Titanium is resistant to corrosion in seawater, making it ideal for various marine-related industries.


It is considered an essential material for heat exchangers, where titanium materials are commonly used in tube and plate form.


These are welded together to create tube-and-shell or plate heat exchanger configurations.


PHE(Plate Heat Exchanger) utilize various shaping patterns to enhance heat transfer efficiency.


Grade 1 pure titanium plate, known for its excellent formability, with a thickness typically ranging from 0.4 to 0.6 mm, is used to improve heat exchange performance.


While most PHE use bolted connections for ease of cleaning and maintenance, the heat transfer plates can be partially welded (Semi-Welded) or fully welded (Fully-Welded) depending on the heat transfer medium and pressure requirements.


In this study, various welding processes used in the manufacturing of PHE were reviewed, and their associated microstructures and properties were investigated.


The conventional method predominantly used is resistance seam welding (RSEW), which forms satisfactory nuggets without the need for separate flowing of inert gas and meets pressure performance. However, variations in nugget formation were observed based on the surface condition of the titanium plate material due to the heat generation characteristics of electrical resistance, impacting weld strength.


Laser beam welding (LBW) is a representative process for precision fusion welding that can induce defects such as porosity and spatter depending on the heat input and laser process conditions. However, when controlled with appropriate process parameters, it enables lap welding suitable for plate heat exchanger welding characteristics.