PHE Software: manage dimple pattern or multiple herringbone patterns with CUSTOM FACTORS
Now you can also model unconventional plates – such as those with dimple pattern or multiple herringbone angles – with the same accuracy as traditional plates.
We inaugurate this new section dedicated to the evolutions of our Unilab PHE software, the platform for the design, verification, and selection of gasketed and brazed plate heat exchangers. The innovations we present today are the result of years of research and development by our R&D team, and represent an important step forward in modeling the thermal and fluid dynamic performance of heat exchangers.
Introduction of Custom Factors: more flexibility and precision
The first major innovation is the introduction of the a new custom factor system in Unilab PHE: an advanced evolution of the calculation model, designed to offer maximum flexibility and fidelity to real data, especially for expert users or manufacturers developing non conventional plates.
What is the Custom Factors system
The custom factors system represents an extension of the classical method used to calculate partial heat transfer coefficients (Nusselt Number) and friction factors. Originally developed for Plate & Shell exchangers, the model has also been optimized for plate heat exchangers, based on the Dittus-Boelter equations and its variants.
Through this system, the user can directly modify the main parameters of the equations (c, y, x) and the reference values of the Reynolds Number, organized for laminar and turbulent conditions.
In this way, the software automatically determines the most appropriate regime region based on operating conditions.
Application also to unconventional geometries: beyond the herringbone
One of the strengths of the new method is its independence from the herringbone angle. This means the system can correctly model plates that do not have the conventional herringbone pattern, such as:
- Plates with Dimple Pattern
- Plates with hybrid or irregular geometries
- Plates with variable angles or non-standard fluid dynamic designs
- Flexible plates with multiple herringbone angles
(from left to right – an exemplary representation of a “dimpled” plate, and an example of flexible plates with multiple herringbone angles integrated into the same plate. Both are now manageable with UniSuite PHE).
In these cases, the custom factors method allows precise definition of the thermal and hydraulic behavior of the plate, without forcing adaptation to a model based on a conventional angle.
Advantages for the user
The system is designed to ensure maximum flexibility and adherence to real data, both for expert users and for those using the software in standard mode:
- Flexibility for advanced users
More technical customers, who have their own experimental data (often in the form of factors or curves in Excel), can enter their own equations and adapt the model directly to their laboratory results or internal software references.
- Design optimization and pressure drop management
Plate exchangers are “rigid” components in terms of pressure limits and pressure drops (e.g. 50 kPa). The custom system allows precise modeling of mixed or ultra-flexible plates – for example configurations with multiple angles (HS/HD) or custom designs – to optimize performance and keep pressure drops within design limits. - Precise control of performance curves
By modifying the exponents of the Reynolds Number, it is possible to shape the performance curves depending on velocity or operating conditions. This allows more refined control compared to simple linear correction factors. - Alignment with laboratory data or reference software
The system integrates with fitting tools that allow parameters to be extracted directly from the customer’s experimental data, ensuring perfect consistency with laboratory results or reference simulations.
In summary
The new custom factors system in Unilab PHE offers an extremely powerful and flexible platform for those who wish to model even unconventional plates, such as those with Dimple Pattern or hybrid geometries, obtaining consistent, reliable, and customized results.
For less experienced users, the system operates transparently through standard Unilab equations, while maintaining the possibility of customization for those requiring a higher level of control.
In the next article, we will delve into another important innovation: flexible plates with multiple herringbone angles, i.e., multiple herringbone angles integrated into the same plate, perfectly managed within Unilab PHE.
