Mining & minerals
Plate heat exchangers for mining and minerals processing
Rugged thermal management for remote, high-demand processing sites where downtime is expensive and dirty water is the norm.
Overview
Keeping process and equipment cool on remote sites
Mining and processing sites use plate heat exchangers to cool process liquors, hydraulic and lubricating oils, compressors and equipment, often with water that carries suspended solids and dissolved minerals.
That combination fouls plates quickly and can wear gaskets. Because sites are remote and shutdowns are planned well ahead, having the right parts ready before the unit is opened matters as much as the service itself.
Applications
Common heat-transfer applications
01
Process liquor cooling
Cooling and heating process streams in minerals processing.
02
Hydraulic and lube oil cooling
Protecting mobile and fixed plant equipment.
03
Compressor cooling
Air compressor and utility cooling circuits.
04
Heat recovery
Recovering heat between process streams.
05
Water treatment duties
Cooling and heating in site water systems.
Challenges
Operating challenges we plan for
- Scaling and solids in cooling water
- Remote sites with long lead times for parts
- Shutdown windows planned months ahead
- Abrasive or corrosive process streams
- Dust and harsh conditions around the unit
Services
Relevant services
- Maintenance programs — planned servicing aligned with site shutdowns
- Workshop servicing — back-to-base cleaning and rebuild
- Rebuilds — complete plate pack replacement
- Cleaning & regasketing — heavy fouling removal and regasketing
Products & parts
Suitable equipment and parts
Maintenance
Maintenance considerations
- Order gaskets and plates before the shutdown so the unit isn’t left open
- Consider a spare plate pack for critical units to swap during short shutdowns
- Track pressure drop — scaling shows up as rising resistance before temperatures suffer
- Record nameplate details for every unit on site
FAQ
Common questions
Can you supply parts to a remote site?
Tell us where the site is and when the shutdown is, and we’ll confirm supply and timing.
Is a spare plate pack worth holding?
For critical units with short shutdown windows, a spare pack can be swapped in while the original is serviced.
Get in touch
Tell us about your application
Share the duty, the media and the operating environment, and we’ll recommend a practical option.