A resounding “yes” for Alfa Laval's Compabloc
Alfa Laval's Compabloc heat exchanger looked like a perfect choice when Monómeros Colombo Venezolanos, a leader in the Andean agrochemicaland petrochemical industry, needed to replace its outdated and unreliable Cascade coolers. But could Compabloc really be counted on, they wondered? The answer was a resounding “yes."
DATE 2023-11-28“Our relationship with Alfa Laval began when we purchased one Compabloc as a test pilot. Today we have 13 Compablocs that meet the total heat exchanger requirements of the entire oxy absorption section of our plant. The efficiency proportion, compared to the Cascade Coolers we used to use is 5 to 1,” says, Edward Moscoso Uribe, Manager of the Chemical Engineering Group of Monómeros.
Thirteen Compablocs used as nitric acid coolers at the Monómeros Nitric acid plant in Colombia.
Thanks to excellent performance and low maintenance levels (less than once per year), productivity rates have increased on average by 2 tons per day. And absorption efficiency rose between 0.5 to 1%, which has resulted in savings on energy consumption.
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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
- No corrosion and no plugging
- Long intervals between maintenance save time and money
- Increased productivity (2 additional tons per day)
- Increased absorption efficiency (between 0,5 to 1%) equals energy savings
- No leakage means a safe working environment
The customer
- One of the leading companies in the agrochemical and petrochemical industry
- in the Andean region
- The employer of 1700 people
- Strategically located between the Magdalena River and the Atlantic Ocean
Challenge
Monómeros needed:
- To replace the ageing and unreliable
- Cascade coolers in their nitric acid plant
- To improve efficiency and employee
Solution
The Compabloc welded plate heat exchanger from Alfa Laval is suitable for operation in chemically aggressive environments and for handling high-temperature fluids. With no gaskets between the corrugated heat transfer plates, maintenance is straightforward