che_february-2025 - 14

Source: Solex
FIGURE 3. Heat-pipe heat exchangers reduce the risks and
consequences of failure that plague traditional heat exchanger
types through the inclusion of multiple redundancies in the heat
exchanger design
coat it with a specifically formulated
chemical and it provides protection
to stainless steel or less noble materials
in these applications, allowing a
lower cost of ownership and the use
of efficient and compact solutions. "
For
example,
he
says,
a heat exchanger, the less
additional steam you need
to create in the process,
which is typically done in
oil- or gas-fired burners,
so you instantly reduce fuel
consumption, " explains
Alfa Laval's Maciver. " While
this is the biggest driver in
traditional chemical processes,
it is especially
true in the new clean-tech
space, which is looking at
new processes in hydrogen,
carbon capture and
energy storage. "
brazed
plate heat exchangers bring benefits
in terms of thermally efficient
and compact products, but there
were some obstacles with the use
of brazed plate heat exchangers, including
interactions between media,
which can result in corrosion, fouling,
scaling and leaching and a decrease
in the performance and efficiency.
" But, by looking at these processes,
we found using coatings provided
a way to mitigate the occurrence, "
says Thomson. " The use of coatings
and innovating applications of
coatings allows better resistance to
corrosion, scaling and leaching, and
opens markets for less expensive
heat exchange solutions, while also
allowing customers to replace older
technology with newer, more efficient
versions in support of reaching sustainability
and cost goals. "
Emerging applications
While improvements in energy efficiency
and reliability help overcome
challenges and provide lower operational
costs in traditional chemical
processing applications, they are
also fundamental in the development
of newer sustainable-technology
and electrification innovations,
according to the experts.
" Everyone is keen on efficiency
right now because it directly reduces
the carbon footprint.
Further,
14
the
more efficiency you can achieve with
He continues, pointing out that
these applications put new demands
on heat exchange solutions. " High
temperatures and working with molten
salts are two common challenges
that we work with in this space, "
says Maciver.
" We are actively looking to extend
our portfolio of heat exchangers for
these applications, including organic
R&D development and forming partnerships
to bring specific products
and expertise
into
our
offerings, "
continues Maciver. " For example,
we are in a partnership to market
our header-coil heat exchanger
technology, which has a long tradition
in working with molten salts and
those that involve significant thermal
cycling, which is an issue that often
leads to fatigue failures in conventional
heat exchangers.
" Reliable and responsive heat exchangers
are critical to the energy
transition and essential for the future
energy market, where an increasing
share of intermittent renewable energy
sources is being integrated into
the grid, " he says.
The Alfa Laval Aalborg headercoil
offers innovative
headercoil
technology
that absorbs
thermal stress,
minimizes equipment
strain and
eliminates leakage
risks (Figure
4). The design
features and
production techniques
ensure
a low approach
point, as well as high long-term reliability
and thermal efficiency, making
them suitable for concentrated solar
power, energy storage and powerto-X
plants.
Kelvion also offers heat exchange
technologies that support sustainable
and efficient solutions in the
clean tech space, including green
hydrogen
production.
" Electrolysis
systems are considered to be a
promising option for producing hydrogen
from renewable resources, "
says Alexander Gernhardt, senior
application engineer, green technologies,
with Kelvion. " However, these
systems have a 60 to 80% efficiency
rate, which represents the level of
electrical energy that will be transformed
into hydrogen. The remaining
20 to 40% becomes heat that can
either be recovered or reused in, for
example, district heating, or emitted
by air coolers into the ambient air.
This means that an electrolyzer system
with 10-MW capacity will transform
around 2 to 4 MW of the electrical
energy supplied to the process
into heat.
" To ensure that the electrolysis
occurs in stable and efficient conditions,
it is essential that all equipment
interacting with the process,
especially the heat exchangers, is
carefully chosen and designed, "
Gernhardt says. " Our plate heat exchangers,
shell-and-tube heat exchangers,
dry coolers, air fin coolers
and cooling towers are specifically
designed to enhance the efficiency of
the electrolysis plant and help to provide
a holistic approach by optimizing
the different interconnected heat
exchangers to each other. This is of
high importance for proton exchange
membrane (PEM) and alkaline water
Source: Alfa Laval
FIGURE 4. The Alfa Laval Aalborg header-coil offers header-coil technology that
absorbs thermal stress, minimizes equipment strain and eliminates leakage
risks
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
FEBRUARY 2025
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