Big is beautiful, except for condensers
A major European chemical company increased production reliability by replacing shell-and-tube (S&T) condensers with Alfa Laval Compabloc condensers. Utilising only half the space of the old shell-and-tube installation, the Compablocs solved a corrosion problem and at the same time generated considerable savings in capital cost. “Big is not beautiful anymore at this site”, says the plant engineer.
DATE 2023-11-28In all capital-intensive industries, plant decisions are of major importance. This is nowhere more true than in the chemical industry. A major European chemical company solved production problems, which were also having unacceptable environmental knock-on effects, by replacing existing shell-and-tube (S&T) condensers with modern Alfa Laval Compabloc condensers.
The plant upgrade increased reliability, showed a considerable capital saving over re-tubing the old S&T condensers and saved about half the space occupied by the old units.
The compact, fully welded Compabloc heat exchanger is designed to operate with a wide range of aggressive media and at high temperatures and pressures.
Benefits
- Higher capacity at half the space
- Cost savings
- Fully-welded and fully accessible