Energy savings for cooling copper smelters

Rönnskär copper smelter signed a three-year Performance Agreement with Alfa Laval resulting in saved plate heat exchanger energy costs, reduced water consumption and increased uptime.

DATE 2023-11-28

To conserve natural resources and save money, Rönnskär was looking for smart ways to reduce water consumption, realize energy savings from reduced pumping costs, and meet tougher environmental regulations. 

 Alfa Laval Performance Agreement was the key

Through the Performance Agreement, Rönnskär relies on Alfa Laval to provide maximum uptime and minimum water and energy consumption by taking advantage of these Performance Agreement services:

  • Performance Audit –  By measuring heat transfer, Alfa Laval can predict exactly when maintenance is required to optimize performance
  • Indicators signals when to schedule cleaning
  • Cleaning-in Place based on the result from Alfa Laval Performance Audit 
  • Reconditioning and Repair – Gasket replacement when required, restoring optimal sealing
  • Condition Audit – Alfa Laval provides audits and consulting services for optimized heat exchanger performance

Benefits

  • Reduced water consumption
  • Lower energy costs
  • Improved environmental performance
  • Higher productivity due to more uptime, less downtime
  • Longer plate heat exchanger lifetime
Since we pump a lot of water into our facilities, fine-tuning our PHE operations with routine cleaning is bound to have a positive impact on profitability"  ANDERS WIKSTRÖM, PRODUCTION ENGINEER, BOLIDEN

Extending performance with the Alfa Laval 360° Service Portfolio

Our extensive service portfolio offers all the services you need to ensure top performance,
maximum uptime and operating efficiency from your Alfa Laval equipment throughout its life cycle. Our team of experts and the availability of parts bring you peace of mind.

More about Alfa Laval 360° Service Portfolio

Tailored for performance

Performance Agreements are tailor-made service solutions that meet your specific needs by combining any of the services in the Alfa Laval 360° Service Portfolio over a defined period of time. 

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The customer

The Boliden-owned Rönnskär smelter at Skelleftehamn on the Baltic Sea is one of the world’s most efficient copper producers. Here, hundreds of Alfa Laval and other manufacturer’s plate heat exchangers are at work to cool various copper and zinc smelting processes. Most heat exchangers are equipped with titanium plates to prevent corrosion since seawater is used.