SWEP E8T

Very little. The published formula is 0.49 kg plus 0.075 kg per plate (1.07 lb plus 0.165 lb per plate), so a 10-plate unit is about 1.2 kg (2.7 lb) and a full 40-plate unit about 3.5 kg (7.7 lb).

Inside a boiler the unit is held by its connections against the hydraulic assembly, which is what it was designed for. Used free-standing on pipework, even this weight should not hang on the threads alone once the unit is full of water and the pipes are expanding and contracting - clip the body or support the pipes close to the ports.

They share a footprint and a 17.61 GPM port ceiling but not a purpose. The E8T is the general boiler unit with an All-Active plate pack. The E8AS (315 x 74 mm) is mainly for heating tap water, and the E8LAS (316 x 74 mm) is for the highest thermal demands in tap water production; the AS in both names means AsyMatrix asymmetric channels.

The BX8T, also 315 x 73 mm, is for single-phase and two-phase applications. The B8T is 317 x 76 mm and is shown nickel brazed, where the E8T is copper brazed. The B8DW is the double-wall version. Each is a seperate part with its own rating.

The part numbers on file are all single-pass, written /1P, in counts from 10 to 40 plates. SWEP's example designation for the model is a two-pass unit, E8TH/2P-SC-S, so both arrangements exist.

Two passes lengthen the path through the pack, which suits a small flow needing a large temperture rise, at the price of more pressure drop across the unit. In a boiler that pressure drop comes out of the hot-water flow rate at the tap. The two arrangements also differ in where the fluid enters and leaves, so a 2P unit is not a substitute for a 1P unit. The Model Number Guide shows how to read the pass code.

It is the last letter of the designation, after the material code. In E8THx24/1P-SC-S the SC is the material - 316/316L plates with copper braze - and the final S is the pressure class.

S is the general-duty category, 31 bar at 155 C, and every E8T on file is S class. Treat that as the class envelope; the rating that applies to a given unit is the one stamped on it. Copper braze has its own temperature ceiling of roughly 185 C, well above anything a boiler circuit reaches, so on this model the system's own relief setting is the limit that matters day to day.

These models are catalogued alongside the E8T. Each has its own page with its dimensions, materials and part numbers.

SWEP B8T - Nickel-brazed - the copper-free option at small size, for ammonia and aggressive media.

SWEP B8DW - The most compact double-wall brazed plate heat exchanger in the SWEP range.

SWEP B8LAS - Compact AsyMatrix brazed plate heat exchanger pairing high thermal performance with low pressure drop.

SWEP BX8T - Compact All-Active brazed plate unit for heat pumps and container refrigeration, to 17.61 GPM.

SWEP E8AS - AsyMatrix brazed plate heat exchanger on the B8T frame, used mainly for heating tap water.

SWEP E8LAS - AsyMatrix brazed plate heat exchanger on the B8T frame for the highest thermal demands in tap water.