Top Entry/ Bottom Entry concept for plate freezers

[smpsmp45]

I am attaching a file from Stoecker on this subject. That book also gives important issues on circulation raios too

[US Iceman]

smpsmp45,

Thanks for the file. If you notice in figure 8.10.a this shows a similar effect of coil circuiting as in the previous drawing you posted. The refrigerant enters on the bottom. The first circuit receives liquid initially and this same circuit is also the last one in the outlet header. If you follow the inlet header to the last circuit then follow that circuit to the outlet header you will notice it is the first circuit closest to the outlet header.

This is simple hydraulics by balancing the pressure losses across the circuits, which is determined by the piping arrangement.

This is identical to that drawing of the plates you posted earlier. Just follow the flow through the circuits one circuit at a time.

Everything that is being described in that section is based on the way we do things right now. Does it work? Yes. Are there other ways to do this? Again I think so based on what I have seen and done.

Ranger1's comment is accurate I think. If you are only pumping liquid through a heat exchanger you need to keep the fluid velocity high enough to achieve turbulent flow (where the best heat transfer occurs).

Since the plate evaporators are grouped (as the circuits in the noted figure show) then you either have to try to balance the flows hydraulically (by equal total circuit lengths) or meter each circuit independently.

Using a phase change mechanism makes more sense to me than using a sensible method requiring a lot of liquid pumping.

Personally, I think there is a better way of doing this.