Plate heat exchangers for Oil & gas
In the oil and gas industry, fully welded plate heat exchangers transfer process heat where hydrocarbons attack any elastomer gasket - gasket-free, pressure-resistant and in a small footprint.
Platecore supplies the right design and the suitable material for oil & gas - engineered for the medium, output and operating conditions of your system.
Suitable designs
Tasks in the process
In oil and gas plants, fully welded plate heat exchangers mainly take on three tasks: they recover heat from hot process streams, they cool compressors, lube oil and hydraulic circuits, and they form intermediate circuits that separate a hydrocarbon process medium from the cooling water. The intermediate circuit limits the consequences of a leak to a small, monitored loop.
Limits of the welded design
The pressure and temperature limits are listed on the page of the fully welded design. The plates are available in stainless steel 1.4301 (304) and 1.4404 (316L). For seawater cooling or media with high chloride content we therefore clarify before sizing whether an intermediate circuit or a different design is needed.
The welded pack cannot be opened. Cleaning is chemical and in place (CIP); flushing connections and isolation valves belong in the piping from the start.
What belongs in the enquiry
For each side the medium with its composition or fluid properties (density, viscosity at operating temperature, thermal conductivity), inlet and outlet temperatures, mass or volume flow and the permissible pressure drop. In addition design pressure and temperature, the real pressure profile including surges, and information on solids and on wax or paraffin precipitation.
Hydrocarbons other than oil, gases and condensing streams cannot be selected in the online calculator. We accept them with the enquiry and size them manually.
How duty, temperatures and pressure drop drive the selection is explained in our sizing guide.
Which design suits oil and gas applications?
Fully welded plate heat exchangers are the norm here: hydrocarbons attack elastomer gaskets, make them swell and considerably shorten their service life. Without a gasket this wear part disappears, and the permissible pressures and temperatures depend solely on plate material, weld seam and frame.
Which pressures and temperatures are common in oil and gas processes?
Typical designs run at operating pressures up to 35 bar and temperatures from -50 to 300 degrees Celsius. What matters is not the steady operating point alone but the real pressure profile: surges from fast-switching valves or cycling compressors load weld seams more than a constantly high pressure and belong in the sizing.
What tasks does a plate heat exchanger perform in the oil and gas industry?
Typical duties are heat recovery from process streams, cooling of compressors and hydraulic circuits, conditioning of condensates and intermediate circuits separating process and cooling media. Compared with shell-and-tube units, the plate design saves considerable space at the same duty.
How is the fouling tendency of hydrocarbon media accounted for?
Through a fouling margin on the overall heat transfer coefficient and a sufficiently high channel velocity. Because the welded pack cannot be opened, cleaning is chemical and in place (CIP) - the design has to provide the necessary access and connections from the outset.
Request a sizing
Describe your application in the configurator - you will receive an individual quote within about 1 - 3 business days.
Online sizing