Flat Tube Heat Exchanger

Lytron frequently receives questions through its “Ask an Engineer” website form. A customer recently asked us the following question: “Do your standard heat exchangers, specifically your ES505G24 heat exchanger, require any specific filtration?” Filtration of the coolant will depend on how clean it is. On the liquid side, the largest acceptable particle size for the liquid path is around 0.03″ (or 750 um). In addition, you should ensure that your coolant is clean in order to help minimize the risk of corrosion. For example, if you are using an ethylene glycol and water solution you’ll want to ensure that the water meets the minimum requirements for good quality water.

It is also important that dust and dirt do not clog the fins on the airside. If you are in a relatively clean room indoors, you probably won’t need a filter; however, you may need to clean the heat exchanger periodically to remove dust build up. Our application note on recirculating chiller tune ups shows a picture of what a very dusty heat exchanger/condenser looks like and contains information on how to clean a heat exchanger’s fins.