SWEP B5AS

Measure it with calipers, not a tape. The B5AS is 193 x 76 mm with port centres at 154 x 40 mm. The E5T and E5AS are 192 x 73 mm and the B5 is 187.5 x 72.5 mm, so a careless measurement puts the unit in the wrong family.

Dimensions will not separate a B5AS from a B5T - the outline is identical. For that you need a surviving fragment of the model code, the article number, or the model of the machine it came from. Add the plate count and the connection type at each port, and send photos of the unit and whatever remains of the label.

If any part of the water circuit can drop below freezing, yes. A unit this small holds very little water and has almost no thermal mass, so it freezes quickly, and ice in the channels can split the plate pack. A cooler that sits idle in an unheated space is the usual case - protect it with glycol or drain it.

Glycol is not free. It is more viscous than water, so pressure drop rises and heat transfer falls, and a B5AS rated on water may need more plates on a glycol mix. Give the glycol type and concentration with the duty. See Freeze Protection and Glycol and Fluid Properties.

Vertical is the safe default: it vents air and drains cleanly, and it is required if either side is two-phase. Pipe the fluids counter-current for the closest approach, and keep each fluid on the side it was rated for, since the channels are asymmetric.

The common fault on a unit this light - a 30-plate B5AS is about 1.8 kg (4 lb) by SWEP's formula - is letting it hang from its own pipework or hoses. Vibration and pump pulsation then work on the braze joints at the connections. Clamp the body with a bracket and support the lines separately.

All five share a 17.61 GPM maximum flow, so the choice is about plate design and intended duty, not flow.

The B5T is the same 193 x 76 mm frame without the AsyMatrix plate. The B5 is slightly smaller at 187.5 x 72.5 mm, for small oil or water coolers, and its sheet shows a nickel-brazed configuration. The E5T (192 x 73 mm) was developed for wall-hung, non-condensing boilers, and the E5AS is an AsyMatrix unit optimized for hot tap water production in boilers.

The B5AS is the pick when a small oil or water cooler has to deliver more per footprint. None of the five is a dimensional substitute for another.

These models are catalogued alongside the B5AS. Each has its own page with its dimensions, materials and part numbers.

SWEP B5T - Compact 316 stainless frame for low-flow heating and cooling loops.

SWEP B5 - Very compact brazed plate heat exchanger for small flows, used as a small oil or water cooler.

SWEP E5AS - AsyMatrix brazed plate heat exchanger on the B5T frame, built for hot tap water production in boilers.

SWEP E5T - A very compact copper-brazed plate heat exchanger for wall-hung, non-condensing boilers.