Asymmetrically corrugated plate heat exchanger plates

Design flexibility for plate heat exchangers is a measure of the ability to adjust the characteristics of individual channels (semi-)independently to suit a particular application. Conventional plate heat exchangers with approximately sinusoidal corrugations have limited design flexibility since the channels for the two heat- exchanging streams are generally geometrically identical. Corrugations that are assymetrical in profile make it possible to construct physically different configurations from a set of identical plates: channels of different cross-sectional free flow area are feasible. Such plates used in various orientations with respect to each other were found to be less efficient than plates with sinusoidal corrugations because a lower heat transfer rate is obtained per unit of pumping power. However, when the flow rates or allowable pressure drops of the two streams exchanging heat differ greatly, such plates may be advantageous.