to a cocktail party? Or
turn up in shorts at a board meeting? Certainly
not! Your outfit should always suit the occasion.
It’s no difference with plate heat exchangers.
This is the reason why GEA Ecoflex provides
tailor-made solutions to suit a wide range of
media, demands and production processes:
gasketed plate heat exchangers are the
economic all-rounders
brazed plate heat exchangers are typified
by their compact design and especially
long service life
fully welded plate heat exchangers offer
highest reliability and provide large heat
transfer surfaces.
Plate HeatExchangers
A gasketed plate heat exchanger from
GEA Ecoflex is made up of the following
seven major components:
Support, with certain models, that acts as a
counterpart to the fixed plate and bears the
plate heat exchanger on the opposite side.
Guiding bar, on which, depending on the
model, the plate pack and the loose plate
stand on or are guided by.
Loose plate closes off the plate pack.
Tightening bolts, press the fixed plate and
loose plate together with the plate pack
suspended in between, thus sealing it off.
Carrying beam, on which, depending on the
model, the plate pack and the loose plate are
suspended or guided.
Plate pack, made up of profiled plates with
intermediate gaskets.
Fixed plate, that closes off the plate pack
on the one side and at the same time forms
a load-bearing component of the complete
plate heat exchanger.
The shape of the gaskets between the profiled
plates determines the direction of flow, the flow
opening and the flow gap. Controlled in this way,
the media involved in the heat exchanging
process flow through the plate pack, in turn and
separated from each other.
The performance of the plate heat exchanger
results from the size, pressing structure and
number of the plates installed in series.
The fixed plate is fitted with the inlet and outlet
connections for the liquids involved in the heat
exchanging process. With multiple applications
(internal series connection) of the plate heat
exchanger, connections are also fitted to the
loose plate.
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Design and function of gasketed plate heat exchangers
GEA Ecoflex is the direct successor of the company
founded by Eduard Ahlborn that did pioneering
work in 1928 in inventing the plate heat exchanger
and can therefore rely on many years of experience
in the development and manufacture of plate
heat exchangers.
The company headquarters in Sarstedt – located
just outside the trade fair city of Hanover – is in
control of all activities across the globe.
With emphasis on the highest quality standards
and constant innovations, GEA Ecoflex continues
to expand its market position: Within the
GEA Process Equipment Division, GEA Ecoflex
together with GEA Ecobraze, GEA WTT,
GEA PHE Systems North America and
GEA EcoServe forms GEA PHE Systems, the
Center of Competence and Service Center for
gasketed, brazed and fully welded plate heat
exchangers of GEA Group AG.
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FlexibilityOur plate heat exchangers can be adapted to
changed performance requirements with a mini-
mum of expenditure. The capacity can be
increased or decreased simply by adding or
reducing the number of plates.
Reduced product contentCompared to conventional units, our plate heat
exchangers have a very small volume, thus
reducing the operating weight, and allowing
quicker start-up and run-down of the complete
system, all to the benefit of your product quality.
Compact designThe higher efficiency of plate heat exchangers
compared to conventional tube bundle heat
exchangers permits a compact design which
facilitates maintenance.
Large selection of materialsEvery single case of application places particular
demands on a plate heat exchanger. We can
equip our units with the widest range materials
for plates, gaskets and frames to exactly suit your
requirements.
Cost savingsWith GEA Ecoflex plate heat exchangers you
save:
investment cost and space in comparison
with other technologies
operating costs thanks to simple main-
tenance and high efficiency.
High heat transfer ratesThe plate shapes developed for the various
applications and the wide range of materials
are the basis for the extremely high heat transfer
coefficients of our plate heat exchangers.
No product mixingThe highly developed gasket design reliably
prevents any mixing of the media involved in the
heat exchange process. The flow opening area is
provided with additional safety by double gaskets
and an intermediate leakage chamber.
Adhesive-free gasketsAdhesive-free gaskets enable a particularly fast
replacement and impressively reduce the time
required until you can restart operation of your
plant.
Your advantages
After moving into the highly modern new Sarstedt
headquarters and putting the two press lines with
15,000 t and 8,000 t press force into operation
in 2003, GEA Ecoflex integrated an automated
30,000 t press in Ystad/Sweden into the production
network in 2006. As early as only one year later,
GEA Ecoflex opened a highly modern factory for
small and medium-size plate heat exchangers in
Puna/India, comprising three flexible press lines
of 2,000 t, 1,000 t and 500 t press force.
By mid-/late 2008, GEA PHE Systems will put
a new factory for all types of plate heat exchangers
into operation in York/USA. With this location
concept, GEA PHE Systems will continue to
stand for innovation and close customer contact
around the globe in the future.
Innovative production facilities
around the world
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GEAFlexNT
LWC
Free Flow
Concitherm
Varitherm
The NT series sets new economic standards
with low investments costs, operation and
maintenance. The optimised OptiWave plate
design requires less heat transfer surface for
the same performance.
The new EcoLoc and AutoLoc gasket and instal-
lation methods simplify maintenance and ensure
a perfect fit of the gasket and plate packs.
A wide range of possible sizes and shapes
optimises a design to suit the exact operating
requirements. By using special materials, the
NT series can be adapted for special process
needs.
Over 40 different plate types of the Varitherm
series enable an optimisation of just about every
process application where fibre-free liquids
loaded with small particles are involved. Varitherm
has also established itself as a highly efficient
condenser throughout the world.
As with all gasketed plate heat exchangers from
GEA Ecoflex, the Varitherm keeps the investment
and maintenance costs low and can be supplied
in various combinations of materials and sizes.
A classic of perfect manufacturing quality.
Concitherm stands for a series of free flow plate
heat exchangers with the highest performance.
Optimised plate design enables wide flow gaps
with no contact points even with 3 m2 plates.
A low pressure loss in the apparatus means that
there is scarcely any need for an intermediate
pump. In contrast to conventional tube evaporators,
Concitherm offers an almost 100% higher heat
transfer value.
Concitherm plate evaporators can also be com-
bined as boosters with conventional evaporators.
GEA Ecoflex Free Flow systems are suitable for
products containing solids, crystals, fibres and
pulp, as well as for highly viscous media.
A coarse-waved pressing structure specially
developed for these media means that the plates
are not susceptible to soiling. Up to 12 mm wide
flow channels with no contact points prevent
blockages.
For special applications both wide and narrow
flow gaps can be combined in a Free Flow system.
Critical media limit the usage of plate heat ex-
changers fitted with conventional gaskets.
GEA Ecoflex can offer a technological alternative:
the LWC plate heat exchanger made of Laser
Welded Cassettes. These cassettes are fitted with
gaskets only in the flow opening area. The special
gaskets are resistant to most aggressive media.
The successful OptiWave design of the NT range
is also used in the LWCs and guarantees efficient
heat transfer.
Gasket materials
GEAFlex plate heat exchangers are perfectly
suitable for gaseous, liquid and two-phase media
in the chemical and petrochemical industries.
Temperatures from minus 200 °C to plus 900 °C
as well as pressure ranges of up to 60 bars are no
problem. The asymmetrical plate design and the
innovative tube and ripple embossing ensure
heat transfer with maximum efficiency while
keeping pressure losses low. Freely selectable
pressure-bearing housings and connecting lines
enable configurations of tailor-made GEAFlex
plate heat exchangers with a installed heating
surface area of up to 8000 m2. Its compact design
requires less material, resulting in lower invest-
ment costs, that are especially noticeable when
using high-quality alloys.
REKUGAVO and REKULUVO (from the
German “Rekuperativer Gasvorwärmer”, i.e.
“Recuparative gas preheater”and “Rekuperativer
Luftvorwärmer”, i.e.“Recuparative air preheater”
respectively) are the names given to our fully
welded specialists for gaseous media. The units
achieve exceptionally high heat recovery rates
using the countercurrent principle.
REKULUVO is particularly suited for preheating
combustion air, for example in petrochemical
plants.
REKUGAVO is the perfect heat exchanger for
heating up flue gas to the catalytic reaction
temperature, for example in desulphurisation
units of refuse incineration plants.
PHE by GEA Ecobraze, GEA WTT and GEA PHE
Systems North America, our affiliate companies
in Sweden, Thuringia / Germany and the USA,
are brazed in vacuum with copper or nickel.
Especially compact, space-saving, and gasket-free
they fit many applications that gasketed PHE
cannot serve. The extensive product range offers
solutions for a broad range of applications.
GEAShell – an extremely reliable, fully welded
plate heat exchanger that proves its superiority
where other heat exchangers reach their limits:
At temperatures between minus 200 °C and plus
950 °C and at extreme operating pressures.
The heat transfer area of a GEAShell consists of
many profiled stainless steel plates which are
welded together to form a plate pack and are
precisely fixed in a shell tube. After fitting the
connections, the shell tube is completely welded.
Each GEAShell is manufactured individually and
optimized according to the customer’s wishes.
The material and the position of the shell side
connections may be defined as required.
REKUGAVO/ REKULUVO
No system is stronger than its weakest compo-
nent. This is why GEA Ecoflex is constantly
working on the innovation of the gasket
engineering in gasketed plate heat exchangers.
We have optimised gaskets made of the following
materials to suit the different applications:
NBR, nitrile rubber, stable to 140 °C
Butyl, butyl rubber, stable to 140 °C
EPDM, ethylene/propylene rubber,
resistant to 170 °C
Silicone rubber, resistant to 175 °C
Viton, resistant to 180 °C
Hypalon, resistant to 140 °C
Neoprene, resistant to 90 °C.
The stated temperature limits apply for
water/water applications.
Brazed plate heatexchangers
GEABlocGEABloc fully welded plate heat exchangers by
GEA Ecoflex are a reaction tailored to answer the
call for increased servicing in welded plate heat
exchangers. Access from both sides is its special
feature, offering particular ease of cleaning and
maintenance. GEABloc is a convincing solution
offering compact design, low weight, low invest-
ment costs and high flexibility for applications
in the processing industry. This heat exchanger
is suited for pressure ranges of up to 32 bars and
operating temperatures of up to 315 °C in the
production of chemical and petrochemical
products. GEABloc can be supplied in a wide
range of designs – in special steel, nickel-based
alloys, nickel, duplex and titanium.
GEAShell
NT
Varitherm
Free Flow
REKUGAVO / REKULUVO
Concitherm
Brazed PHE
GEABloc
LWC
The Products
GEAShell
GEAFlex
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Solid as a rock in heavy seas, our plate heat exchangers are used
to cool ship engines and machinery, preheat fuels, air condition
cabins: Your protection on stormy markets.
Your customers expect you to supply hygienically faultless and attractively
priced products. We supply you with the equipment you need to satisfy
these demands.
Ultimate power is our common goal. Be sure to reach it with the highly
efficient plate heat exchangers from GEA Ecoflex – for reliable performance
in turbine cooling or in combined heat and power units.
To ensure that everything functions perfectly, we can offer certified
safety even for critical processes. So that your solutions
remain safely in our apparatus.
Fashion is your business. And trends reflect the production process:
reliable, cost-effective and flexible equipment – GEA Ecoflex has
the tailor-made solution.
Chemistry
Power
Marine
Food
Textiles
GEA EcoServe: For a long life
Nils Holgersson (ferry)
Weko Foods, Ochten (NL)
Vasa Power station, Cottbus (D)
Arla Food, Holstebro (DK)
Whatever HVAC task you have to solve: the GEA Ecoflex
range makes sure you never break sweat.
We sweeten your production: with EVAPplus high-performance plate
evaporators specially optimised for your industry – as indispensable
as sugar is sweet.
We know how difficult it is to handle highly viscous fibre-loaded raw materials.
Our Free Flow systems with wide flow gaps make your job easier.
Health is dependent on your research work and performance.
GEA Ecoflex supports you in these efforts.
In contrast to your cooling units, we never leave you in the cold:
economic plate heat exchangers for all your refrigeration
engineering needs from GEA Ecoflex.
Life Science
Refrigeration
Sugar
Paper
HVAC
Südzucker, Ochsenfurth (D)
District heating, Wolfsburg (D)
Infineon, Munich (D)
BASF, Schwarzheide (D)
UPM-Kymmene, Augsburg (D)
GEA EcoServe – the service organisation of GEA PHE Systems – offers you an
extensive international service network. Whether you use products by GEA Ecoflex
or by another manufacturer – at GEA EcoServe you receive complete service from
a single source, whenever and wherever you need us.
For maintenance and repair we use high-quality spare parts exclusively for all
makes. This guarantees reliable seating, optimum function and a long service life.
For all applications
High speed towards the future: Ecological biofuels grow in nature, are
environmental-friendly, replace fossil fuels and reduce the greenhouse effect.
Forward-looking. Sustainable. Efficient.
Renewable Energy
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