Thermal models of plate heat exchangers rely on correlations for the evaluation of the convective heat transfer coefficients inside the channels. It is usual to configure the exchanger with one countercurrent single-pass arrangement for acquiring heat transfer experimental data. This type of configuration approaches the ideal case of pure countercurrent flow conditions, and therefore a simplified mathematical model can be used for parameter estimation. However, it is known that the results of parameter estimation depend on the selected exchanger configuration because the effects of flow maldistribution inside its channels are incorporated into the heat transfer coefficients. This work presents a parameter estimation procedure for plate heat exchangers that handles experimental data from multiple configurations. The procedure is tested with an Armfield FT-43 heat exchanger with flat plates and the parameter estimation results are compared to those obtained from the usual method of single-pass arrangements. It can be observed that the heat transfer correlations obtained for plate heat exchangers are intimately associated with the configuration(s) experimentally tested and the corresponding flow distribution pattern(s). (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.