SWEP V400T

Mount it vertically. Chiller duty is two-phase on the refrigerant side, and a plate pack laid on its side or back neither distributes nor drains properly. Pipe the two fluids counter-current, because that gives the closest approach; a replacement piped co-current shows up as lost capacity with nothing visibly wrong.

The weight needs planning. By SWEP's formula a 110-plate V400T is about 94 kg (207 lb) empty, so it sits on a base or bracket under the unit, and the pipework is supported separately so the connections carry no load and no compressor vibration. See Mounting and Piping.

Start with what cannot wear off. Measure the cover plate and the port centres, count the plates along the edge of the pack, and note the connection type and size at each of the four ports. The catalogued V400T part numbers on file run from 50 to 220 plates in SC material and pressure class M, so a plate count and a connection list narrow the field quickly.

Dimensions alone will not separate a V400T from a B400T, P400T or S400T, since all four share the outline. Any surviving fragment of the model prefix, the article number, or the chiller's own model and serial number settles it. The Model Number Guide shows where each code sits in the designation.

Yes, and in place is the only way - a brazed unit cannot be opened. Circulate a cleaning solution through the water side, preferably against the normal flow direction so deposits lift off the way they arrived, then rinse thoroughly. Because the braze is copper, the cleaner has to be safe for copper as well as stainless steel.

On a unit this size, fit valved cleaning connections on the water side when it is installed; adding them later means cutting large pipe. SWEP publishes a 1 mm maximum particle size for the V400T, and a strainer upstream is what keeps cleaning an occasional job.

It is meant for high-capacity chiller applications where the exchanger has to fit a constrained space: up to 280 plates on a 304 mm wide frame, with flow up to 365.44 GPM.

It is the wrong unit in three cases. On a chiller built around the True Dual DB400, DP400, DS400 or DV400, the V400T fits the space but is a different exchanger. On ammonia, the copper braze is attacked, so a copper-free construction is needed. On chloride-bearing cooling water - seawater, brackish or heavily chlorinated - 316 plates pit, and that duty wants SMO 254.

Too few plates shows up first as water-side pressure drop: the pump runs out of head, flow falls, and the approach temperature opens up. On a chiller that means a lower evaporating temperature or a higher condensing temperature than design, and more compressor power for the same load.

Too many plates is quieter but not harmless. Channel velocity drops, so deposits settle sooner and the unit behaves poorly at part load. The 365.44 GPM figure is a ceiling set by the ports, not a design point. Size the plate count to the actual duty, anywhere up to 280 plates.

The catalogued designations on file are single-pass, written /1P - for example V400THx50/1P-SC-M. In a single-pass unit each fluid crosses the plate pack once and all four connections sit on the front cover plate.

A multi-pass build sends a fluid through the pack more than once. That lengthens the thermal path for a close approach or a long temperature change, at the price of more pressure drop, and it puts connections on the rear cover plate as well. A replacement therefore has to carry the same pass code as the original, or the pipework will not land on the ports.

These models are catalogued alongside the V400T. Each has its own page with its dimensions, materials and part numbers.

SWEP B400T - Asymmetric pass arrangement - two passes one side, one the other.

SWEP DB400 - True Dual brazed plate condenser for flexible chillers and climate control, 694 x 304 mm.

SWEP DP400 - True Dual brazed plate evaporator for flexible chillers and climate control, 694 x 304 mm.

SWEP DS400 - True Dual brazed plate evaporator with two refrigerant circuits, 694 x 304 mm, up to 282 plates.

SWEP DV400 - True Dual brazed plate evaporator, 694 x 304 mm, up to 282 plates, Victaulic and solder connections.

SWEP P400T - Copper-brazed 316/316L evaporator on the B400T frame, up to 280 plates, 365.44 GPM max flow.

SWEP S400T - High-capacity chiller evaporator on the B400T frame, 316/316L plates, copper brazed.

SWEP DB500 - True Dual brazed plate condenser with two refrigerant circuits, 980 x 304 mm, up to 298 plates.

SWEP DS500 - True Dual brazed plate evaporator with two refrigerant circuits, 980 x 304 mm, up to 298 plates.