@misc{9240368,
  abstract     = {{Plate heat exchangers are widely used in industry due to their high thermal efficiency and versatility, compact design and ease of maintenance. In gasketed plate heat exchangers (GPHEs), the reliability of the system strongly depends on the adhesion between the elastomeric gasket and the metallic plate.

Although GPHEs can be periodically opened and cleaned to restore heat transfer efficiency, cleaning procedures based on high-pressure water jetting may progressively weaken adhesive interfaces and compromise the gasket serviceability. The durability of these bonded systems is governed by complex interfacial phenomena involving adhesion mechanisms, polymer crosslinking, moisture diffusion and crack propagation. However, the relationship between adhesive bond strength and gasket survival during industrial cleaning operations remains poorly understood.

This study demonstrates that peel testing is an effective method for characterizing the adhesion performance of gasket–adhesive–metal systems and assessing their serviceability under high-pressure water jetting conditions. Different systems based on NBR and EPDM gaskets together with several industrial adhesives were investigated through peel testing, water jetting experiments and SEM-EDS analysis. The results reveal a clear correlation between the critical peeling force and the resistance of the gasket to detachment during water jetting. Systems with low bond strength detached easily during water jetting, whereas high-strength epoxy-based systems remained intact under the investigated cleaning conditions.

These findings demonstrate that peel testing and water jetting are strongly interconnected and together provide a comprehensive description of gasket serviceability. The study also highlights the importance of curing conditions, adhesive-gasket compatibility and gasket polarity in determining adhesion performance and interfacial degradation. Furthermore, experimentally determined critical force thresholds are proposed, establishing practical limits for the cleaning conditions under which adhesively bonded gaskets can safely operate.}},
  author       = {{Perucho, Daniel}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Serviceability of plate heat exchanger gaskets bonded with various adhesives}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}