Alfa Laval Gasketed Plate-And-Frame Heat Exchanger TL3

6.3 Manual cleaning of opened units

CAUTION: Never use hydrochloric acid with stainless steel plates. Water of more than 330 ppm Cl may not be used in the preparation of cleaning solutions.

It is very important that aluminium carrying bars and support columns are protected against chemicals.

NOTEP:Be careful not to damage the gasket during manual cleaning.

WARNING: Use proper protective equipment, such as safety boots, safety gloves and eye protection, when using the cleaning agents.

WARNING: Corrosive cleaning liquids. Can cause serious injuries to skin and eyes!

6.3.1 Deposits removable with water and brush

Plates do not need to be removed from the heat exchanger during cleaning.

1. Start cleaning when the heating surface is still wet and the plates are hanging in the frame.

To keep the heat exchanger in good condition, regular maintenance is required. It is recommended to record all maintenance of the heat exchanger.

The plates need to be cleaned on a regular basis. The frequency depends on several factors such as type of media and temperature.

Different methods can be used for cleaning (refer to Cleaning – Non-product side on page 31) or reconditioning can be performed at an Alfa Laval service center.

After a long period of use, it can be required to regasket the heat exchanger. Refer to Regasketing on page 42.

Other maintenance that should be performed regulary:

• Keep the carrying bar and guiding bar clean and grease.

• Keep the tightening bolts cleaned and greased.

• Check that all the tightening bolts are firmly tightened and that the dimension A is correct. Refer to the PHE drawing.;

CAUTION: The recommended pressure for the leakage test is a pressure equal to the operating pressure + 10% of the actual unit but never above the allowable pressure (PS) as stated on the name plate.

WARNING: Testing by putting gas (compressible media) under pressure can be very dangerous. Local laws and regulations regarding to the hazard involved in testing with a compressible medium must be respected. Hazardous examples are explosion risk due to uncontrolled medium expansion and/or suffocation risk due to oxygen depletion.

WARNING: Any rebuilding or modification of the heat exchanger is the responsibility of the end user. Regarding recertification and pressure test (PT) of the heat exchanger the local laws and regulations for in service inspection must be respected. Example of a rebuilding is that more number of plates are added to the plate pack.

Plates or gaskets removed, inserted or exchanged?

Enter the operating pressure of the unit

Enter the allowable pressure (PS) as stated on the name plate

Did the heat exchanger pass the hydrostatic leakage test?

Note any issues found during the test

The stored heat exchanger shall be visually checked every third month. When closing the packing it shall be restored to original condition.

• Greasing of the tightening bolts

• Protection of the plate pack and gaskets

The procedures below concern field gaskets, ring gaskets and end gaskets.

NOTE: Before removing the old gaskets, check how they are attached.

1. Open the heat exchanger, refer to Opening on page 33, and remove the plate that is to have a new gasket.

NOTE: Before opening the heat exchanger, check the warranty conditions. If in any doubt, contact the Alfa Laval sales representative. Refer to Warranty conditions on page 7.

3. Make sure that all sealing surfaces are dry, clean and free of foreign matter such as fat, grease or similar.

4. Check the gasket and remove rubber residual before attaching it.