TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

PLATE AND FRAME HEAT EXCHANGERS

(AMENDMENTS/SUPPLEMENTS TO ISO 15547)

DEP 31.21.01.32-Gen.

September 2002

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING PRACTICE

This document is restricted. Neither the whole nor any part of this document may be disclosed to any third party without the prior written consent of Shell Global
Solutions International B.V. and Shell International Exploration and Production B.V., The Netherlands. The copyright of this document is vested in these companies. All
rights reserved. Neither the whole nor any part of this document may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, reprographic, recording or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the copyright owners.
 DEP 31.21.01.32-Gen.
September 2002
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PREFACE
DEPs (Design and Engineering Practice) publications reflect the views, at the time of publication, of:
Shell Global Solutions International B.V. (Shell GSI)
and
Shell International Exploration and Production B.V. (SIEP)
and
Shell International Chemicals B.V. (SIC)
and
other Service Companies.
They are based on the experience acquired during their involvement with the design, construction, operation and
maintenance of processing units and facilities, and they are supplemented with the experience of Group Operating
companies. Where appropriate they are based on, or reference is made to, international, regional, national and industry
standards.
The objective is to set the recommended standard for good design and engineering practice applied by Group
companies operating an oil refinery, gas handling installation, chemical plant, oil and gas production facility, or any other
such facility, and thereby to achieve maximum technical and economic benefit from standardization.
The information set forth in these publications is provided to users for their consideration and decision to implement.
This is of particular importance where DEPs may not cover every requirement or diversity of condition at each locality.
The system of DEPs is expected to be sufficiently flexible to allow individual operating companies to adapt the
information set forth in DEPs to their own environment and requirements.
When Contractors or Manufacturers/Suppliers use DEPs they shall be solely responsible for the quality of work and the
attainment of the required design and engineering standards. In particular, for those requirements not specifically
covered, the Principal will expect them to follow those design and engineering practices which will achieve the same
level of integrity as reflected in the DEPs. If in doubt, the Contractor or Manufacturer/Supplier shall, without detracting
from his own responsibility, consult the Principal or its technical advisor.
The right to use DEPs is granted by Shell GSI, SIEP or SIC, in most cases under Service Agreements primarily with
companies of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group and other companies receiving technical advice and services from Shell GSI,
SIEP, SIC or another Group Service Company. Consequently, three categories of users of DEPs can be distinguished:
1) Operating companies having a Service Agreement with Shell GSI, SIEP, SIC or other Service Company. The
use of DEPs by these operating companies is subject in all respects to the terms and conditions of the relevant
Service Agreement.
2) Other parties who are authorized to use DEPs subject to appropriate contractual arrangements (whether as part
of a Service Agreement or otherwise).
3) Contractors/subcontractors and Manufacturers/Suppliers under a contract with users referred to under 1) or 2)
which requires that tenders for projects, materials supplied or - generally - work performed on behalf of the said
users comply with the relevant standards.
Subject to any particular terms and conditions as may be set forth in specific agreements with users, Shell GSI, SIEP
and SIC disclaim any liability of whatsoever nature for any damage (including injury or death) suffered by any company
or person whomsoever as a result of or in connection with the use, application or implementation of any DEP,
combination of DEPs or any part thereof, even if it is wholly or partly caused by negligence on the part of Shell GSI,
SIEP or other Service Company. The benefit of this disclaimer shall inure in all respects to Shell GSI, SIEP, SIC and/or
any company affiliated to these companies that may issue DEPs or require the use of DEPs.
Without prejudice to any specific terms in respect of confidentiality under relevant contractual arrangements, DEPs shall
not, without the prior written consent of Shell GSI and SIEP, be disclosed by users to any company or person
whomsoever and the DEPs shall be used exclusively for the purpose for which they have been provided to the user.
They shall be returned after use, including any copies which shall only be made by users with the express prior written
consent of Shell GSI, SIEP or SIC. The copyright of DEPs vests in Shell GSI and SIEP. Users shall arrange for DEPs to
be held in safe custody and Shell GSI, SIEP or SIC may at any time require information satisfactory to them in order to
ascertain how users implement this requirement.
All administrative queries should be directed to the DEP Administrator in Shell GSI.
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September 2002
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................4
1.1 SCOPE........................................................................................................................4
1.2 DISTRIBUTION, INTENDED USE AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS .........4
1.3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS .......................................................................................4
1.4 CROSS REFERENCES..............................................................................................4
PART II GENERAL INFORMATION ........................................................................................5
2.1 SELECTION OF TYPE OF PLATE-AND-FRAME HEAT EXCHANGER (PHE) ........5
2.2 ORDERING.................................................................................................................5
2.3 UNITS OF MEASUREMENT ......................................................................................5
2.4 EQUIPMENT NUMBERING........................................................................................5
2.5 THERMAL DESIGN AND RATING.............................................................................6
PART III AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO ISO 15547 .............................................7
3 TERMS, DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATED TERMS ..............................................7
4 GENERAL ...................................................................................................................7
6 PROPOSAL INFORMATION REQUIRED..................................................................7
8 DESIGN ......................................................................................................................8
9 MATERIALS................................................................................................................9
11 INSPECTION AND TESTING.....................................................................................9
ANNEX C PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER DATA SHEETS ..........................................................10
PART IV REFERENCES .........................................................................................................11
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September 2002
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PART I INTRODUCTION

1.1 SCOPE
This new DEP specifies requirements and gives recommendations for gasketed,
semi-welded, and welded plate-and-frame heat exchangers.
Part III of this DEP provides amendments and supplements to ISO 15547, First edition,
April 2000. The section numbering in Part III follows that of ISO 15547. Clauses of
ISO 15547 which not amended or supplemented by this DEP shall apply as written.

1.2 DISTRIBUTION, INTENDED USE AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS

Unless otherwise authorised by Shell GSI and SIEP, the distribution of this DEP is confined
to companies forming part of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group or managed by a Group
company, and to Contractors and Manufacturers/Suppliers nominated by them (i.e. the
distribution code is "F" as defined in DEP 00.00.05.05-Gen.).
This DEP is intended for use in oil refineries, chemical plants, gas plants, exploration and
production facilities and supply/marketing installations.
If national and/or local regulations exist in which some of the requirements may be more
stringent than in this DEP, the Contractor shall determine by careful scrutiny which of the
requirements are the more stringent and which combination of requirements will be
acceptable as regards safety, environmental, economic and legal aspects. In all cases the
Contractor shall inform the Principal of any deviation from the requirements of this DEP
which is considered to be necessary in order to comply with national and/or local
regulations. The Principal may then negotiate with Authorities concerned with the object of
obtaining agreement to follow this DEP as closely as possible.

1.3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

The Contractor is the party that carries out all or part of the design, engineering,
procurement, construction, commissioning or management of a project or operation of a
facility. The Principal may undertake all or part of the duties of the Contractor.
The Manufacturer/Supplier is the party that manufactures or supplies plate-and-frame
heat exchangers and services to perform the duties specified by the Contractor.
NOTE: The terms Supplier and Manufacturer as used in this DEP are synonymous with the term Vendor (as
used in ISO 15547) depending on the context in which the term is used.

The Principal is the party that initiates the project work and ultimately pays for its design
and construction. The Principal will generally specify the technical requirements. The
Principal may also include an agent or consultant, authorised to act for the Principal.
The word shall indicates a requirement.
The word should indicates a recommendation.

1.4 CROSS REFERENCES

Where cross-references to other parts of this DEP are made, the referenced section
number is shown in brackets.
Other documents referred to in this DEP are listed in (Part IV).
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PART II GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 SELECTION OF TYPE OF PLATE-AND-FRAME HEAT EXCHANGER (PHE)

The choice of the most efficient and reliable heat exchanger is governed by its operating
pressure and temperature, the physical data, the nature of the media, plate and gasket
materials, space limitations and maintenance requirements. The plate-and-frame heat
exchanger Supplier offers his best selection based on the information supplied to him for a
particular service. The Principal should be responsible for the selection of type of PHE, i.e.,
gasketed versus semi-welded versus fully-welded.
A PHE for rich/lean Sulfinol solvent service shall consist of at least two frames of 50 % duty
each, plus an uninstalled spare plate package. Sufficient plot area shall be available for
installation of the spare frame of the PHE.

2.2 ORDERING

2.2.1 Requisitioning
See Part III, Annex C.

2.2.2 Scope of supply

Unless otherwise specified, the scope of supply shall be as specified on data/requisition
sheets DEP 31.21.01.93-Gen.
The Manufacturer shall include all special features necessary for reliable and safe
operation. These should include, where applicable, adequate means of control to cope with
the specified variations in operating conditions.
With regard to safety and reliability, offset conditions may occur during start-up, shutdown,
power failure or interruption of the process flow. These conditions will be reflected in the
Principal’s plate-and-frame heat exchanger data sheets and shall be taken into account
when the exchanger is designed.
Strainers, where required, shall be installed at the inlet of each stream of all PHE’s. Strainer
requirements shall be specified by the Vendor of the PHE in consultation with the
Contractor or the Principal. Any extra pressure drop required for the strainers shall be
specified and taken into account.

2.3 UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

The SI system of units has been applied in this DEP and, where considered necessary, the
metric sizes are followed by their Imperial equivalents in brackets.
The use of SI units on the data/requisition sheets shall be in accordance with
DEP 00.00.20.10-Gen. Care shall always be taken to indicate whether absolute pressure or
gauge pressure is intended. If bar is used as the unit of pressure, this shall be qualified as
bar (abs) or bar (ga), as applicable.

2.4 EQUIPMENT NUMBERING

Plate-and-frame heat exchangers shall be identified by specific equipment numbers, in
accordance with DEP 31.10.03.10-Gen.
Equipment consisting of one or more plate-and-frame exchangers connected in series or
parallel, and performing a common duty, is termed an item. In such cases, the specific
equipment number identifies the item as a whole, and each exchanger within the item is
separately identified by the addition of a capital letter in alphabetical progression, e.g.,
E-101A, E-101B, E-101C, etc.
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September 2002
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2.5 THERMAL DESIGN AND RATING

The party, e.g., Contractor or Manufacturer, that performs the thermal design or rating of a
plate-and-frame heat exchanger shall retain responsibility for the thermal design or rating.
Because plate-and-frame heat exchangers are proprietary designs, the Manufacturer shall
be totally responsible for the performance of the exchanger.
The thermal design and rating of a plate-and-frame heat exchanger can however be
checked with reasonable accuracy with computer programs: XPHE developed by HTRI and
APLE developed by HTFS.
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September 2002
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PART III AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO ISO 15547

This DEP gives amendments and supplements to ISO 15547, First Edition, April 2000.
Gasketed, semi-welded, and welded plate-and-frame heat exchangers shall conform to
ISO 15547 as amended/supplemented by this DEP.
For ease of reference, the clause (or paragraph) numbering of ISO 15547 has been used
throughout Part III of this DEP. Clauses (paragraphs) in ISO 15547 not mentioned shall
remain valid as written.

3 TERMS, DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATED TERMS

Add new definition:

3.1.20 Very toxic substance

as defined in DEP 01.00.01.30-Gen.

4 GENERAL

4.1 Replace the first sentence of this clause with:

Unless otherwise specified by the Principal, the pressure design code shall be ASME VIII,
Division 1, in accordance with DEP 31.22.20.31-Gen.

Add new clause:

4.4 Only fully welded plate-and-frame heat exchangers shall be used for very toxic substances.

Add new clause:

4.5 If, due to a failure, any of the fluids handled in the exchanger could damage surrounding
equipment, the plate pack shall be enclosed on the top and sides by removable shrouds.

Add new clause:

4.6 If the process fluids handled in the exchanger are very corrosive, drip trays constructed of
corrosion-resistant material shall be connected to the appropriate drainage system.

6 PROPOSAL INFORMATION REQUIRED

6.1 Replace this clause with:

The vendor shall complete all information in accordance with Annex C.

6.5 Add to this clause:

Vendor shall state the cost of recommended spare parts, e.g., gaskets, in his proposal.
 DEP 31.21.01.32-Gen.
September 2002
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8 DESIGN

8.4 Fouling margin

Add to this clause:

The following fouling margins shall apply. For these fouling margins, the wall shear stress
shall be taken as 50 Pa. For more severe fouling duties, the Principal may specify higher
shear stress values. The extra area needed to cover fouling margin shall be installed by
adapting the plate length and not by changing the width or the number of plates.

Fluid Margin
Demineralised water 5%
Potable water 10 %
Cooling tower water & dirty 15 %
sea water
Clear sea water 10 %
Lubricating oil 15 %
Crude oil 20 %
Process streams, clean 10 %
Process streams, dirty 20 %
Amine plants 15 %
Steam 5%

NOTES: 1. The sum of fouling margins of hot and cold streams shall be limited to the highest value of the
individual streams.

2. The fouling margin shall be applied to the Overall Clean Coefficient only, not to surface area.

3. If both side streams are relatively dirty (both sides with fouling margin greater than 15 %), a fouling
margin of 25 % shall be used.

4. In services where waxing may occur, the fouling resistance shall be agreed with the Principal.

8.6 Components

8.6.3 Replace subclause a) with:

Tie bolts shall not be less than 19 mm nominal diameter.

8.7 Connections

8.7.1 Add to this clause:

The type of connection to be used shall be approved by the Principal. All nozzles shall be
located on the stationary plate.
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September 2002
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8.8 Plate gaskets

Add new clause:

8.8.6 Gaskets are available in a wide range of elastomers and fluorocarbon rubbers. Only
gaskets suitable for a particular fluid in service and its design temperature and pressure
shall be used. The complete composition of the fluid shall be considered in gasket
selection.
The most common elastomer and fluorocarbon rubber gasket materials and their upper and
lower design temperatures are listed in MESC INF-85/115.
Maximum operating temperatures shall not exceed the values given below for the following
gasket materials:

Gasket material Maximum operating

temperature, °C
Nitrile rubber (NBR) 130
Hydrogenated Nitrile 160
EPDM 160
FKM 130

Gasket material for Sulfinol solvent service shall be peroxide-cured EPDM. For other
gasket materials, the Principal shall approve the maximum permissible operating
temperatures.

9 MATERIALS

9.4 Add to this clause:

The nameplate shall be in accordance with Standard Drawing S 10.114.
Add new clause:

9.6 Plate material for Sulfinol solvent service shall be austenitic stainless steel.

11 INSPECTION AND TESTING

11.2 Hydrostatic testing

11.2.2 Add to this clause:

Any special drying of PHE, if needed after the hydrostatic testing, shall be done.
 DEP 31.21.01.32-Gen.
September 2002
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ANNEX C PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER DATA SHEETS

Replace this annex with the following:

Annex C
(normative)
Requisitioning and document submittal

The Purchaser's enquiry shall specify the number of copies of outline drawings,
construction drawings, data/requisition sheets, data reports and final records to be supplied
by the Manufacturer, all in accordance with the requirements of requisition sheet
DEP 40.10.01.93-Gen.
The following Standard Forms shall be used for the specification of plate-and-frame heat
exchangers in conjunction with this DEP:
Specification of design and engineering documents DEP 05.00.50.82-Gen.
Approval drawing specification DEP 05.00.54.81-Gen.
Final drawing specification DEP 05.00.54.82-Gen.

To be submitted during Project Specification phase (design phase):

Data/requisition sheets for plate-and-frame heat exchangers DEP 31.21.01.93-Gen.
Requisition for engineering documents DEP 40.10.01.93-Gen.

To be submitted during Detailed Engineering phase (purchasing phase):

Heat exchanger summary DEP 01.00.03.84-Gen.
EDP supplement DEP 40.00.10.93-Gen.

The complete set of data/requisition sheets shall be used, even if only one equipment item
is ordered.
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September 2002
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PART IV REFERENCES

In this DEP reference is made to the following publications:

NOTE: Unless specifically designated by date, the latest edition of each publication shall be used, together
with any amendments/supplements/revisions thereto.

SHELL STANDARDS
Index to DEP publications and standard specifications DEP 00.00.05.05-Gen.
Standard forms (binder) DEP 00.00.10.05-Gen.
The use of SI quantities and units (endorsement of ISO DEP 00.00.20.10-Gen.
31 and ISO 1000)
Definition of temperature, pressure and toxicity levels DEP 01.00.01.30-Gen.

**Heat exchanger summary DEP 01.00.03.84-Gen.

**Specification of design and engineering documents DEP 05.00.50.82-Gen
**Approval drawing specification (ADS) DEP 05.00.54.81-Gen.
**Final drawing specification (FDS) DEP 05.00.54.82-Gen.
**NOTE: Standard Forms are contained in binder
DEP 00.00.10.05-Gen.

Requistioning binder DEP 30.10.01.10-Gen.

Symbols and identification system – mechanical DEP 31.10.03.10-Gen.
*Plate heat exchangers DEP 31.21.01.93-Gen.
Pressure vessels (amendments/supplements to ASME DEP 31.22.20.31-Gen.
VIII, Division 1 and 2)
*EDP supplement DEP 40.00.10.93-Gen.
Engineering documents (“RED”) form DEP 40.10.01.93-Gen.
*NOTE: Data/requisition sheets are contained in binder
DEP 30.10.01.10-Gen.

Materials and Equipment Standards and Code, Gasket MESC INF 85-115
and sealing materials

STANDARD DRAWINGS
Nameplate with bracket for vessel and heat exchange S 10.114
equipment

AMERICAN STANDARDS
ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Rules for ASME VIII
construction of pressure vessels
Issued by:
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
345 East 47th Street
New York NY 10017
USA
 DEP 31.21.01.32-Gen.
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HTRI Computer program “XPHE”: XPHE

“Design, rating, and simulation of plate-and-frame heat
exchangers”
Issued by:
Heat Transfer Research Incorporated
1500 Research Parkway, Suite 100
College Station, Texas 77845
USA

BRITISH STANDARDS
HTFS computer program “APLE”: APLE
“Performance of plate-and-frame heat exchangers”
Issued by:
Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Service
Harwell Laboratory, Building 392.7
Harwell OX11 0RA
UK

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
Petroleum and natural gas industries - Plate-and-frame heat ISO 15547: 2000
exchangers
Issued by:
International Organization for Standardization
1, Rue de Varembé
CH-1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland

Copies can also be obtained from national standards organizations.

NOTE: The DEPs and most referenced external standards are available for Shell users on the SWW (Shell Wide
Web) at address http://sww.shell.com/standards.

Last page of this DEP