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Serviceability of gaskets bonded with various adhesives

Alfa Laval is a global leader in providing technical equipment essential for heating, cooling, separating, and transporting fluid products. Our products are integral in domestic appliances, industrial and offshore applications. One of our largest product groups, Gasketed Plate Heat Exchangers (GPHEs), are engineered from pressed plates stacked and separated by rubber gaskets, which enable efficient opening, closing and sealing. These gaskets are bonded to metal plates through mechanical means or adhesive bonding to ensure durability and reliability.

As part of the operational conditions customers might open and clean the heat exchangers with some frequency depending on the level of fouling or clogging. In doing so the adhesive bonds are stressed and will eventually age and loose their adhesion to the plate. Depending on the media, processing conditions and cleaning process and the type of adhesive bond the lifetime of the gasket will differ. The thesis work will explore the cleaning process parameters and how this affects the integrity of the bond and how different adhesives behave in the cleaning process. One task might be to rank the expected lifetime and strength of the bonds depending on material and cleaning process parameters.

The project includes:

• Conduct an internal and external literature survey on high pressure cleaning operations and adhesive bonding
• Design/decide test geometries and model system(s) to evaluate the process
• Experimental work with high pressure water jet. Manufacturing of suitable test samples both in simulated production environment and in the lab. Lab testing.

Who are you?

We are looking for master thesis students (preferably from Lund University or Malmö University) with several major courses in chemistry and/or material sciences (K, B, M, F). We expect you to work independent (not in pairs or more) in close cooperation with your mentors at Alfa Laval, executing the work on our site in Lund and Staffanstorp. You will be part of the technology development team for Gasketed Plate Heat Exchangers.

For more information about the project, kindly contact:

Jens Rassmus, Project Manager Technology Development Team
jens.rassmus@alfalaval.com

Princess Jeremy Bondoc, Talent Acquisition Coordinator

princessjeremy.bondoc@alfalaval.com

Union information

Johan Ranhög, Akademikerna, +46 46 2891664

Stefan Sandell, Ledarna, +46 46 367364

Monica Anderberg, Unionen, +46709623811

We offer flexibility regarding the thesis start date and duration and are open to beginning the project as soon as the candidate is ready.

We are looking forward to hearing from you soon so send your application without delay. If the right candidate appears, the ad will be closed earlier. Please note, applications sent directly via email will be disregarded without notice.