This article was downloaded by: [University of Tehran]

On: 29 September 2014, At: 00:48

Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House,
37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
Heat Transfer Engineering
Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:
http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uhte20
The New 3rd Edition of the ALPEMA Plate-Fin Heat
Exchanger Standards
John R. Thome
a
a
Laboratory of Heat and Mass Transfer , Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne ,
Lausanne, Switzerland
Published online: 11 Oct 2011.
To cite this article: John R. Thome (2010) The New 3rd Edition of the ALPEMA Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger Standards, Heat
Transfer Engineering, 31:1, 1-2, DOI: 10.1080/01457630903263176
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01457630903263176
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE
Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the Content) contained
in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no
representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the
Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and
are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and
should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for
any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever
or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of
the Content.
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic
reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any
form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://
www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Heat Transfer Engineering, 31(1):12, 2010
Copyright C Taylor and Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0145-7632 print / 1521-0537 online
DOI: 10.1080/01457630903263176
edi tori al
The New 3rd Edi ti on of the ALPEMA
Pl ate- Fi n Heat Exchanger Standards
JOHN R. THOME
Laboratory of Heat and Mass Transfer, Ecole Polytechnique F ed erale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
As the Chairman of ALPEMA (Aluminum Plate-Fin Heat
Exchanger Manufacturers Association) since May 2008, I wish
to announce the new third edition of the ALPEMA Standards
for the construction of brazed aluminum plate-n heat ex-
changers. The development of the new third edition of the
ALPEMA Standards has involved a signicant effort by the
former chairman of ALPEMA, David Butterworth, the cur-
rent secretariat (Simon Pugh of IHS, London), and the ve
ALPEMA member companies [Chart Energy and Chemicals
Inc. (USA), Fives Cryo (France), Kobe Steel, Ltd. (Japan),
Linde AG (Germany), and Sumitomo Precision Products Co.,
Ltd. (Japan)]. I wish to acknowledge their many contributions to
help me update and extend this industrial standard for the safe
construction and operation of brazed aluminum plate-n heat
exchangers.
In brief, brazed aluminum plate-n exchangers are the most
effective and energy-efcient heat exchangers for handling a
wide range of services, noted particularly for their compactness
and lowweight. This class of heat exchangers nearly always pro-
vides the lowest capital, installation, and operating cost when-
ever the application is within the operating range of these units,
in particular over a wide range of cryogenic and non-cryogenic
applications. Where it is feasible to use a brazed aluminumplate-
n heat exchanger, it is usually the most cost-effective solution,
often by a signicant margin. These units enjoy a very large
heat transfer surface area per unit volume of heat exchanger.
They provide a total surface area of 1000 to 1500 m
2
/m
3
of vol-
Address correspondence to Prof. John Thome, Laboratory of Heat and Mass
Transfer, EPFL-STI-IGM-LTCM, Mail 9, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
E-mail: john.thome@ep.ch
ume; this compares very well with the approximate range of 40
to 70 m
2
/m
3
for shell-and-tube units. Plate-n heat exchangers
with surface area per unit volume of 2000 m
2
/m
3
are sometimes
employed in the process industry!
Plate-n heat exchangers nd applications in aircraft, auto-
mobiles, rail transport, offshore platforms, etc. However, the
main applications are in the industrial gas processing, natural
gas processing, LNG (liqueed natural gas) facilities, rening
of petrochemicals, and refrigeration services. Their ability to
carry multiple streams, occasionally up to 12 or more (as op-
posed to typically only two streams in a shell-and-tube heat
exchanger), allows process integration all in one unit. The very
large surface area per unit volume is particularly advantageous
when operating at low temperature differences between the
hot and cold streams. Such applications are typically found in
cryogenic systems and hydrocarbon dewpoint control systems
where temperature difference is linked to compressor power
consumption.
The rst edition of the ALPEMA Standards was published
in 1994, and it was extremely successful and popular. The sec-
ond edition was published in 2000. New industrial develop-
ments and applications, experience with using the ALPEMA
Standards, and feedback from users have indicated that the
time was right for a third edition. The new third edition is
expected to appear early in 2010. The most signicant addi-
tions and amendments that have been made are summarized
here:
1. A new Chapter 9 has been added to cover cold boxes and
block-in-shell heat exchangers.
1
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d

b
y

[
U
n
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y

o
f

T
e
h
r
a
n
]

a
t

0
0
:
4
8

2
9

S
e
p
t
e
m
b
e
r

2
0
1
4

2 J. R. THORNE
2. Many gures have been redrawn to make them easier to
understand.
3. Photographs of the most common types of n geometries
have been added.
4. Information has been provided on two-phase distributors
with diagrams.
5. Guidance on ange design and transition joints is
included.
6. Guidance on acceptable mercury levels is given.
7. Allowable nozzle loadings have been updated.
8. Many small changes have been made to improve
clarity.
The new third edition can be purchased and downloaded
from the following website: http://engineers.ihs.com/products/
standards/petrochemical-standards.ht
John R. Thome has been professor of heat and mass
transfer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technol-
ogy in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, since 1998,
where his primary interests of research are two-phase
owand heat transfer, covering both macro-scale and
micro-scale heat transfer and enhanced heat transfer.
He directs the Laboratory of Heat and Mass Transfer
(LTCM) at the EPFL with a research staff of about
1820 and is also director of the Doctoral School
in Energy. He received his Ph.D. at Oxford Univer-
sity, England, in 1978. He is the author of four books: Enhanced Boiling Heat
Transfer (1990), Convective Boiling and Condensation, third edition (1994),
Wolverine Engineering Databook III (2004), and Nucleate Boiling on Micro-
Structured Surfaces (2008). He received the ASME Heat Transfer Divisions
Best Paper Award in 1998 for a three-part paper on two-phase ow and ow
boiling heat transfer published in the Journal of Heat Transfer. He has received
the J&E Hall Gold Medal from the UK Institute of Refrigeration in February,
2008 for his extensive research contributions on refrigeration heat transfer. Since
2008, he has been chairman of ALPEMA (the plate-n heat exchanger manu-
facturers association). He has published widely on the fundamental aspects of
micro-scale two-phase ow and heat transfer. He is an associate editor of Heat
Transfer Engineering.
heat transfer engineering vol. 31 no. 1 2010
D
o
w
n
l
o
a
d
e
d

b
y

[
U
n
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y

o
f

T
e
h
r
a
n
]

a
t

0
0
:
4
8

2
9

S
e
p
t
e
m
b
e
r

2
0
1
4