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Plate Crystallizer (Pillow Plate Heater) for Industrial Thermal & Crystallisation Duties
Laser-welded pillow plate technology built for Australian chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, coating, dyeing and hazardous-waste operators. Up to 100 bar operating pressure, −30 °C to 800 °C service range, and heat transfer coefficients reaching 1500 W/(m²·°C) — delivered with full material traceability and AS/NZS-aligned documentation.
What Is a Plate Crystallizer (Pillow Plate Heater)?
A plate crystallizer — also known as a pillow plate heat exchanger or pillow plate heater — is a laser-welded, inflated-plate thermal device used to evaporate, heat, cool or crystallise process fluids. Two thin metal sheets are laser-welded across their entire surface in a pre-set dot or line pattern, sealed at the edges by seam welding, then hydraulically inflated so that the unwelded zones deform plastically into the characteristic three-dimensional cushion surface.
The result is a rigid, high-pressure, high-turbulence plate that outperforms conventional tubular and gasketed plate heat exchangers in saline, scaling and corrosive duties. For Australian operators running brine concentrators, solvent recovery columns, MVR evaporators, reboilers or ORC waste heat loops, pillow plates from Ever-power deliver measurable gains in energy recovery and uptime.
Honeycomb Plate — dense weld-dot patternCore Advantages Over Tubular & Gasketed Plate Designs
Multiple Material Options
304/316L stainless steel, duplex 2205, super-duplex 2507, titanium Gr.1/Gr.2, Hastelloy C-276, C-22, Nickel 200 and Monel 400 — matched to your stream chemistry.
High Pressure Rating
Maximum operating pressure up to 100 bar on the plate side, validated by hydrostatic burst testing and documented per ASME VIII Div.1 equivalents.
Wide Working Media
Steam, thermal oil, flue gas, cooling water, glycol, ammonia, CO₂ and hydrocarbon refrigerants — suitable for single-phase and two-phase service.
High Turbulence
Weld-dot geometry forces the fluid into repeated directional changes, breaking the boundary layer and keeping Reynolds numbers high at modest flow rates.
Low Pressure Loss
The inflated central channel on the jacket side minimises flow resistance, which cuts circulation pump duty and energy cost across the plant.
Heat Transfer up to 1500 W/(m²·°C)
Overall U-values 2–3 times higher than conventional jacketed vessels, shrinking the required heat transfer area and footprint.
How Ever-power Manufactures Pillow Plates
Every Ever-power plate crystallizer follows the same audited production path, which is what keeps warranty claims low across our Australian installed base.
Material Inspection
Mill certificates verified, PMI test on every coil before cutting.
Laser Spot Welding
CNC-guided fibre laser places weld dots to ±0.1 mm accuracy across the plate.
Edge Seam Welding
Continuous edge seal with automated TIG; ports left open for media inlet.
Hydraulic Inflation
Pressurised water forms the cushion; gap depth controlled by weld spacing.
Testing & Passivation
Hydrotest at 1.5× design pressure, helium leak test, pickling and passivation.
Technical Specifications
| Parameter | Standard Range | Custom / Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Plate thickness | 0.8 – 2.0 mm | up to 3.0 mm |
| Plate dimensions (W × L) | 800 × 2000 mm to 1500 × 4000 mm | up to 1800 × 6000 mm |
| Working pressure | up to 40 bar | up to 100 bar |
| Working temperature | −30 °C to +450 °C | −196 °C to +800 °C |
| Heat transfer coefficient | 600 – 1200 W/(m²·°C) | up to 1500 W/(m²·°C) |
| Plate pattern | Dot pattern (50–80 mm pitch) | Line pattern, honeycomb, custom |
| Material | SS 304 / 316L / 2205 | 2507, Ti Gr.2, Hastelloy C-276, Nickel 200 |
| Surface finish | 2B mill / pickled | Electropolished Ra ≤ 0.4 μm |
| Design code | GB 150 / EN 13445 | ASME VIII Div.1, PED 2014/68/EU |
Single-Embossed vs Double-Embossed Pillow Plates
Ever-power produces two geometries, selected according to whether the plate is bolted onto a vessel wall or immersed as a bundle inside a process vessel.
| Feature | Single-Embossed | Double-Embossed |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | Thin top sheet on a thicker flat base | Two symmetrical thin sheets inflated on both sides |
| Typical use | Vessel jackets, silo heating panels, reactor walls | Immersion bundles, falling film evaporators, crystallisers |
| Flow path | Single-side service fluid | Process fluid outside, service fluid inside |
| Cleaning | CIP possible | Easy bundle lift-out for mechanical cleaning |
| Preferred service | Low-shear batch reactors | Scaling brines, slurries, mother liquor |
Typical Applications in Australian Industry
Evaporative Crystallisation
Sodium sulphate, ammonium chloride, sodium chloride, lithium carbonate and battery-grade salt recovery.
ORC Waste Heat Recovery
Evaporators and condensers for organic Rankine cycle loops, working with R245fa, R1233zd and hydrocarbon refrigerants.
Reboiler Service
Kettle and thermosyphon reboilers for distillation columns in solvent recovery and petrochemical duties.
Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD)
MVR and multi-effect evaporators for coating, electroplating and dyeing wastewater — replacement of shell-and-tube falling film units.
Pharmaceutical Jackets
Reactor and silo jackets for API synthesis, with electropolished surfaces meeting GMP cleaning requirements.
Hazardous Waste Centres
Flue gas heat recovery, thermal oil heaters and quench condensers downstream of incineration lines.
Why Australian Operators Choose Ever-power
18+ Years, 600+ Projects
In-house laser welding since 2007 and a delivered base in 34 countries, including active sites across Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia. Full company background on our company page.
Thermal Design in 72 Hours
Send your process data sheet and our chartered engineers return a sized drawing, U-value calculation and budgetary quote within three working days.
Documented Material Traceability
EN 10204 3.1 mill certificates, weld maps, NDT reports and hydro-test records provided per unit — audit-ready for clients in regulated Australian industries.
FOB-Melbourne / Sydney Logistics
Sea-freight optimisation through Port of Melbourne and Port Botany, with 20-ft and 40-ft HQ loading plans reviewed before cutting steel.
Replacement of Imported OEM Units
Drop-in replacement fabrication of pillow plate bundles for legacy European and North American crystallisers — cut lead time from 9 months to 10–12 weeks.
Commissioning Support
Remote start-up supervision via video link included on every order; on-site supervision from a dedicated project engineer available on request.
Australian Project References
Lithium Brine Concentration — Goldfields Region
A mining service contractor required a titanium Gr.2 double-embossed pillow plate bundle to replace a corroded shell-and-tube evaporator handling chloride-rich brine at 70 °C and 2.2 bar.
186 m²
1320 W/(m²·°C)
2.1 GJ/h
14 months
ZLD Evaporator for a Dyeing Plant — Dandenong
A textile finisher needed to cut trade waste discharge volumes by 95 %. Ever-power supplied a 2-effect MVR system with 316L double-embossed pillow plate crystallisers producing 380 kg/h of mixed-salt cake.
4.2 t/h
62 % vs MEE
8300 h/year
2 short clean cycles / yr
Pillow Plate vs Shell-and-Tube vs Gasketed Plate
| Criteria | Pillow Plate (Ever-power) | Shell-and-Tube | Gasketed Plate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footprint per m² | Compact | Large | Compact |
| Max pressure | 100 bar | >200 bar | 25 bar |
| Max temperature | 800 °C | >600 °C | 180 °C |
| Fouling tolerance | Very high | Medium | Low |
| Exotic alloy cost | Low — thin sheet | High — heavy tube wall | Medium |
| Gasket failure risk | None (fully welded) | Minor (flange only) | High |
| Heat transfer U | Up to 1500 W/(m²·°C) | 300–800 W/(m²·°C) | Up to 6000 W/(m²·°C) clean |
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a pillow plate heat exchanger last in scaling brine duty?
A correctly specified duplex 2205 or Hastelloy C-276 plate crystallizer regularly reaches 8–12 years of continuous service before re-plating. Service life depends on chloride concentration, chloride-to-sulphate ratio, temperature and the cleaning cycle. We recommend a CIP regime every 2500–4000 operating hours for chloride-rich brines.
What data does Ever-power need to size a plate crystallizer?
Feed composition, mass flow, inlet and outlet temperatures, required evaporation or crystallisation rate, service fluid (steam, thermal oil or refrigerant), design pressure, and a preferred material. A populated data sheet is usually enough; a full P&ID is welcome but not required at the budgetary stage.
Can you match ASME Section VIII and AS 1210 requirements?
Yes. Ever-power pressure vessels and pillow plate bundles are available with ASME U-stamp, PED CE marking, and documentation compatible with AS 1210. Certified third-party inspection — BV, TÜV, SGS or Lloyd’s — is arranged on request.
What is the typical lead time to Australia?
Standard 316L plates with a production slot ship in 8–10 weeks. Titanium or Hastelloy units are 12–14 weeks due to raw material procurement. Sea freight from Shanghai or Ningbo to Melbourne or Sydney adds 18–24 days.
Can pillow plates handle slurries without clogging?
Yes, when correctly oriented. Double-embossed bundles with 6–8 mm inter-plate gaps and vertical orientation allow solids-laden mother liquor to drop through under gravity. For slurries above 20 % w/w, Ever-power recommends forced circulation with a low-shear axial pump.
Is on-site repair possible if a weld dot fails?
Individual weld-dot failures are rare and almost always traceable to over-pressure upsets. If one occurs, the affected plate can be isolated, drained, and repaired by TIG plug weld. Ever-power supplies a repair procedure with every order and trains client maintenance teams during commissioning.
Do you supply complete evaporation or crystallisation skids?
Yes. Ever-power delivers complete MVR, forced-circulation and DTB crystallisation systems including vapour-liquid separators, circulation pumps, centrifuges, instrumentation and control panels, wired on a modular skid ready for site connection.
Ready to Specify Your Plate Crystallizer?
Share your process data sheet and receive a sized drawing, thermal calculation and budgetary quotation within 72 hours. Direct factory pricing, full traceability, delivered to any Australian port.
