Volume 5, Issue 3, April 2023

Heat
exchanger Uniting the heat exchanger supply chain

WORLD

Cover story:

Hexonic: Innovative solutions for

a global market
 Stainless Steel/Duplex/Super Duplex/Nickel Alloys
Stainless Steel Seamless/Welded Pipes • Tubes • Fittings
Heat Exchanger Tubes • Boiler Tubes • Bright Bars

WWW.
TSINGSHAN
.NET

2003 1000 60+

320 6 60+
FOUNDED NUMBER MORE THAN 60
IN OF INVENTION
2003 EMLOYEES PATENTS
REGISTERED PARTICIPATE AND MARKETING
CAPITAL IN THE UTILITY THROUGHOUT
320 MILLION DEVELOPMENT THE WORLD,
OF NATIONAL MODEL PATENTS
YUAN MORE THAN 60
STANDARDS COUNTRIES

CERTIFICATION
●ISO9001/14001/45001/17025 ●API Q1/5LC ●PED+AD2000 ●NORSOK M650 ●NSF
●ABS/LR/BV/DNV+GL/RINA/CCS/KR
EPC CLIENT
●Saipem ●TechnipFMC ●Petrofac ●KBR ●Linde ●Samsung C&T ●Chiyoda ●TR ●JGC
●Hyundai E&C ●Samsung Engineering ●Maire Tecnimont
END USER CLIENT
●ExxonMobil ●BP ●Total ●BASF ●Petrobras ●Thaioil ●GS ●Petronas ●KOC
●ADNOC ●Borouge ●Keppel ●Ma'aden ●Sabic

Sales Center: 10th Floor, Tsingshan Building A, No.2666,Longxiang Road, Yongzhong Street,Longwan
District, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. 325024
MFG Center:Xiaozhi Industrial Zone,Qingtian County,Lishui ,Zhejiang Province,China. 323903(Seamless)
Lidun Industrial Zone, Zhouning County, Ningde , Fujian Province, China. 355402(Welded & Fitting)
Te l : + 8 6 - 5 7 7 - 8 6 6 2 0 8 8 8 Fa x : + 8 6 - 5 7 7 - 8 6 6 2 0 8 7 1 E-mail:sales@tsingshan.net
Volume 5, Issue 3, April 2023
Editorial
Heat Heat Exchanger World is the global
exchanger magazine connecting those working in the

Sharing knowledge
WORLD
heat exchanger supply chain
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
ISSN: 2666-1241 (Print) - ISSN: 2666-125X (Online)

Director KCI Publishing B.V.

and experience
Elisa Hannan
e.hannan@kci-world.com
Tel: +31 575 585 291

Editor in Chief
Ellie Pritchard
e.pritchard@kci-world.com
Tel.: +31 575 585 270

Editorial Team
Sarah Bradley (Canada)
What a difference a bit of sun makes! Here
s.bradley@kci-world.com in the Netherlands, we are still experiencing
Angelica Pajkovic (Canada)
a.pajkovic@kci-world.com unpredictable weather of snow, near-constant rain,
Joanne McIntyre (the Netherlands)
j.mcintyre@kci-world.com
and intermittent sunshine – but at last, the days
Alexandra Kist (the Netherlands) are slightly longer and the nights not so bitter.
a.kist@kci-world.com
David Sear (the Netherlands)
d.sear@kci-world.com I was fortunate enough to even enjoy some
Catrin Senger (Germany)
c.senger@kci-world.com
hours of Spanish sun in March, as HRS Heat
Laura Wang (China) Exchangers kindly invited me to the region of
h.wang@kci-world.com
Jude Jiang (China)
Murcia in northern Spain, a huge fruit and juice
w.jiang@kci-world.com
processing hub. Over two days, I discovered some
Sales Enquiries and Marketing
Sjoerd Hesseling
exciting companies, heat exchanger applications
s.hesseling@kci-world.com
Tel: +31 630 996 476
and projects, including HRS’s impressive evaporator unit built onsite (see image
Pascal Aussendorf (Europe)
below) which you can read more about in the May issue.
p.aussendorf@kci-world.com
Tel.: +49 2821 711 45 34 Our April cover story showcases the global ambitions of Hexonic, the heat
Roger Caetano (America)
r.caetano@kci-world.com
exchanger manufacturer with its eyes set on a bright and prosperous future.
Tel.: + 1 647 219 3764 The Heat Exchanger World team were able to meet with Artur Grajewski
Subscriptions Coordinator
Renate Collet
(Business Unit Director of Industrial Heat Exchangers), Andrzej Otta (Sales
r.collet@kci-world.com
Tel.: +31 575 789 269
Director), and Christian Huhn (Managing Director of Hexonic Deutschland) at
the company’s Polish HQ. You can learn more about Hexonic’s bold decisions,
Heat Exchanger World will be published eight times in 2023 in
February; March; April; May; July; September; October; December. its in-house knowledge and expertise, and its agile approach to future
Publishing House markets on pages 8-11.
KCI Publishing B.V., Leeuwenbrug 95,
7411 TH Deventer, The Netherlands
As part of the Heat Exchanger World 2022 Conference Series, Robert Mol
Mailing Address
PO Box 825, 7400 AV Deventer, The Netherlands shares his knowledge on thermal cleaning of heat exchangers on page 43. The
info.deventer@kci-world.com
Tel.: +31 575 585 270 Conference Series shines a light on some of the stand-out presentations from our
Bank Account: ABNAMRO 56.64.05.164
BIC: ABNANL2A IBAN: NL50ABNA0566405164 European and American conferences held in 2022.
Canada Office
KCI Publishing Corporation Throughout this April issue, you
36 King Street East, Suite 701,
Toronto ON MSC 1E5, Canada will also find opportunities to gain
info.toronto@kci-world.com
Tel.: +1 416 361 7030 in-depth insight from experts
China Office such as Baher El Sheikh (SABIC),
KCI Shanghai, Room 603, 6F, #400 Zhejiang Mid Road,
200001, Shanghai, China Craig Thomas (HVAC/R Coating
info.shanghai@kci-world.com
Tel.: +86 6351 9609 Specialist), Naomi Jabbari
Germany Office (S & B Engineering), and many more.
KCI GmbH, Tiergartenstrasse 64, D-47533 Kleve, Germany
info.kleve@kci-world.com
Tel.: +49 2821 71145 0 As always, I am grateful to all of our
Facebook: https://
fantastic contributors who share
www.facebook.com/heatexchangerworld/ their knowledge and experience
Twitter: https://twitter.com/htExchangerWrld with our community. If you would
LinkedIn: https:// like to be involved in our magazine,
www.linkedin.com/showcase/heatexchangerworld/
please feel free to contact me via
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/kcipub
the email address below or reach
out via LinkedIn!
Good Company

The publishers and the authors state that this magazine has been compiled I hope you enjoy this issue of Heat
meticulously and to the best of their knowledge. However, the publishers and
the authors can in no way guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the in- Exchanger World!
formation. The publisher and the authors therefore do not accept any liability
for any damage resulting from actions or decisions based on the information
in question. Users of this magazine are strongly advised to not to use this
information solely but to rely on their professional knowledge and experience Kind regards,
and to check the information to be used. KCI Publishing cannot guarantee
the accuracy of information provided by participating companies and authori- Ellie Pritchard
ties. The publisher reserves the right to combine, delete, and change sections.
The publisher reserves the right to edit and re-use (parts of the articles and Editor I spent two days in Murcia, Spain, discovering exciting
»

to distribute the information by any means.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, store in a e.pritchard@kci-world.com projects such as this huge evaporator system built by HRS
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Tel.: +31 575 585 270 Heat Exchangers. Photo Credit: GloHouse Media
publisher.
Heat Exchanger World is a trademark of Technical
Business Publications II B.V., Thijs Elshof, PO Box
67, 6680 AB Lingewaard, The Netherlands. Heat Exchanger World April 2023 3
© 2023. All rights reserved.
Contents
Cover Story:
8 Hexonic: Innovative solutions for a global market
With a recently expanded production hall of 4500 square metres, an employee base boosted by almost 20% in
2022 alone, and a fast-growing global presence, Hexonic is a heat exchanger
manufacturer intent on achieving big ambitions. The Heat Exchanger World
team was invited to Hexonic HQ to speak with Mr Artur Grajewski (Business Unit
Director of Industrial Heat Exchangers), Mr Andrzej Otta (Sales Director), and
Mr Christian Huhn (Managing Director of Hexonic Deutschland) about the
company’s success, its bold decisions, and the excitement of future opportunities.

16 Velo3D and PWR: Next generation heat
exchangers
Heat exchangers are critical parts
found in many different mechanical
systems. What makes them a unique
design and manufacturing challenge
lies in their primary function.
20 Good practices and experience feedback:
Industrial process energy efficiency and
links to the proper thermal-hydraulic
design of heat exchangers
This articles shows the essential
value of the expert’s knowledge,
but it also reminds us of the
imperative need to master the
knowledge of sizing and best
practices necessary to achieve an
optimised design that correctly fulfills the needs.
30 The multisectoral skills of a heat
transfer engineer

Naomi Jabbari is a heat transfer
engineer for S&B ENGINEERS
AND CONSTRUCTORS, based in
Houston, Texas, USA. Naomi’s
role is vast and varied, ranging
from equipment selection to thermal and mechanical
design, and purchase ordering.
32 Mock-up of tube-to-tubesheet joints
in shell and tube heat exchangers

The tube-to-tubesheet joints in a
shell and tube heat exchanger are
critical locations which in many cases
govern the life of the exchanger or call
for unplanned outages in order to be
repaired or plugged.

36 
Are fin tubes more likely to foul than
24 Plate and shell heat exchanger: A smooth tubes?
superior alternative to shell-&-tube? Be careful how you answer…
PECPL has partnered with German
Below is a photo of a reboiler
company GESMEX for the manufacture
bundle pulled for cleaning
and supply of plate & shell heat
that shows the smooth tubes
exchangers.
completely covered in scale and other deposits while the
single fin tube remains relatively clean.
26 Filiform corrosion – An unidentified
enemy to aluminium fins 38 Cooling data centres: A hot topic
 Filiform corrosion is an
To get the heat exchanger

unidentified enemy to the perspective on data centres,
vulnerable coated aluminium Heat Exchanger World spoke
fins, as this type of corrosion with Anna Blomborg, Industry
is often seen, but not always Manager Data Centres at Alfa
understood – until now... Laval.

4 Heat Exchanger World April 2023 www.heat-exchanger-world.com

43 Thermal cleaning: not an
alternative, but a better way of
cleaning
As part of the Heat

CALENDAR
Exchanger World 2022
Conference Series, the
of forthcoming events
subject of this article Some important events occurring around the
was originally presented world for the heat exchanger community.
during our European
04 – 05 April 2023
conference held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. here,
HYDROGEN TECH WORLD EXPO & CONFERENCE
Robert Mol explains the thorough cleaning achieved »  Location: Essen, Germany
through thermal cleaning methods. Url: https://hydrogentechworld.com/

47 Box cooler maintenance: From a 21- 04 – 05 April 2023

day schedule to an 8-day GREEN STEEL WORLD EXPO & CONFERENCE
turnaround » Location: Essen, Germany
Url: https://greensteelworld.com/
Cooling various strong engines and

motors of a vessel with only limited space
26 – 27 April 2023
in the hull available requires compact heat
VALVE WORLD ASIA CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION
exchangers. » L
 ocation: Suzhou, China
Url: https://valve-world-asia-event.com/
50 Experience Exchange: Keeping face-
to-face during COVID 07 – 08 June 2023
Experience Exchange
 VALVE WORLD AMERICAS EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE
» L
 ocation: Houston, TX, USA
is the space for sharing
Url: https://valveworldexpoamericas.com/
your industry stories,
from cautionary
27 – 28 September 2023
tales to enlightening VALVE WORLD MEXICO CONFERENCE
experiences. » L
 ocation: Mexico City, Mexico
Url: https://www.valveworldconferencemexico.com/
A dv e r t is e rs ’ I n d e x
AIGI Environmental Inc. 52 17 – 18 October 2023
Alabama Heat Exchangers 54
HEAT EXCHANGER WORLD AMERICAS CONFERENCE &
EXHIBITION
Bosal International Management NV 14
» L
 ocation: Pasadena, TX, USA
BSA Tube Runner Ltd 56 Url: https://heat-exchanger-world-americas.com/
Curtiss-Wright EST Group 46
Dunn Heat Exchangers 42 25 – 25 October 2023
Dunn Heat Exchangers 60 HOSE + COUPLING WORLD CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION
Heavy Metal & Tubes (India) Pvt. Ltd. 13 » L
 ocation: Pasadena, TX, USA
Url: https://hosecouplingworldexpoamericas.com/
Hexonic Deutschland GmbH 15
HRS Heat Exchangers Ltd 53 Disclaimer
Maus Italia S.P.A. 25 The rapid spread of the corona virus has affected trade fairs in many
Nippon Yakin Kogyo Co Ltd 19
parts of the world. Events known to have been postponed or cancelled
have been adjusted in or removed from Heat Exchanger World’s
Ohmstede Industrial Services 59 Calendar; however, readers are strongly urged to seek local and timely
Peinemann Equipment B.V. 41 advice before planning attendance at any of the shows listed above or on
SÄKAPHEN GmbH®
23 our on-line calendar.
Scoda Tubes Ltd 57
In every issue:
SunTec srl 49
Teadit North America 37 Community Update 6
thermowave Gesellschaft für Wärmetechnik mbH 41
Tsingshan Steel Pipe Co., Ltd. 2
INDUSTRY NEWS 12
Tubacex America, Inc. 31 PRODUCT NEWS 51
Vahterus Americas 35
Ward Vessel and Exchanger Corporation 7 PROJECT NEWS 55

www.heat-exchanger-world.com Heat Exchanger World April 2023 5

Community Update
Sharing good news from the heat exchanger community and wider industry....
Resources for chemical engineers
Mihir M. Patel is a Chemical Engineer
with a Master’s degree from USA
in 1987. Additionally, he is a Project
Management Professional (PMP®)
from PMI, USA, as well as a TUV SUD
certified Functional Safety Professional.
He has been practicing chemical
engineering for over 36+ years in the
Chemical Process Industry. Patel now
shares his knowledge and experience
through the format of published
handbooks and training courses for
chemical engineers.
Patel’s book titled as “MIHIR’S
Handbook of Chemical Process
Engineering” is written with a vision
to aid chemical engineers to carry out
chemical process engineering in a
practical, efficient, and simplified way.
This book has proven useful for all
levels of process engineers. It is based
on practical industry aspects and
covers most of the chemical process
engineering concepts in one place.
The handbook includes 40 eBooks
& 170+ excel templates, divided into
3 volumes.
Volume 1 (25 eBooks): provides
complete design information on
various unit operations & equipment
encountered by a process engineer.
Volume 2 (15 eBooks):  covers
various types of projects, different
engineering disciplines involved.
Engineering documentation
produced by a process engineer.  sequential flash tanks and a
Volume 3 (170 Excel sheets): has
actual excel-based 40 calculation
templates, 25 blank checklists, 93
process datasheets, 12 TBE formats,
41 P&IDs.
GeoHex project update
The GEOHEX consortium held a webinar
sharing their work on ‘Novel Coatings for
Geothermal Heat Exchangers,’ which is
now available to view online. The even took
place on 15 March 2023, with project leaders
from Grein Research, Tæknisetur and the
Innovation Centre Iceland presenting.
GEOHEX has been working to develop
materials for geothermal heat exchangers,
so that these critical components are
better protected from scaling and
corrosion.
The challenge lies in finding metal alloy
compositions that form a stable amorphous
structure. This has led to the investigation
of materials capable of not only providing
the required anti-corrosion properties
but also able to withstand the high
temperatures associated with geothermal
applications.
6 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
Complete table of contents can be
found on authors official website at:
https://chemicalprocessengineering.
com/
Mihir Patel’s advanced course is an
offline training for chemical engineers
which includes 96 recorded videos
covering 51 topics of chemical
process  engineering. Mr Patel sheds
light on the whole gamut of chemical
process engineering.  deliver an output of 700
Some key aspects are as follows:
•• Chemical process engineering
fundamentals
•• Industry knowledge
•• Example calculations
•• Procurement related aspects
& TBE
•• Actual executed documents
from projects
Group content and other details can
be found at following url:
https://chemicalprocessengineering.
com/product/complete-advanced-
course-all-videos/
GeoHex plans to achieve reduced scale
formation in geothermal heat exchangers by
using a variety of different coating types,
including hydrophobic coatings. The project
HRS completes construction of company’s largest evaporator
system
Following a 15-month design
and build period, HRS Heat
Exchangers has completed
the construction of the largest
evaporation system in the
company’s history. Assembled
entirely at HRS’ manufacturing
hub in Murcia, Spain, the system
stands at a height of 16m with
a footprint of 135m 2 and a total
evaporation capacity of nine
tonnes per hour.
Comprising 19 tanks and 15
titanium heat exchangers, the
super-sized multi-stage flash
evaporator has been designed
to process sodium chloride-rich
brine effluent from heavy process
industry for an unnamed Spanish
client. The system also includes a
crystallizer, to ensure no liquid is commissioning expected in the
discharged from site. autumn.
“This bespoke ZLD evaporator Located in the UK, HRS Heat
and crystallizer system will Exchangers is part of the EIL
Group (Exchanger Industries
kg/h of humid crystals for Limited) which operates at the
our customer,” explains forefront of thermal technology.
Tomas Stiebe, Technical HRS offers innovative heat
Sales Engineer for HRS Heat transfer solutions worldwide
Exchangers and the project across a diverse range of
lead. “Featuring a pre-heater, industries. With more than 40
degasser, main recirculation years’ experience, specialising
pump, five sequential heat in the design and manufacture
exchanger sections, five of an extensive range of turnkey
systems and components,
final condenser, it is the largest incorporating our corrugated
evaporator system we’ve tubular and scraped surface
manufactured to date.” heat exchanger technology, HRS
The system is due to be installed products are compliant with global
at the client’s site in May, with design and industry standards.
aims to take development from lab scale to
full equipment scale; from working on small
coupons, to heat exchanger test rigs, to
relatively small but still representative heat
exchangers, composing of proper geometry,
corrugated plates, and pipes.
These coatings not only provide improved
anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties
compared to current solutions, but also
offer improved heat transfer performance,
delivering both improved efficiencies and
reduced costs.
The webinar provided information on the
achievements of the GEOHEX project in
developing these corrosion and scaling-
resistant coatings as well as their effects on
the heat transfer performance.
The video can be viewed via this link:
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=dphAs0uHg7s&ab_channel=TWILtd
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
 INNOVATIVE IDEAS WITH
CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS

DESIGN & FABRICATION

• ASME Code, Section VIII, Div. 1, TEMA and API
• ASME U & R Stamp
• Heat Exchangers
• Reactors (half-pipe, conventional and
dimple jackets)
• Columns
• Pressure Vessels
• Storage Tanks
• Mix Tanks
• Polished Vessels (up to Super Mirror #8
w/ electro polishing)

OUR FIELD SERVICES

All our services are available in our shops or
in your facility:
• In-Place Machining
• ASME Code and Non-Code Welding
• R Stamp Alterations and Repairs
• Heat Treating
• Turnkey Pressure Vessel/Heat Exchanger
Removal and Installation
• Heat Exchanger Repair and Maintenance

10 Ra. Max Polished Clad Reactor

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, USA

HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA
704 568 3001 | sales@wardve.com
Heat exchanger
WWW.WARDVE.COM for chemical service
C ov e r S t o r y

Hexonic: Innovative solutions for

With a recently
expanded production
hall of 4500 square
metres, an employee
base boosted by almost
20% in 2022 alone, and
a fast-growing global
presence, Hexonic
is a heat exchanger
manufacturer intent on
achieving big ambitions.
I was invited to Hexonic
HQ to speak with
Mr Artur Grajewski
(Business Unit Director
of Industrial Heat
Exchangers), Mr Andrzej
Otta (Sales Director),
and Mr Christian Huhn
(Managing Director of
Hexonic Deutschland)
about the company’s
success, its bold
decisions, and the
excitement of future Hexonic’s JAG plate design features a unique corrugated pattern to increase heat transfer efficiency.
»

opportunities.

By Ellie Pritchard, Heat Exchanger World

Hexonic focuses production at its HQ in Nowy Dwór
Gdański, Poland. An impressive modern office building
houses roughly 120 office staff, including sales teams,
product development experts, commercial and marketing
teams, and more. At the same location, the recently
expanded production space spans 20000 square metres
across 5 halls, where the engineering and assembly team
produces a full range of standard heat exchangers as well
as custom industrial units. Hexonic’s standard range
includes brazed plate, plate and frame, shell and coil, and
shell and tube heat exchangers, whereas the business unit
led by Artur Grajewski handles the larger, industrial-scale
custom units, benefitting from high-capacity cranes which
enable the build of units exceeding 120 tonnes in weight.
Bold decisions and increasing visibility
“Our company has been around for over 35 years; we
are family owned,” says Andrzej Otta, who supports
all customers and subsidiaries from the Head Office.
“This is the heart of our operations and company; we
manufacture some heat exchanger components in Prague,
Czech Republic, and we have entities and representatives
in 17 countries around the world – but the centre of our
operations is here in Poland; it’s our control centre.”
At the beginning of 2022, the company undertook a huge
transformation, changing from its original name ‘SECESPOL’
and rebranding as Hexonic. Andrzej explains that whilst it
was a difficult decision, it was one that reaped clear rewards
immediately. “We wanted a name that was a better reflection
of who we are now and what we do, and which also felt
more appropriate to our global presence,” says Andrzej. “We
decided to totally change our corporate identity, complete
with a new name, logo, and branding – we chose the colour
orange because it was unconventional for the heat exchange
market, and we wanted to stand out.”
As was to be expected, there were initial concerns, but
the company admits that the pandemic period provided
a relatively quiet time with no exhibitions, and they
were able to dedicate much-needed time to work on the
rebranding. Hexonic had its official premier at a trade event

8 Heat Exchanger World April 2023 www.heat-exchanger-world.com

 C ov e r S t o r y

a global market

Industrial heat exchangers; Hexonic designs and manufactures specialised heat exchangers for
»

different industry sectors.

branding is more visible, we are more visible; we want people

to see our products and know that they mean quality.”

Supporting customers
Hexonic released its new JAG product line shortly before
its rebranding, signifying the company’s forward-looking
vision. The JAG plate design features a unique corrugated
pattern to increase flow turbulence, giving high thermal
performance and heat exchange capabilities, but with
decreased fouling build-up. As well as the plate heat
exchanger JAG product, versions of the plate have been

“Our branding is more visible,

we are more visible; we want
people to see our products and
know that they mean quality.”
in the US in February 2022. “The whole process ran very
smoothly,” Andrzej says. “These big changes were accepted
by our customers very quickly. We had an overwhelming
amount of positive feedback from customers who felt that
the new name and image was more dynamic and a better
representation of our company.” The risk clearly paid off
as Hexonic’s business in the US alone has grown by almost
1000% since its rebranding.
But this wasn’t just about a new logo and name. Hexonic was
making a commitment to be a reliable, professional partner
providing top-quality products and outstanding service, ready
for expansion. “We wanted people to see that we were taking
those years of experience as SECESPOL and now producing
to an even higher quality as Hexonic,” Andrzej affirms. “Our Hexonic’s JAG plate heat exchanger.
»

www.heat-exchanger-world.com Heat Exchanger World April 2023 9

C ov e r S t o r y

an ability to provide well-engineered solutions for a wide range

of applications. “We try to produce all components in-house,
and this gives us one of the most important things: time. At the
moment, there is a lot of pressure to reduce lead times for heat
exchanger manufacturers, so we need to ensure we can keep up
with that,” Artur says. “Producing components in our Nowy
Dwór Gdański facility means we can produce nozzles, front
and end plates, process tubes, and so on – if a customer requires
a specific attachment, then we make a custom part for them.
Having this flexibility is one of our big advantages.”

Adapting to future trends

The energy transition and latest focus on decarbonisation
technology are of great interest to the entire heat
exchanger industry, but Hexonic claims an advantage
with its extensive product portfolio and an ability to
adapt to the requirements of individual customers, even
within its stock range. Christian explains that, with
these products and the certifications they attain, Hexonic
is ready to play its part in the energy transition and
sustainable solutions.
“For the German market in particular, we are focused on
the renewable energy sector; we see an increase in demand
Andrzej Otta (Sales Director) explains the company’s impressive manufacturing process to the Heat
»

for waste heat recovery applications and district heating

Exchanger World team.
networks,” Christian explains.
designed for plate and shell, the JAG Shield. Another Christian predicts a huge potential in the industrial heat
distinguishing feature is the use of vacuum brazing rather pump market, anticipating growing demand as countries
than laser circumferential welding, as this ensures a very move further away from reliance on gas. “We’re able to
high level of dependability and outstanding fatigue strength. deliver for the single domestic installations all the way
“In order to provide the best support for our customers, we up to district heating and industrial heating systems. For
completed a huge investment project in our JAG plate heat
exchangers,” says Andrzej. “This required several years of
research and development to design a unique plate and build
entirely new production lines. It’s a product group we’ll find
ourselves really focusing on, as plate heat exchangers make
up a majority of the market share.”
As well as the full new range of JAG heat exchangers, Hexonic
also developed its online selection software, CAIRO. The
software is accessible via a standard web browser and gives
current and prospective customers an overview of Hexonic’s
complete standard product range, relevant to HVAC,
refrigeration, oils, dairy, pool applications, and beyond. Also
reinforced by the company’s R&D department, CAIRO offers
a complete service, for example in the event of a sizing issue.
CAIRO is a way for Hexonic to share a lot of technical data
with its customers, something which Artur feels sets them
apart from the competition. “Our customers really value this
because they can have the full details of a calculation,” Artur
states. “They don’t need to wait for an offer, they can already
see the many options for their specific needs, price, size, etc.”

A company of experts
The word ‘solution’ is at the core of Hexonic’s approach
and Christian Huhn (Managing Director - Hexonic
Deutschland) explains that, in his eyes, the company is far
more than just a product manufacturer. “We have the right
people with the right expertise to think along with every
customer to find the best fit for them,” says Christian. “For
example, does a customer need a space-saving option? No
problem, we’ll build a smaller, more efficient unit with
higher number of passes.”
Artur Grajewski asserts that, first and foremost, Hexonic is an Hexonic’s brazed plate heat exchanger has been redesigned
»

engineering company with expertise in thermal calculation and to be compatible with new refrigerants.

10 Heat Exchanger World April 2023 www.heat-exchanger-world.com


Artur Grajewski (Business Unit Director of Industrial Heat Exchangers), Andrzej Otta (Sales Director), and Christian Huhn
»
(Managing Director of Hexonic Deutschland) with the Heat Exchanger World team at the Nowy Dwór Gdań ski production
facility, Poland.
those larger units, Artur’s division is ready to approach
this market as soon as it matures. We have the right
product for applications on both ends of the spectrum.”
To demonstrate the company’s readiness for the
developing heat pump market, Andrzej explains the
redesign of Hexonic’s brazed plate heat exchangers to be
compatible with new refrigerants. “Propane, for example, is
becoming more popular, as well as A2L (a refrigerant with
low global warming potential, low flammability, and lower
toxicity). We redesigned our products to be more durable
to these media.” Always adapting to new market trends,
the company aims to secure many new OEM producers.
Certifications
“With these new applications, we also ensure that we are
totally compliant to important certifications such as F-Gas,
UL, and AHRI,” confirms Christian. “P-Fas is also an
“We are working to be one of
the world’s leading players,
globally recognised for our
products and service.”
important one which we anticipate will impact the whole
refrigeration industry, even the valve industry in fact. We
are constantly monitoring these situations and preparing
for future scenarios.”
Hexonic received its UL certification at the end of 2022,
which Andrzej feels is vital for entering the heat pump
sector, and the JAG range qualified for AHRI in September
2022. “The AHRI guarantees that a heat exchanger’s proper
performance is supported and proven by external lab tests,”
he states. “And the UL certificate means that our units
can withstand above and beyond the required number of
cycles. Many customers often specify the minimum number
of cycles that the device must endure. Thanks to the UL
certification awarded to us, we can assure our customers
of the appropriate durability of our heat exchangers. The
team is proud to share that all cyclic testing was carried out
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
C ov e r S t o r y
in-house at the Nowy Dwór Gdański facility under constant
supervision of the UL inspector.
Global growth
Beyond the physical growth of the company’s Nowy
Dwór Gdański production facility, Hexonic has also
opened two new entities in India and Kazakhstan, and is
in the process of opening another in Dubai. Due to the
distance from Poland, local warehouses will be created in
these three locations to assist with smooth delivery and
service for customers. Identifying big potential in Asia
and other growing economies, Hexonic wastes no time
in seizing such opportunities. “We believe that, with our
wide portfolio, we can establish ourselves as key players
in many new regions. Our goal is to be present in
50 countries within the next 5 years.,” Andrzej confirms.
Hexonic is intent on maintaining its high standard of
quality no matter of how large it grows. Christian thinks
of this as a red thread running through the centre of the
whole company. “It’s in our DNA; that high quality should
follow through a customer’s entire experience with us.
Beginning from the first consultation and initial contact,
through the production process, until the final product
delivery, and even after that.”
“We want to be a reference point in this industry,
which we believe means more than being a leader.
Industry leaders focus on volume, but a reference
point shows quality.” Christian refers to the company’s
experienced and expert team: “What we are interested
in is maintaining a high standard with our products,
our service, and our knowledge. Thermodynamics is in
our blood. All of our team members fully understand
heat exchangers, application-specific requirements, how
to interpret data etc. We are able to look at the whole
picture.”
Andrzej concludes with an optimistic look to the future,
the company heading towards even greater growth and
global ambitions: “We are working to be one of the world’s
leading players, globally recognised for our products and
service. And we will succeed because we have the right
people to do it.”
Heat Exchanger World April 2023 11
Industry News
Alleima inaugurates a manufacturing facility in Gujarat
Alleima inaugurated its new hydraulic
and instrumentation tubing factory at
its Mehsana Mill in Gujarat, western
India. The new factory will meet
the increasing demand for locally
manufactured products in India.
Currently, India is one of Alleima’s
key geographical areas, and the
Mehsana manufacturing facility
has since grown in importance.
Having been successively expanded
Vertical scraped surface heat exchanger
SPX FLOW, Inc., a provider of
process solutions for the nutrition,
health, and industrial markets, has
released an updated version of
its vertical scraped surface heat
exchanger, the Waukesha Cherry-
Burrell Votator II, with upgrades that
allow for easier, quicker use.
The Votator, which has been on
the market for about 20 years, has
become a fixture within multiple
industries by providing continuous
processing solutions for meat, dairy,
and confectionery applications.
Now, the updated vertical Votator II
Panasonic accelerates growth strategy
Panasonic Corporation will
accelerate its growth strategy
for its Heating & Ventilation A/C
Company (HVAC Company) for the
air-to-water (A2W) heat pump and
hydronic systems business in the
European market. As part of this
strategy, the company will invest
an additional YEN 15bn in its Czech
plant to increase the production
of A2W heat pumps, for which
demand is growing. Combined with
the investment already announced
last year, the total investment in the
European region amounts to
EUR 563M.
12 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
and modernised, the factory
has increased production and
availability of high-quality seamless
stainless steel and high-alloy tubes
to strengthen service in the region.
The investment has been divided
into two parts, a new hydraulic and
instrumentation tubing factory and
a heat exchanger (HX) cold finish
tube capacity that will be fully
completed and operational in 2023.
offers dual lift capacity with
controlled alignment to ensure
efficient operation. Operators can
lower and lift two cylinders at once
instead of having to do one at a
time, which decreases cleaning and
inspection time, and in turn, reduces
downtime.
Other improved components include
alignment pins, guide rollers, and
a guidance system. These updates
make the vertical Votator II more
user-friendly with easier re-
assembly operations and smoother,
more efficient lifting and lowering.
Vaillant Group opens mega factory for heat pumps
Vaillant Group is commissioning
its new mega factory for electric
heat pumps in Senica, Slovakia.
With a floor space of 100,000
square metres, the new plant
will exclusively manufacture
heat pumps from May 2023. The
factory is designed for an annual
production output of 300,000
heat pumps. The company, which
also manufactures heat pumps in
Germany, France, and the UK, will
thus double its production capacity
to well over half a million heat
pumps per year.
The plant in Senica, Slovakia, is part
of the Vaillant Group’s international
production network. In addition to
the assembly lines, the mega factory
includes a training centre for the
company’s partners in the HVAC
trade, a visitor centre, and a logistics
centre. The new production facility
The updated vertical Votator
II offers a variety of benefits.
Greater flexibility for operating
needs: the new design enables
is certified according to the highest
international standard BREEAM
for sustainable, environmentally
friendly construction. The mega
factory uses electricity from 100%
renewable sources and is heated
with heat pumps.
The Vaillant Group is an
internationally active company
based in Remscheid, Germany,
which operates in the fields
of heating, ventilation, and
air-conditioning technology.
Vaillant Group develops and
manufactures customised
products, systems, and services
to provide a comfortable living
environment. Its product portfolio
ranges from efficient heating
devices based on conventional
energy sources to system
solutions for using renewable
energy.
efficient access to single or
twin cylinders for maintenance,
cleaning, or inspections. Faster
maintenance: the system is
externally positioned onto the
support column with hydraulic
components visible and easily
maintained, repaired, or
replaced without impacting the
heat exchanger or production
performance. Easy enhancement
for existing systems: simple
retrofit conversion kits are
available to convert existing
Votator II vertical systems.
During the first week of April, the
HVAC Company will establish a
European HVAC Business Division
in Germany to transfer development,
manufacturing, and sales functions
to the region and shift to regionally
optimised management.
Europe is at the forefront of efforts
to transition to a carbon-free society.
While the demand for energy-efficient
and other environmentally-friendly
products is growing, the industry is
required to comply with regulations on
CFCs, which are used as refrigerants
in air conditioners, in order to prevent
global warming.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com

Metso Outotec and AMIC sign a settlement agreement
Metso Outotec and Advanced
Metal Industries Cluster Company
Limited (AMIC), a subsidiary
of Tasnee, have signed a full
and final settlement agreement
in relation to the original
engineering, procurement, and
construction (EPC) contract,
signed in May 2012, on the
Ilmenite Smelter Project.
After modifications and
construction works, the smelter’s
furnace 1 has successfully started
operating and has been ramping
up since December 2021. The
ramp-up continues and with
ongoing optimisation works,
furnace 1 has been producing
on-spec marketable high-quality
chloride slag and pig iron.
As part of this Settlement
Agreement, Metso Outotec and
AMIC have agreed to enter into
a collaborative refurbishment
and optimisation works
contract. This contract entails
additional value engineering and
enhancements for furnace 2 to
ensure sustainable operating
performance at higher operating
First engine started on LNG-powered Icon of the Seas
A new milestone in the
construction of the Icon of the Seas,
Royal Caribbean International’s
first LNG-powered cruise vessel,
has been achieved with the start
of the first multi-fuel engine at the
Meyer Turku shipyard.
Said to be the world’s most
advanced and largest ship with
environmentally-friendly features,
Icon of the Seas has six Wärtsilä
main engines that can use both
diesel and natural gas fuel.
The first of them started using
diesel in the second week of
March at the shipyard, according
to Meyer Turku’s social media
update. Chief engineer Tuomas
Auvinen explained that the first
main engine start on a ship tells
a lot about the ship’s readiness,
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Industry News
rates. Furnace 2 is expected to
start its ramp-up of operations
in 2025.
As part of the collaborative
refurbishment and optimisation
works contract, Metso Outotec will
provide the required engineering,
technical, and project management
support and services over an
agreed period of time.
The provision, which Metso
Outotec has earlier booked
for this project, is sufficient to
cover the costs related to the
Settlement Agreement, including
the additional engineering and
enhancements for furnace 2.
signalling that something
significant was achieved.
The ship was launched on 9
December 2022 and moved to
the outfitting dock. Icon of the
Seas is Royal Caribbean’s first
ship that runs on LNG and utilises
fuel cell technology. The vessel
will also feature shore power
connections and waste heat
recovery systems. Furthermore,
it will have air lubrication of the
underwater hull, sending millions
of microscopic bubbles along the
hull of the ship to reduce friction.
Icon of the Seas will be handed over
to the customer at the end of 2023
and will set sail on its first voyage in
January 2024. The ship will cruise
from Miami year-round in the
Eastern and Western Caribbean.
Heat Exchanger World April 2023
 Industry News

Novel material reduces heat released into the atmosphere

West Virginia University scientists have created a
material that has the ability to decrease the amount
of heat that power plants emit into the atmosphere.
An oxide ceramic material developed by a team
guided by Xueyan Song, Professor, and George
B. Berry Chair of Engineering at the Benjamin
M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral
Resources, resolves a long-standing efficiency
problem plaguing thermoelectric generators.
These devices can produce electricity from heat,
including heat emissions from power plants,
contributing to global warming.
The innovative oxide ceramic Song’s
group developed “achieved a record-high
performance that had been deemed impossible.
It demonstrated the best thermoelectric oxide
ceramics reported in the field worldwide over
the past 20 years, and the results open up new
research directions that could further increase
performance” she said.
Cesar Octavio Romo de la Cruz, Yun Chen, Liang
Liang, and Sergio A. Paredes Navia all contributed
to the study, which was funded by the National
Science Foundation for USD 639,784. The
findings have been published in Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews.
Oxide ceramics are related to materials such as
porcelain, pottery, clay bricks, cement, and silicon,
but they contain different metallic elements.
These materials are tough, resistant to heat
and corrosion, are ideal for high-temperature
air applications, and can be used to make
thermoelectric generator components.

Nikkiso announces expansion in South Africa

Nikkiso Clean Energy & Industrial Group’s products, contained within

Gases Group is expanding its
sales, service, and engineering
capabilities for the African market
by constructing a new facility. From
it, the company will be providing
support for all of its product
offerings. The group is part of Nikkiso
Company, located in Japan, which
operates under Cryogenic Industries,
based in the United States.
Located in Waterfall, KwaZulu-
Natal, South Africa, the facility was
at first constructed to expand the
operating range of the business in
the continent of Africa and support
South Africa’s engineering and
economic hubs in the region. By
recruiting local engineers and field
service support from local markets,
Nikkiso will bring specific knowledge
from the local and regional markets.
This enables the fabrication of more
customised solutions from the site.
Aside from the aforementioned
technical sales support for the
is a specialised air separation unit
commissioning team. This enhances
customer support which can be
offered to the air separation market
segment. From this facility, additional
engineering support is expected
to generate process and design
optimisation solutions for operators
in the region. The facility will also
create LNG equipment to be used in
the large natural gas expansion off
the coast of Mozambique, and in the
possible formation of virtual pipelines
for LNG fuel to deter current electric
grid reliability concerns.

Unrivaled. heat
exchange
systems
Think Bosal
Because our tech is unrivaled
Here’s
why:
Product protected under German
Utility Model DE 20 2021 103 801 U1

Hot functional testing begins at Vogtle 4
Georgia Power has announced that
the last series of major tests ahead
of initial fuel load is underway at the
second new nuclear unit at the site
near Waynesboro, Georgia.
Hot functional testing verifies the
successful operation of reactor
components and systems together
and confirms the reactor is ready for
fuel load.
Tests are carried out under the
temperatures and pressures that the
reactor systems will be subjected
to during normal operation, but
without nuclear fuel inside the
reactor. The heat generated by the
unit’s four reactor coolant pumps
will be used to raise the temperature
and pressure of plant systems to
normal operating levels, Georgia
JAG PLATE & FRAME
HEAT EXCHANGERS
For more information
visit our website at hexonic.com
Power said. Once these are achieved
and sustained, the unit’s main
turbine will be raised to normal
operating speed using steam from
the plant. During the series of tests,
nuclear operators will be able to
exercise and validate procedures as
required ahead of fuel load.
Construction of Vogtle 4 - the
second of two Westinghouse
AP1000 units at the Vogtle site,
already home to two operating
pressurised water reactors began in
November 2013. Timelines issued
by the company earlier this year
have suggested that fuel loading is
envisaged in June, and the company
says it is projected to enter service
in “late fourth quarter 2023 or first
quarter 2024”.
SECO/WARWICK Group: A nuclear family
On the eve of its sixth decade in business,
SECO/WARWICK Group’s three
American divisions are proud to have
participated in delivering technologies
that support emerging energy markets,
keeping North America’s lights on and its
utilities humming.
The latest contract with the energy firm
is just the most recent of the Group’s
combined experience supporting the
metallurgical needs of the nuclear
power industry and related sciences.
The Vector 6VP-9912 horizontal-
loading furnace has a workload size
of 36” x 36” x 48” deep and a 1497-kg
capacity and is designed with a
6-bar high-pressure gas quench and
all-metal hot zone, allowing for rapid
quenching and deep vacuum heat
treating applications.
The customer has existing in-house
heat treating but is looking to upgrade
Industry News
their capabilities with vacuum furnace
technologies. This will be their
first furnace from Seco/Vacuum.
Seco/Vacuum was awarded the
contract due to its proven expertise
in nuclear applications and in
manufacturing furnace systems that
meet the customer’s strict processing
requirements.
Seco/Vacuum also recently completed
the largest of their contributions
to nuclear energy research to date,
a heat-treat furnace for General
Atomics’ contribution to the
superconducting central solenoid
magnet for the ITER fusion reactor.
Seco/Vacuum supplied the Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology with a custom
12-meter vertical rotary retort furnace
for heat-treating gyrotron parts
as their contribution to the ITER
experimental fusion reactor.
Additive Manufacturing
Velo3D and PWR: Next generation
heat exchangers
Heat exchangers are critical parts found in many different mechanical
systems from home appliances to rocket engines. What makes them
a unique design and manufacturing challenge lies in their primary
function: small-scale heat exchangers demand complex internal
geometries with leak-tight thin walls that separate hot and cold
fluids with maximum surface area to enable the most efficient
transfer of heat.
All text and images courtesy of Velo3D
Complex internal structures often require difficult and
extensive post-processing operations when utilizing
conventional AM technology. And oftentimes post-
processing these internal geometries can prove outright
impossible.
Meanwhile, traditional manufacturing methods struggle
with complex internal geometries, limiting the use of
optimal structures. Conventional additive manufacturing
solutions also struggle with low angles, and often require
support structures to produce the parts, which again
demand extensive post-processing to remove, if they
can be removed at all. These conventional AM systems
also struggle with repeatability, so even when a design
is successfully executed, replicating that success can be a
major challenge.
A water/oil heat exchanger featuring 220 micron turbulators and 320 micron leak-tight walls. This part was created by PWR
»
and produced using Aluminum F357.
16 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
In this case study we’ll look at PWR Advanced Cooling
Technology, and how their partnership with Velo3D
enabled a flexible solution for producing heat exchangers
to meet the specifications of PWR’s high-profile clients
in motorsport. This solution features a mix of Velo3D
metal AM-produced parts and traditionally manufactured
components.
Challenge
In these highly competitive arenas, motorsport teams
are looking for any advantage in performance to give
them an edge. PWR is constantly on the lookout for
new technologies and manufacturing methods to
produce high-performance heat exchangers for their
partners. Because of the nature of motorsport, PWR
works in an extremely bespoke field; rather than
needing to produce hundreds or even dozens of heat
exchangers, the company focuses on small batches of
highly optimized parts.
While heat exchangers are common and critical parts
in automotive systems, they aren’t without their
share of design and manufacturing challenges. Heat
exchangers often rely on complex structures with leak-
tight thin walls to maximize the surface area of walls
separating hot and cold fluids to dissipate and transfer
heat.
Conventional additive manufacturing processes struggle
with the low angles required to achieve this level of
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
 Additive Manufacturing

Front and back of a cross section of PWR’s heat exchanger showcasing the complex internal geometries of the part.
»

complexity without support structures which then
need to be removed in post-processing. PWR also
works almost exclusively in aluminum, a material
with many advantageous properties but which can
be difficult to process with additive manufacturing.
Due to aluminum’s relative volatility, it demands
highly controlled conditions in the printing process
for optimal printing outcomes. One of aluminum’s
advantages, however, is its compatibility with traditional
manufacturing methods; parts 3D-printed in aluminum
can be further brazed or welded to take advantage of
the potential provided by both additive and traditional
manufacturing techniques.
With a team new to the capabilities of additive
manufacturing, PWR required a partner well-versed in
the nuances of the technology to guide them through its
implementation and development. AM is uniquely suited
to address the challenges of heat exchanger manufacturing,

Velo3D’s Sapphire printer utilizes laser powder bed fusion technology to produce metal parts, such as heat exchangers.
»

The printer can be calibrated for a variety of metal alloys and can produce parts as big as 315mm in diameter by 1,000mm in
height.

www.heat-exchanger-world.com Heat Exchanger World April 2023 17

Additive Manufacturing
so for a company like PWR, unlocking that potential is
increasingly valuable in a competitive field like motorsport.
Solution
Based on Velo3D’s success in the space industry (and a
host of other factors), PWR concluded that Velo3D would
make an ideal AM partner in the development of their heat
exchangers.
What PWR was struck by first was Velo3D’s
performance capabilities regarding heat exchanger
production. In 2019, PWR conducted an evaluation of
various printing technologies.
Velo3D printed heat exchangers featuring 320um
leak-tight walls and 220um turbulators that
resulted in a 33 percent lower pressure drop vs the
competition. Pressure tested to 6 bar at PWR’s world
class testing facilities, this water/oil heat exchanger
features some of the thinnest leak-tight walls on a
metal AM heat exchanger ever printed. This heat
exchanger exceeded expectations outperforming
devices printed on other manufacturing platforms,
which led PWR to purchase its first Velo3D Sapphire
metal 3D printer.
What cemented the relationship was the performance
of the dedicated service team when the first system
was delivered. Being new to metal AM, the PWR
team required guidance in implementation. It also
didn’t help that PWR invested in the Velo3D end-
to-end system as lockdowns saddled operations
throughout Australia. However, through email and
remote communication, and with the assistance of
a dedicated field-based engineer, the Velo3D team
proved “invaluable” as the PWR team learned the
technology. After a collaborative design phase, PWR
was able to begin printing on their Velo3D Sapphire
printer.
“Seeing an additively manufactured part on the
Velo3D machine was a big shock—a very good
shock,” says Torven Taylour, Design Engineer at
PWR. “Okay, this is now what’s possible. How can
we leverage this machine to further our products and
offer our customers something they couldn’t have had
previously?”
Throughout the process of test printing, PWR
leveraged the Velo3D system’s ability to print
incomparably thin walls and low inclination
angles without supports to achieve designs that
cannot be feasibly produced by neither traditional
manufacturing nor alternative metal additive
manufacturing systems. Due to the specifications of
their clients, however, PWR began by 3D printing
more complex housings in aluminum combined
with traditionally manufactured cores to produce
exceptionally high-performance products.
Because PWR uses aluminum for printing—a
relatively uncommon material in metal AM compared
to more conventional materials such as titanium
and inconel—they had to further lean on the team
from Velo3D to optimize their printing process to
compensate for the material. This consultation and
collaboration also included the Velo3D team providing
guidance and advice on heat treatments for metal
AM-produced parts.
18 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
Results
PWR has had multiple successful prints of heat
exchanger housings which are then combined with
traditionally manufactured cores marrying the
advantages provided by both additive and traditional
manufacturing. To be spatially efficient and to
provide adequate distribution of fluids, some heat
exchanger housings require complex geometries that
are difficult to achieve with traditional manufacturing
processes. Instead, PWR additively manufacture
their housings on their Velo3D Sapphire printer.
The solution’s low inclination and support-free
capabilities allow them to manufacture housings with
built-in tubes and complex internal fluid galleries
that would be difficult to achieve with alternative
additive manufacturing methods.
Based on this success, the company is further
developing heat exchangers that are entirely
3D-printed on the Velo3D system. The prospect of the
technology has become a major selling point for their
motorsport clients, particularly Formula One racing
teams.
“We have involvement with every Formula One team,”
says Taylour. “Not all Formula One teams leverage
additive manufacturing from us, but the teams that do,
focus on the Velo3D solution. They are confident in
what it produces.” The closed loop, tightly controlled
environment of the Sapphire printer has made it an
ideal system for printing in aluminum . Having an
automated printing process has reduced labor costs and
lead times for finished parts and provided a consistency
and reliability of results that has been attractive to
high-end customers. Furthermore, this automation has
reduced the team’s exposure to hazardous chemicals
endemic to conventional AM solutions and reduced
waste of the expensive aluminum powder. Because of
the level of control available with the Velo3D system,
PWR is now exploring off-the-shelf, scalable heat
exchanger production to provide cooling solutions
for a broader base of customers rather than the
bespoke, small batch manufacturing runs that have
been successfully adopted in competitive motorsport.
The company’s success in AM is also bringing in new
industries of clients, including aerospace.
The partnership between PWR and Velo3D is a true
success story of technological capability meeting a
dedication to service. Through collaboration with
Velo3D, PWR is now able to offer high-performance
additive manufactured heat exchangers to their high-
profile clients, while reducing labor costs and health
risks.
About the company
Velo3D provides a fully integrated metal 3D print-
ing solution for mission-critical parts in the space,
automotive, semiconductor, and energy industries.
Unlike conventional metal 3D printing solutions or
traditional manufacturing methods, Velo3D helps
design engineers build the complex parts they need
without compromising their design or part quality.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Design

Good practices and experience feedback:

Industrial process energy efficiency and links to the
proper thermal-hydraulic design of heat exchangers
Without a doubt, the heat exchanger is an essential and critical • Evaporator or condenser;
component in all thermal systems, whether for industrial use (chemicals, • And many more
It should be highlighted here again that all these functions are
petrochemicals, iron and steel, food processing, energy production, etc.), performed by a single component type: the heat exchanger.
for the automotive, aeronautical and aerospace industries, or also for the
building industry (residential or commercial). Efficiency and pinch minimization
From an energy point of view, the most efficient heat
By Christophe Weber and Quentin Blondel, GRETh – exchanger will be the one that will allow transfer of
About the authors Heat Exchanger Research Group the most important thermal power amount through
Christophe it (notion of pinch minimization, i.e. the lowest
Weber, PhD, Indeed, it is generally agreed that more than 90% temperature difference between the two fluids within
is a thermal of the thermal energy used in industrial processes the heat exchanger) with a minimal heat transfer
engineer and passes through a heat exchanger at least once: it is surface (thus considerations of material and volume)
heat exchanger expert therefore an essential and ubiquitous element for the and at the same time minimizing the pressure losses
with more than 10 years proper operation of processes but also in the energy which affect the consumptions of the auxiliaries
experience and has been the performance strategy framework. necessary for the fluid’s circulation (pumps, fan,
GRETh association's CEO First of all, as a reminder: a heat exchanger’s main compressor).
since 2017. function is to transfer thermal energy, generally However, pinch minimization leads paradoxically to
Quentin Blondel, from one fluid to another at different temperature an important increase of the heat transfer surface (and
PhD, has been levels. therefore the quantity of heat exchanger material and
an R&D thermal The heat exchanger functions are extremely different its cost) as well as very often the pressure losses (more
engineer within and varied. Among others, we can mention the following heat transfer surface and therefore potentially more heat
GRETh since 2021 main application cases: transfer length and thus more pressure losses).
and is notably in charge of • Liquid or gas heater or cooler; From a more concrete point of view, and based on the
technical and scientific studies • Heat recovery system; simple example of a tube-in-tube heat exchanger, it can be
and related report writing. • Thermal heater (as radiator); observed and understood, thanks to the figure below, the
• Dehumidifier or partial moist air condenser; following points:

Cold Fluid Temperature Hot Fluid Temperature

100

80
Temperature (°C)

60
Pinch
40

20

0
0 79 158 237 317 396 475
Thermal Power (kW)

Heat Exchanger temperature evolution according to the exchanged thermal power (tube-in-tube heat exchanger co-current flow).
»

Cold Fluid Temperature Hot Fluid Temperature

100

80
Temperature (°C)

60
Pinch
40

20

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Heat Exchanger Length (m)
Heat Exchanger temperature evolution according to the tube lengh (tube-in-tube heat exchanger co-current flow).
»

20 Heat Exchanger World April 2023 www.heat-exchanger-world.com


1. The more efficient the heat exchanger, the lower
the pinch and therefore the higher the thermal
power transferred;
2. Thus, the more efficient the heat exchanger, the
larger the heat transfer surface and therefore
the longer the heat exchanger will have to be.
Consequently, the pressure losses increase and
generate a higher energy consumption (auxiliaries
power consumption);
3. However, it is clear that the more we want to
reduce the pinch, the greater the required effort
on the length and therefore over the heat transfer
surface.
We point out that the previous remarks 2 and 3 can be
subject to some nuances: beyond the heat transfer surface
growth due to the length increase, as mentioned in the
previous example, there are other possibilities in order to
improve the heat exchanger efficiency (or to decrease the
pinch). Indeed, the heat exchanger pinch can be reduced by:
• Increased heat transfer surface through the use of
secondary heat transfer surfaces such as fins (and
therefore without impact on the length of the heat
exchanger itself);
• The heat transfer intrinsic performance growth
(quality increasing of the heat transfer) by means
of intensification devices such as, for example and
among others, turbulators/inserts, specific surface
structuration such as micro-grooved tubes or
corrugations, etc.;
• The combined improvement of the heat transfer
surface and the heat transfer quality through
the implementation of secondary heat transfer
surfaces with specific surface structuration, such
as segmented fins, offset strip fins (OSF), etc.
One of the rational energy management challenges is
to use, among other things, technologies that optimise
these different criteria.
Appropriate sizing
Beyond the heat exchanger’s technological
development, it is also possible to bring a concrete
answer in order to improve the global energy
efficiency of the processes using them: this is
expressed by their appropriate sizing.
The heat exchanger sizing consists in the
determination of the heat transfer surface necessary
to obtain the desired performances (power, outlet
temperature). At the same time, it is necessary to
determine the pressure losses generated by the fluids
circulation (due to friction against the walls as a result
of the material roughness and the fluid viscosity) in
order to verify the conformity with the specifications
and the latter's objectives.
Obviously, a well-adapted, correctly sized, well-
manufactured and correctly used heat exchanger
allows a significant improvement of the process
efficiency and therefore of the energy consumption.
However, the sizing operation remains quite delicate
and often not very precise because it relies for a large
part on empiricism (so complex is this science that is
called thermal).
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Design
It is thus often common to take sizing precautions and
assumptions which lead designers and engineers to
design heat exchangers that are often oversized and
consequently not fully optimised (oversizing margin
more or less important). However, this oversizing is
wise from the designer's point of view. Indeed, during
the real heat exchanger operation, this reduces the risk
of the heat exchanger not meeting the requirements of
the initial specifications: corresponding to an undersized
heat exchanger case (unreachable performances). This
case is undoubtedly much more problematic than a bad
optimisation (important oversizing).
Ensuring design quality
Beyond this energy aspect and its optimisation, it is
important to keep in mind the reality on the ground:
energy optimisation is often not a priority (unlike
development time and cost, manufacturing/installation/
maintenance time and cost, return on investment, etc.) and
satisfying a process objective is often the most important.
It is therefore necessary to focus on this aspect and sizing a
heat exchanger that fits it.
The heat exchanger thermal-hydraulic sizing requires a
set of preliminary data, which are more or less restrictive,
and which will greatly determine the quality of the design.
From a project phasing point of view, the following 8 main
steps can be established, which are considered essential for
the success of such projects:
1. Drafting of the heat exchanger specifications:
definition of the existing process input data
(temperatures, pressures, flow rates) & the
desired output data (temperatures, pressures/
pressure drop); characterisation of the fluids used
and their specificities (saturation, critical and
solidification properties, possible degradation/
decomposition risks, ATEX risks, fouling/
clogging type and risks, toxicity and corrosion
risks); taking into account the system integration
characteristics (dimensions, available space &
associated compactness);
2. Design point identification: definition of the
most disadvantaged operating case from the heat
exchanger's overall performance (i.e. the one
which requires the largest heat transfer surface);
3. Technological selection: choice of the heat
exchanger type that best fits all the specifications
(for example when a compromise between
compactness, risk of clogging, and inspection/
maintenance is required);
4. Thermal, hydraulic and mechanical design:
as mentioned above, heat exchanger sizing is a
complex exercise and often subject to numerous
assumptions. In addition to the previous essential
steps, it requires the selection of a suitable heat
exchanger modelling method according to the
heat transfer type (single-phase, evaporation,
condensation), the selection of appropriate
heat transfer and pressure drop laws for the
specified geometries and heat transfer type, and
the calculation of the required dimensionless
parameters for the correlation validity range.
This thermal-hydraulic design must necessarily
be combined with a consistent and realistic
Heat Exchanger World April 2023 21
Design
Spirit production case study: The complete study carried out by GRETh led to identifying operating margins on the specifications and an optimized heat exchanger design.
»
mechanical design and with the standard
manufacturing possibilities to meet the standards
and mechanical calculation codes in force;
5. Real operating conditions simulation and
variation: once the heat exchanger has been sized
at its design point, the real operating conditions are
often far from the said design point and it is therefore
often necessary to evaluate the real heat exchanger
performance for the other operating conditions. This
allows us to know the variation range of the main
operating criteria which will be used for example for
the system regulation;
6. Manufacturing: with respect to the specifications
from the thermal-hydraulic and mechanical design;
7. Integration to the complete system including the
recommendations of the expert to ensure, for example,
a good fluid distribution in the heat exchanger and
proper arrangement, if necessary, of the metrological
devices which will be used for the process control and
the performance tests;
8. Performance and conformity tests, in
particular with acceptance tests in real operating
conditions previously simulated.
These phases and an in-depth analysis by the experts
will greatly determine a project's success. For example,
the choice of an ‘A’ heat exchanger technology,
22 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
which is initially much more expensive than a ‘B’
heat exchanger technology, may turn out to be the
best solution considering the process compactness
requirement and the great maintenance and cleaning
difficulty, leading to a prohibitive operating cost in
the ‘B’ case, which initially seemed to be the least
expensive.
In order to clearly understand the importance of
the statements and steps defined in the previous
paragraphs, we provide in the following a short
experience feedback on a simple case which illustrates
the consequences of the above mentioned steps not
being respected.
Case study
A customer, a spirit producer, had a new production
plant built and was looking to increase the
production rate in order to meet the growing
demand of his consumers. Within the framework
of the alembics realisation, which remains a key
point of the production process, one of the key
components is the condenser of the system which
allows to recover the alcoholic vapors condensate.
The initial project purpose was to double the
condensate capacity due to the overall process
production increase. The plant, built many years
ago, was working perfectly and the customer asked
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
 Design

a heat exchanger manufacturer specialised in copper Conclusion

alembics to design a number of new condensers to
double the condensate flow. The design was carried
out by the said company and the condensers were
manufactured and installed.
Unfortunately, the first performance tests on site did not
give satisfaction since the condensate flow rate obtained
was 30% lower than expected, thus not fulfilling the
customer's objectives. An expert evaluation took place
and one of the first points analysed was the design of the
condensers. Technical justification notes were requested
from the supplier; however, the latter was in fact unable
to provide a detailed and substantiated calculation note. In
fact, after investigation, the supplier's idea was to consider
that the condensate production capacity could be doubled
by extending the heat exchange surface compared to the
initial condenser (shell-and-tube technology) which was
satisfactory. The supplier initially wanted to double the
tube length, but an integration constraint did not allow
this adjustment, so the heat exchanger was provided with a
doubled heat transfer surface by means of the tube bundle
duplication.
Nevertheless, no analysis of the internal and external
flows was carried out. This led to this malfunction
(30% lower condensate) because the internal heat
transfer phenomena, and in particular the single-phase
glycol water circulation, although easy to determine,
were not subjected to the appropriate calculation
analyses.
Indeed, as the fluid makes only one pass inside the
tubes, the bundle duplication (i.e. a multiplication
by 2 of the tubes number) has led to an increase
by 2 of the available cross section for this fluid and
thus divided by 2 its intra-tubular speed; or simply
illustrated as:

m 
m 
v1 = and v2 = , if S2 = 2 ⋅ S1 so v2 =
 ⋅ S1  ⋅ S2
This short case study shows the essential value of
the expert's knowledge, but it also reminds us of the
imperative need to master, through training and feedback
from associates, customers and previous generations, the
knowledge of sizing and best practices necessary to achieve
an optimised design that correctly fulfills the needs.
It can be said that there is no engineering field which is
not faced with thermal issues, which makes the thermal
knowledge necessary and if not essential, then strategic.
Thus, it is advisable today, in our opinion, to also maximise
efforts towards learning and raising awareness of current and
future actors to new technologies and good design practices
that will lead to appropriate technological developments
and choices, and consequently to well sized heat exchangers:
in a word, efficient heat exchangers for an efficient industry.
About the GRETh
The GRETh - Heat Exchanger Research Group
- federates for 30 years industrial experts and
academics in the thermal and heat exchanger-
related fields, through 6 main activities:
•• Network
•• Technical and scientific documents watch and
provision
•• EchTherm heat exchanger software provision
•• Technical and scientific hotline
•• Expertise and specific studies
•• Training courses
For more information, contact: info@greth.fr
m v1
and v2 = .
 ⋅ 2 ⋅ S1 2

This decrease in liquid velocity led to a change in

the flow regime from an initially transient flow (close
Individual coating and
to the turbulent flow) to a laminar flow. This change,
although easily identified, was not anticipated by
lining solutions
the manufacturer and therefore resulted in a drastic
Product development, manufacturing and appli-
decrease of the heat transfer coefficients, which is
cation services for heat transfer equipment:
the main cause of the underperformance observed
during the commissioning of the heat exchangers.
In this context, intensification techniques such as
inserts could have been used to compensate for this
performance reduction, but the process constraints
did not allow for such devices. Thus, only a complete
redesign and a new manufacturing of the device could
ensure that this problem was overcome. Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers Plate Heat Exchangers
In parallel to this analysis, the complete study carried incl. U-Bent
out by GRETh has allowed us to identify operating
margins on the specifications and to optimise the
design of the heat exchanger.
It should be noted that the critical point was not
at all related to the complex thermal phenomenon
to be evaluated, which is the extra-tubular multi-
component mixtures condensation of alcoholic vapors HVAC Equipment Box Coolers
with non-condensable gases, but only on the single-
phase part which was the condenser thermal brake
saekaphen.com
(higher thermal resistance).

www.heat-exchanger-world.com Heat Exchanger World April 2023 23

Plate & Shell

Plate and shell heat exchanger: A

superior alternative to shell-&-tube?
PECPL has partnered with German company GESMEX for the manufacture
and supply of plate & shell heat exchangers. These heat exchangers are
extensively used in oil & gas and other process industries. Under our
partnership agreement, Gesmex will continue to manufacture the plate
assembly – its core competency – and Precision will manufacture the shell
and complete the final assembly at its Chennai facility.

By Vijay Chakravarthy (Precision Equipments Ltd.) and

Mike Hallmann (GESMEX)

The plate & shell configuration offers many important

advantages over the conventional shell & tube.
Those who have switched over to the plate & shell
configuration often react by asking: “How come we
were not aware of this choice before?” or “why did we
not know about this earlier?”. In this short article we
will explain or provide:
Figure 1: Plate and shell basic configuration
»
1. A basic description of plate & shell with sub
component views • Plates are welded alternately on the outer
2. Current market applications circumference and on the edges of the plate
3. Advantages of plate & shell over conventional shell openings
& tube • Appropriate ports are provided in the plate pack
for the channel side and shell side streams to flow
Basic description of plate & shell through the plate pack
A basic sketch of plate & shell is shown in Fig. 1 and a
cut-away view in Fig. 2. From both these figures it can be USPs as a result of GESMEX laser welding
seen that: technology advantages
• Circular heat exchanger plates are arranged as a pack If you were to reflect on your past experiences, what is
to form flow channels. the weakest point of a welded heat exchanger – for shell
• The warm and cool streams flow through alternate and tube as well as all types of welded PHE? Your likely
channels mostly, counter-current conclusion will be that it is the welds of either the tube-to-
• Heat transfer takes place through the walls of the plate tubesheet or circumferential on exchanger plates. That was
channels our initial driver.
• The plate channels are separated by highly reliable Over a period of two years, GESMEX and the German
laser-made welds company Trumpf developed a special laser welding
technology, able to create weld seams with a unique
cross-sectional area. In fact, that area provides up to
100% 3.5x the thickness of the heat transfer plates alone.
90% Thanks to this development, the plate welds are no
80% longer the weakest points of the heat exchanger design.
70% Since the plate material became the weakest point,
60% working out how to improve reliability of heat exchangers
50% for demanding applications became predictable instantly.
40% Now the focus could be set on material thickness, material
grades, alloy structure, etc.
30%
In Figure 3 you can see the deformations that GESMEX
20%
laser welded plate packs are able to withstand during burst
10%
pressure testing, performed continuously.
0% The welding machine resulting out of the original
Surface Area Shell length Weigth dry Fluid Content Cost (USD)
inventions was installed in year 2008. Last year, a second
(with water)
Laser welding center was taken into operation that consist
Shell-&-tube Shell-&-plate of all the original advantages as well as additional 14 years
of shell & plate manufacturing and operational experience
Figure 2: Comparison of critical design parameters and cost - Shell and tube vs Shell and plate of > 3,000 heat exchanger.
»

24 Heat Exchanger World April 2023 www.heat-exchanger-world.com

 Plate & Shell

Markets - Oil & Gas/LNG

• Glycol Interchanger
• LNG Cargo Condenser
• Crude Oil Cooler
• NG Heater
• Fuel Gas Cooler
• LNG BOG Heater
• Vent Gas Economizer

Figure 3: Deformation in a laser welded plate assembly

»

The table above summarizes the different applications

during a pressure burst test
Current market applications
It should be noted that plate and shell heat exchangers are
capable of meeting almost all of the same operating conditions
as those of conventional shell & tube heat exchangers.
Therefore, it can cover a broad range of applications. Typical
operating parameters for plate & shells are shown below.
Operating Parameters
• operating pressure: -1 to 400 bar(g) (depending on
design temperature)
• operating temperature: -200 to +550°C (depending on
design pressure)
• dynamic viscosity: up to 8.000 mPa s (like crude oil 15°C)
• performance range: up to 100 MW
Materials of construction
Stainless steel (304, 304L, 316, 347, various Hastelloy®
grades) is the principal material of construction. The
plate presses also handle Titanium depending on the
requirements placed by the application.
where Gesmex heat exchangers are currently employed.
Gesmex/PECPL are engaged in efforts that will broaden
the applications base to meet the needs of process
industries as a whole.
Summary
Plate & shell offers the following advantages over shell
&tube
•• Compact design – Less surface area required.
More surface area / per installed volume.
•• Counter current flow – Higher effective mean DT
•• Lower volumetric hold-up and reduced weight.
•• Partial rounded geometry
•• All welded construction
•• Smaller size and foot print compactness and lower
foot print (3 to 4 times size reduction in volume &
weight)
•• Lower overall cost – capital & operating
 Figure 1: Air-cooled chiller located on a roof top.
»

Filiform corrosion – An unidentified enemy

to aluminium fins
A HVAC/R coating is used to protect the aluminium fins of a heat
exchanger coil from corrosion whilst operating in an aggressive
service environment. Despite the protection, filiform corrosion may
still propagate at the aluminium-coating interface under certain
environmental conditions, which can affect the operational efficiency
of the HVAC/R asset. Filiform corrosion is an unidentified enemy
to the vulnerable coated aluminium fins, as this type of corrosion is
often seen, but not always understood – until now...
By Craig J R Thomas, HVAC/R Coating Specialist
& Senior Managing Consultant – The Pipe-Sol
Consultancy Ltd
Heat exchangers are designed and used to transfer heat from
one medium to another in both heating and cooling processes,
and one of their most widespread uses is for air conditioning
and refrigeration. This type of heat exchanger is commonly
referred to as a “coil”. Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and
refrigeration (HVAC/R) systems employ various technologies
to regulate temperature, humidity, and maintain air quality.
HVAC/R systems provide heating and/or cooling for
residential, commercial, industrial and institutional buildings.
There are multiple types of HVAC/R unit (See Table 1), and
the vulnerable coil is what links them all. The aluminium,
copper, and galvanised iron metals that are used to manufacture
the coil units are vulnerable to different types of corrosion.
It is very important that these critical HVAC/R assets
are protected to maximise efficiency and extend life
expectancy. High performance coatings are applied to
the aluminium/copper fins and copper tubes by original
equipment manufacturers or specialist applicators. In fact,
the whole unit can now be protected.
One type of corrosion that is often seen, but not always
identified and understood is Filiform corrosion (FFC).

Table 1 showing types of HVAC/R unit as well as coil types and designs.
HVAC/R Units Coil Types Coil Designs
• Air-cooled condenser units • Chilled water coils • Fin & tube
• Air handling units • Hot water coils • Finned tube
• Dry air liquid (air blast) cooler units • Condenser coils • Microchannel
• Rooftop packaged units • Evaporator coils
• Split system units • Steam coils

26 Heat Exchanger World April 2023 www.heat-exchanger-world.com


The industry that is perhaps most affected by FFC is
transportation, and in fact, it was described for the first time
in 1944, whilst being observed on coated steel and then on
high-resistance aluminium (alloys) used in aerospace1. The
HVAC industry and its aluminium fins are not however
immune from attack from this type of corrosion.
Filiform corrosion – the basics
The aim of this article is to present a simple overview of
filiform corrosion, including its incidence, appearance, and
formation mechanism. Some of the implications of FFC
relating to thin film organic coatings will also be discussed
with specific reference to HVAC/R coatings.
Incidence and appearance of filiform corrosion
FFC can occur under thin film organic coatings that have
a dry film thickness of less than 100 microns (4 mils) on
both steel and aluminium (alloy) structures, although it is
most commonly associated with aluminium substrates.
The appearance of FFC is unique (see Figure 2) and bears a
strong resemblance to fine filaments. These worm-like threads
(100-500 microns (0.1-0.5 mm) wide and typically 1-10 mm
long) emanate from one or more points (coating defects or
damaged coating sites) in semi-random directions, which
propagate at the metal-coating interface. The underlying
metal, however, suffers only very superficial attack - generally
of the order of tens of microns (maximum).
Mechanism of filiform corrosion
FFC typically initiates “when aggressive species, such as
chloride ions, permeate through an organic coating, usually at
a scratch, defect or weakness in the coating, and accumulate
at the metal/coating interface”2. The site of initiation tends
to be an edge. Poor adhesion of a coating to an aluminium
substrate or the presence of soluble salts under the coating at
the time of application can also be responsible for FFC activity.
Sodium chloride (sea salt) contains chloride ions and is classed
as a soluble salt. FFC tends to be most prevalent in marine
environments, although can occur in industrial locations. It can
be accelerated by the presence of other soluble salts, which can
enhance acidification at the corrosion site.
Very simply put, a “corrosion filament” comprises a head
and tail, which form a mobile electrochemical (corrosion) cell
on the surface of the aluminium. The head acts as the anode,
and the tail is the cathode. The electrolyte is water, and the
fourth element of the cell is aluminium. At the active head,
aluminium is dissolved, and inert corrosion product is created
in the form of aluminium hydroxide and pushed to the
tail. Aluminium hydroxide is an amorphous powder, white
Figure 2: Optical evaluation of filiform corrosion using the Corrosion Inspector – a high resolution line scan camera. Courtesy of Schäfter+Kirchhoff GmbH (URL:
»
https://www.sukhamburg.com)
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Corrosion
Formation of a corrosion filament –
The techno-chemical version
The corrosion filaments comprise a mobile,
electrolyte-filled head that itself comprises metal
cations (Al3+) and aggressive anions (such as
Cl-), and a tail of dry, porous corrosion product.
At the leading edge of the filament head, anodic
dissolution of aluminium occurs with the formation
of aluminium cations (Al3+). Transport of gaseous
oxygen through the inert corrosion product of the
tail continues to drive anodic metal dissolution at the
leading edge of the filament head, whilst cathodic
reduction of oxygen to form hydroxide anions
(OH-) continues at the trailing edge of the head.
And hence the formation of aluminium hydroxide
(Al(OH)3) occurs. Aggressive anions (Cl-) and water
are conserved in the electrolyte in the filament head,
thus enabling the corrosion filaments to propagate
for lengthy periods of time (months, or even years)
in the presence of a supply of oxygen.
in colour. If not recognised and left unchecked, corrosion
filaments can propagate for months, or even years.
The factors that can accelerate the FFC process are usually
increases in both temperature and relative humidity
(RH). It has been postulated that the most rapid growth of
corrosion filaments occurs at a RH of about 80%, allied to
a temperature of around 40ºC (104ºF)3.
The mechanism of filiform corrosion is shown
schematically in Figure 3 in its most basic form.
Implications of filiform corrosion
FFC does not result in significant metal loss and is very much
viewed by corrosion and coating specialists as a surface effect.
However, its presence can be unsightly, and the expansive
nature of the corrosion product formed result in bulging and
delamination of the protective coating that has been applied.
Selection of an appropriate surface preparation technique and
a suitably compatible and robust material are therefore critical
when considering protective coating systems for aluminium
structures. In the case of HVAC/R units, where the fins are
manufactured from aluminium, avoidance of filiform corrosion
will be of paramount importance. The presence of corrosion
product over a large area of the coil’s fin structure will have a
significant effect on the HVAC/R asset’s performance.
When HVAC/R coils are coated, they become more resistant
to corrosion and other forms of damage, which can help
to improve their overall energy efficiency. This is because
Heat Exchanger World April 2023 27
Corrosion
H2O + O2
TAIL
OH- OH-
AI3+ H2O AI
3+
O2 CORROSION PRODUCT H2O - AI3+
AI(OH)3 O2 OH OH- - 3+
O2 CI
CATHODE
ALUMINIUM FIN e-
Figure 3: The electrochemical process of filiform corrosion.
»
damaged or corroded coils are less efficient at transferring
heat, which can lead to increased energy consumption and
higher operating costs over time. By protecting the coils with
a high-quality coating, businesses can reduce energy costs
while also extending the lifespan of their equipment.
Whilst it has been reported that FFC can occur with all
paint and coating types1, field experience suggests that
certain coating types are inherently less susceptible to,
and others demonstrate a greater propensity for FFC to
occur. According to AMPP4, a high level of (wet) adhesion
allied to a low water vapour transmission rate (WVTR)
should minimise the propensity for FFC to initiate
between the coating and the aluminium substrate at a
(micro-)defect or site of damage.
Standards form the foundation of testing and allow a better
understanding of coating performance. ISO and ASTM have
developed two similar, but not identical tests to determine the
FFC resistance of organic coatings (on metal substrates).
ISO 4623-2
The standard specifies a test, whereby scribe marks shall
be cut through the coating applied to an aluminium panel,
which are then exposed to a small amount of hydrochloric
acid in the form of vapour. The panel is subsequently
subjected to a temperature of 40ºC ± 2ºC (104ºF ± 4ºC) and
a RH of 82% (± 5%) in a test cabinet. The test duration is
not specified. FFC is only deemed to have occurred, if the
Figures 4 and 5: Water-based acrylic HVAC/R coating applied to the coils of an air-cooled chiller (left) and rooftop packaged unit (right) in the Middle East.
»
Courtesy of Aqua Aero Coatings BV (URL: https://www.aquaaero.net)
28 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
HEAD
HVAC/R
COATING
AI
ANODE
Standard references identified in text
ASTM B117-19 - Standard Practice for Operating Salt
Spray (Fog) Apparatus
ASTM D2803-09 (2020) - Standard Guide for
Testing Filiform Corrosion Resistance of Organic
Coatings on Metal
ISO 4623-2:2016 - Paints and varnishes -
Determination of resistance to filiform corrosion.
Part 2: Aluminium substrates
ISO 4628-10:2016 - Paints and varnishes — Evaluation
of degradation of coatings — Designation of quantity
and size of defects, and of intensity of uniform
changes in appearance. Part 10: Assessment of degree
of filiform corrosion
Acronyms
AMPP – Association for Materials Protection and
Performance (formerly NACE International/SSPC)
ASTM – American Society for Testing and Materials
EHS – Environment, Health, and Safety
FFC – Filiform Corrosion
ISO – International Standards Organisation
RH – Relative Humidity
WVTR – Water Vapour Transmission Rate
VOC – Volatile Organic Compound
www.heat-exchanger-world.com

typical pattern of worm-like threads or filaments is
present. It is not possible to precisely rate FFC, so ISO calls
for an assessment of filament length and frequency
(ISO 4628-10) and suggests that photographs may be
helpful in determining the extent of FFC.
ASTM D2803
The standard guide calls for coated metal specimens to be
scribed and placed in a corrosive atmosphere to initiate
(filiform) corrosion. The specimens should then be exposed
to controlled temperature and RH conditions “known to
be conducive to filiform corrosion”. ASTM D2803 states
that FFC usually occurs between 20-35°C (68-95°F) with a
corresponding RH between 60-95%. The main differences
between ASTM D2803 and ISO 4623-2 is that the ASTM
standard guide uses salt spray (as per ASTM B117) to
initiate corrosion as well as different temperature and RH
ranges and specified test durations.
HVAC/R coil coatings
HVAC/R assets can be protected from highly corrosive
and perhaps chemically aggressive service environments
through the application of a high performance HVAC/R
coating to the coil unit.
When considering the range of HVAC/R coatings on the
market, although no specific coatings will be referenced in
this article, it seems likely that chemical-cured or baked
coatings by virtue of their densely cross-linked structures
would exhibit a significantly lower WVTR compared to
quick-(air)-dry coatings, and thus be more robust with
respect to moisture permeation and hence resistant to FFC.
It could also be anticipated that these chemically cross-
linked products would afford superior “wet” adhesion
compared to those air-drying materials, thus rendering
them less susceptible to deformation or delamination in
the event of FFC being initiated.
There is a growing trend in the industry to balance
absolute performance from a coating solution with a
solution that provides a more environmentally friendly
impact on our world and is inherently safer to apply by
coating technicians (and dispose of) due to the water-
based chemistry of the formulation. Water-based coatings
contain fewer or zero VOCs (volatile organic compound)
and other hazardous chemicals. Their application is not
restricted by international EHS guidelines, although
normal PPE should be worn.
Formulation know-how in the 21st Century has also allowed
water-based (acrylic) coatings to be created with enhanced
properties through the incorporation of special additives.
One such additive can generate self-healing properties, so
if a small area becomes compromised, the coating's self-
healing properties can activate and “repair” the damage. The
additive reacts with moisture to form a protective layer over
the site, thus helping to prevent the spread of corrosion.
Advanced corrosion inhibitors can also be added as well as
de-foaming agents to functionalise and optimise corrosion
protection and application performance respectively.
Water-based (acrylic) coil coatings as with all protective
coatings do require some coating application know-how
and are easy to apply using a variety of methods, including
spray, flow coat (flooding) application, and even roller.
This allows easy set-up in an OEM plant, at a coil coating
applicator, or at site without major EHS issues.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Corrosion
HVAC/R coating type and enhanced
surface preparation
Whilst the selection of specific coating type may play a
significant role in minimising the incidence of filiform
corrosion, surface preparation could be argued is equally
important. Thorough cleaning of the substrate, such as removal
of soluble salts and any (stamping) oils, grease etc., should be
considered an absolute minimum requirement. However, given
the geometric complexity of aluminium-finned heat-exchanger
units, an appropriate chemical pre-treatment or conversion
process, prior to application of the coating, should also perhaps
be given serious consideration to provide additional insurance
against FFC, particularly where warm, humid, salt-laden
service environments may be anticipated.
A silane pre-treatment can provide added protection
against FFC. It works by creating a chemical bond between
the aluminium substrate and the water-based (acrylic)
coating, which enhances the coating's adhesion and
prevents water from penetrating the coating and reaching
the aluminium surface.
Conclusion
Filiform corrosion does exist, and aluminium HVAC/R
fins are not immune from attack, when protected by an
organic coating. What is critical is that the basics are
understood – when it occurs, what it looks like, how it
forms/initiates, and the results once it has propagated. It
can be identified. Its appearance is unique (fine filaments).
And it can be tested for using ISO or ASTM standards.
During the design process for the coil, it is fundamental
that the right protective coating is specified. The fins
may be susceptible to filiform corrosion when a high
performance coating is applied to the aluminium
substrate in conditions of high salt concentration, elevated About the author
temperature and raised humidity. This can result in the
creation of unsightly white corrosion product, and this
surface effect will affect HVAC coil operational efficiency.
It is possible to mitigate the risk of occurrence of filiform
corrosion through the selection of a HVAC/R coating system
that offers superior wet adhesion with and barrier properties
to prevent the permeation of moisture to the substrate.
Correct and thorough surface preparation is also vital.
Nowadays, one popular choice for this application is a water- Craig set up his own
based acrylic coil coating, where reliable, durable protection
international consultancy
is sought coupled with strong eco and EHS credentials.
business in 2016, focusing
most recently on HVAC/R
References coatings. He has over
1. VARGEL, C., “Corrosion of Aluminium”, Elsevier, 2004. 20 years’ experience in the
2. MCMURRAY, H. N. and WILLIAMS, G., “Under Film/ field of protective coatings,
Coating Corrosion”, Reference Module in Materials and has worked with/
for 3M, Copon-E Wood,
Science and Materials Engineering, Elsevier, 2016.
Jotun, Kansai Paint, and
3. YASAKAU, K.A., ZHELUDKEVIC, M. L. and
Heresite. He is a certified
FERREIRA, M. G. S., “Role of intermetallics in corrosion
NACE Coating Inspector
of aluminium alloys. Smart corrosion protection”
(Level 1) and an ASHRAE
in Intermetallic Matrix Composites: Properties and
Associate Member. Craig is
Applications, Woodhead Publishing, an imprint of also a Brand Ambassador
Elsevier, 2018. for JettyRobot – supplier
4. “Corrosion Basics”, https://www.ampp.org/technical- of unique and patented
research/impact/corrosion-basics, AMPP, Accessed: robotic HVAC duct and pipe
17/02/2023. cleaning technology.
Heat Exchanger World April 2023 29
E n d - U s e r I n t e rv i e w
The multisectoral skills of a heat transfer engineer
Naomi Jabbari is a heat transfer engineer for S&B ENGINEERS AND
CONSTRUCTORS, based in Houston, Texas, USA. Naomi’s role is vast
and varied, ranging from equipment selection to thermal and mechanical
design, and purchase ordering. Naomi is also the Chairperson for our Heat
Exchanger World Americas Conference & Expo which will take place in
Houston, Texas on 1st and 2nd December. We spoke with Naomi to discuss
her work in multiple industry sectors, the challenges she faces and how
she overcomes them.
By Ellie Pritchard, Heat Exchanger World
Naomi Jabbari draws from a background in mechanical
engineering and a Master’s degree in energy studies to
fulfil an extensive and varied role. “When I was taking
my Bachelor’s degree, I realized I had a real interest in
heat transfer, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. I
finally settled on heat transfer and joined the oil and
gas sector”, Naomi says. She has been working as a
heat transfer engineer for 13 years and currently works
for S&B ENGINEERS AND CONSTRUCTORS as a
professional engineer. The company offers in-house
engineering, procurement, direct-hire construction, and
fabrication services to multiple industries across the US
and beyond.
A connecting link
Naomi explains that there are many aspects to
her role as heat transfer engineer. “I select the
appropriate type of heat exchanger required for
certain applications. There are more conventional
types such as shell and tube exchangers, air coolers,
hairpin and electric heaters - I do both thermal
design and mechanical design for those exchangers.
This means also composing mechanical documents
and data sheets.” As well as this, Naomi also selects
technical parts directly from suppliers as a requisition
engineer, meaning that she is also responsible for
sourcing appropriate producers and assessing their
quality.
30 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
Naomi Jabbari, Professional Engineer for S&B
»
ENGINEERS & CONSTRUCTORS
“I would describe my role as a connection between end
users and manufacturers. I am connecting these two
stages together by designing the exchangers, and then
selecting specific equipment purchased from suppliers
and manufacturers. I then provide the equipment to the
end user, which is a refinery or petrochemical plant, for
example.”
Unique design every time
Much of Naomi’s work is conducted through oil and gas
or petrochemical projects in the down- and mid-stream
sectors. The company can handle responsibilities from
process engineering, mechanical engineering, piping,
and inspection. It is this variety of projects that Naomi
enjoys most.
“Working as a heat transfer engineer means that I am
not limited to just one sector”, she explains. “Depending
on the project requirements, I can apply my design and
engineering skills to oil fractionation, or natural gas
facilities, or petrochemical process units and biofuels.”
But this range of work is also challenging, especially
when switching between projects from different
industries. “Different clients need different types of
equipment for different processes, so we have to be
familiar with all of these requirements and know the
exact specifications,” Naomi says. “So it is challenging,
but also it is very interesting. It is not a boring job;
every part of the process is very unique. Each time
 E n d - U s e r I n t e rv i e w

I design an exchanger, it is different from the one before, I really enjoy

that.”

A hybrid skillset
A heat exchanger can appear in many forms and in many industries. For
this reason, a heat transfer engineer is something of a multi-disciplinary
role. Naomi goes on to explain how this position stands out from the rest
of the engineering sector. “In this industry, most engineers are either pure
thermal designer or pure mechanical designer, but for us, it is important
to have knowledge from process engineering, thermal and mechanical
engineering.”
In order to keep knowledge up to date in both areas, Naomi explains
that she is always learning and finds good team connections to be
complementary to doing the job well. “A heat transfer engineer has to
have a good relationship with process, inspection, and piping teams and be
able to coordinate all of them.”

Good culture builds strong teams

It is not always easy for newly qualified engineers to break into their
chosen industry. Although Naomi Jabbari has been working in the heat
transfer industry for 13 years, she attributes her strong start in the sector
to a good team of people who supported her both then and now in her
current role. “S&B is a really good company with a very good culture,”
she says. “People help each other a lot, and everybody tries to solve the
problem. There is a good combination of very experienced people and a
younger generation of engineers, who work together to build a strong
working relationship”.

More support for women in engineering

Naomi Jabbari is a well-qualified and professional asset to the world of heat
transfer; her ability to navigate multiple sectors and apply her knowledge to
bring projects to a successful end means that she is making strides.
But it must be acknowledged that Naomi is part of a female minority
in a largely male-dominated industry. “As a woman, you do often have
to work a bit harder,” she says. “As a mother of two children,
I sometimes face some difficulties in managing my work life and my
personal life.”
Naomi explains that after her second child was born, she needed to take
some time away from work, which was a very difficult decision to make.
“It wasn’t easy for me to choose between two things that I love, my job
and my children, but my family needed me at that time.”
Naomi returned to her job one year later, but she acknowledges that
this is not a decision that a male counterpart in her position would
necessarily need to make. “I do feel that more support should be
provided for women and especially for mothers”, she concludes.

Heat Exchanger World April 2023 31

Tu b e s h e e t We l d i n g
Mock-up of tube-to-tubesheet joints
in shell and tube heat exchangers
The tube-to-tubesheet joints in a shell and tube heat exchanger are critical
locations which in many cases govern the life of the exchanger or call for
unplanned outages in order to be repaired or plugged. There are many
factors which should be considered in order to ensure long-lasting reliable
joints.
By Baher Elsheikh, Lead Mechanical Engineer - SABIC
Those factors include the type of the joint (expanded
only, welded and expanded, or welded only); design of the
joint (weld size, expansion grooves size, configurations
of the weld groove); method of application (mechanical
expansion, hydraulic expansion, manual welding, orbital
welding); and, quality control and inspection techniques
used during fabrication (eg. tubesheet hole surface
finish, bevel size, dye penetrant test for welding joint,
hardness test, sensitive leak test by helium, hydrostatic
test, tube expansion ratio measurement, ferrite content
measurement, radiography examination); in addition to
the qualifications of the joint through the applications of
the mock-up.
A successful mock-up
A mock-up model is one of the important steps should
be performed before the actual tube-to-tubesheet joint
application, where confidence can be built for the design of
the joint, quality of the tools and techniques applied, and
qualification of the welder(s) and procedure.
To ensure the successful application of the mock-up,
a detailed procedure should be prepared including the
sequence of application, sketch and dimensions of the
used material, testing to be applied, acceptance criteria and
template for the output results report.
Mock up model for square layout.
»
32 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
General consideration and best practices to be
considered while preparing the mock-up procedure:
• ASME BPVC Sec. IX QW-193 to be followed with
additional requirements based on a case-by-case basis
• Mock-up required for each welding/procedure
qualification
• The mock-up assembly should essentially duplicate
the tube-to-tubesheet weld joint design to be used in
production
• For tube-to-tubesheet welds to clad tubesheet,
the cladding or overlay may be represented by a
base material with a chemical composition that is
essentially equivalent to the cladding composition
• The mock-up should consist of a minimum of 10 tubes
for procedure qualifications and a minimum of 5 tubes
for each welder qualification.
• Hardness testing to be considered for work with
hardening materials (ex. DSS and Ti) or for service
requirements (e.g sour service)
• It is advised that the dummy tubesheet is made from
the same material of the production tubesheet, to
ensure that HAZ in the mockup (dummy) tubesheet
will provide representative results
All mock-up procedures should consider the following:
1. Check the conditions of the tubesheet holes and tube
surface
2. Measure and record the actual diameter of the holes,
Tubes’ inner diameter, tube thickness for all tubes
in four points with a micrometer to have accurate
measurements.
3. Follow the same sequence of expansion and welding as
agreed for the production.
4. The tool will be used for expansion (mechanical or
hydraulic) and its model and applications steps to be
mentioned in the procedure
5. Liquid penetrant for root pass and final pass
DPT for mock-up model.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com

Macro examination with 3.5% magnification of cladded
»
tubesheet.
6. Visual examination: complete fusion, free of visual cracks,
porosity indications, no evidence for tube burn through
7. Measure and record the actual tube ID after expansion
and calculate wall reduction ratio for all tubes
8. Macro examination: section the mock-up through the
centre and the 4 exposed surfaces to be smoothed
or etched. Use magnifications 10 X to 20 X
(preferred 20 X for better visibility) to check the following:
• Minimum Leak Path (MLP)
• No cracking
• Complete fusion
• Complete penetrations
9. Calculate and record the actual expansion ratio for each
tube. All values should be tabulated and compared to
the target expansion ratio
10. In hydraulic expansion the applied pressure should
cause the tube to take exactly the shape of the hole
including the grooves and the imperfections or
scratches (should they exist)
11. Mechanical roller must be clean as well and free
from scratches or imperfections. Its lubrications,
temperature and performance should be monitored
during application.
Longitudinal imperfections.
»
Internal gauge measurement.
»
Radial imperfections. Internal three point expanding dial caliper.
»
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Tubesheet hole preparation
Holes to be drilled in the dummy tubesheet which will
be used in the mock-up should have the same quality
and fabrication requirements applied as the actual
tubesheet holes drilling. Below is a list of the main
requirements:
• Preparing the tube holes in the mock-up tubesheet
must be done using the same technique to be used
for drilling the actual tubesheet to have a clear
representative view about the quality of the drilled
holes
• Holes should be free from radial or longitudinal
scratches or imperfections
• The inner surface of the tubesheet holes should be in
as machined conditions (no need for polishing)
• Tube holes and tube external surfaces should be
cleaned
• Longitudinal scratches are of higher risk as it would
create leak pass across the joint, please check the
schematic sketch for elaboration
• The outer tube surface at the interface with hole
should be also free from scratches or imperfections
Minimum Leak Path (MLP)
Minimum Leak Path (MLP) is an important parameter
for the strength weld type tube-to-tubesheet joint. MLP
is the minimum path where the media can leak and can
be defined as the minimum distance in any direction
from the root of the tube-to-tubesheet weld to the
nearest surface.
MLP will depend on the type of the joint (fillet / groove /
Fillet + groove / … etc.) and the actual shape of the
applications (concave / convex / actual geometry / …etc.).
In API 660, MLP is required to be no less than two-thirds
of the nominal tube wall thickness. While in ASME BPVC
section IX, it is required to meet the design, but there is no
specific requirements for how to be identified.
The sketch below shows the MLP for different
configurations of strength welded tube-to-tubesheet joints,
colored red.
In order to achieve the requirement of ASME Sec.
IX, below are two demonstrative examples where the
strength weld size is calculated as per rules of ASME
BPVC Sec. VIII div.1 – UW.20 and then to be used
for calculating the MLP length, as defined in the
red lined marked sketches. Calculated values will be
compared with the two thirds of the tube thickness
as per API 660.
Af
MLP
MLP
1 mm
Tubesheet
Tube
MLP = the radius of the largest circle totally inscribed in the weld
»
whose centre is situated at the root of the weld.
Heat Exchanger World April 2023 33
Tu b e s h e e t We l d i n g
MLP for different ASME joints.
»
Key examples
First example: Fillet weld – full strength weld joint
ar = (0.75do)2 + 2.73t(do - t)fwfd – 0.75do
Sa = 92.4 Mpa ….. Tube all. stress ASEM sec. II part D
St = 138 Mpa….. Tubesheet all. stress ASEM sec. II part D
Fw = Sa/Sw = 1 (Sw is smaller of Sa and St)
Fd = 1 for full strength weld
»
ar = [(0.75 × 19.05)2 + 2.73 × 2.018 × (19.05 - 2.018) × 1 × 1] - 0.75 × 19.05
ar = 2.93 mm ……. 1,4t = 1.4 × 2.018 = 2.825 mm
af >= greater of ar or 1.4t …….. af = 2.93 mm
MLP Throught distance = af / 2 = 2.93 / 2 = 2.07 mm
Calculated MLP = 2.07 mm
MLP as 2/3 t = 1.405 mm …… per API 660
Second example: Groove weld – full strength weld joint
ar = (0.75do)2 + 1.76t(do - t)fwfd – 0.75do
Sa = 92.4 Mpa ….. Tube all. stress ASEM sec. II part D
St = 138 Mpa….. Tubesheet all. stress ASEM sec. II part D
Fw = Sa/Sw = 1 (Sw is smaller of Sa and St)
Fd = 1 for full strength weld
ar = [(0.75 × 19.05)2 + 2.73 × 2.018 × (19.05 - 2.018)
× 1 × 1] - 0.75 × 19.05
ar = 2.93 mm …….
»
ag >= greater of ar or t …….. ag = 2.93 mm
MLP = depth of groove = ag = 2.93
Calculated MLP = 2.93 mm
MLP as 2/3 t= 1.405 mm …… per API 660
Please note the big difference between the calculated value considering the design calculations
and the general rule form API 660.
34 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
In these examples, the following material and design data
is assumed and will be used for both examples:
• Tube material: carbon steel ASME SA 179
• Tubesheet material: carbon steel SA 266 Gr.2
• Tube DO: 19.05 mm, tube thickness BWG 14 (2.108 mm)
• Design temperature (to be used for getting the
material allowable stresses): 200°C
Example 1. Conclusion
A mock-up of tube-to-tubesheet assembly is a vital
requirement to achieve good quality, long life joints. The
successful mock-up will represent the actual conditions of
the production joints and provide required inputs to control
all essential and important parameters controlling the
quality of the joints depend on many aspects covering the
dimensions control, tools to be used, procedure and sequence
to be applied, quality checks and testing. The mock-up
should be a reference point in the ITP (Inspection and Test
Plan) of the exchanger.
Users and owners should incorporate the application of
a mock-up to ensure that detailed procedure is well-
developed and reviewed including all the aforementioned
aspects in addition to draft for the final report form.
About the author
Baher Elsheikh is a Mechanical
Example 2.
Engineer at SABIC. He has
twenty years of experience
in the engineering, reliability,
construction, commissioning
and inspection management of
pressure equipment, piping systems, fired heaters,
and power boilers.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
F i n Tu b e s v s S m o o t h Tu b e s
Are fin tubes more likely to foul
than smooth tubes?
Be careful how you answer…
Below is a photo of a reboiler bundle pulled for cleaning that shows
the smooth tubes completely covered in scale and other deposits
while the single fin tube remains relatively clean. This is the opposite
of what most engineers would predict. How do we explain this?
By Craig Thomas – Director of Technical Sales, NEOTISS, Inc.
A reboiler test case
About the author In reboilers, where crystallization fouling is common and
tends to form a hard scale on the tube surface, it has been
shown that for the same heat duty a low-fin surface will foul
less than a smooth surface. The reasons for this are twofold.
The primary factor is the metal surface temperature. In the
case of the fin tube, the same heat energy from the tube side
is transferring to the shell side through 250% more surface
area as compared to the smooth tube. Therefore, the fin tube
is operating at a lower heat flux compared to the smooth
tube. The resulting skin temperature of the fin tube will be
Craig Thomas is the Director of
lower than the smooth tube and therefore less prone to scale
Technical Sales for NEOTISS, formation. The higher the tube wall temperature the more
Inc., a manufacturer of high- likely that minerals in the boiling fluid will come out of
performance heat transfer solution to form a scale deposit on the tube surface.
tubing with operations in USA, A secondary factor, besides temperature, could be that the
France, China, and India. Craig mechanics of the scale formation. Some have theorized that
has 30+ years of experience there may be a breaking away or sluffing off effect in normal
in applications engineering operation as scale attempts to form a continues structure but
related to shell & tube heat then breaks off and falls away. This may be more likely to
exchangers. He is a member happen on a finned surface as compared to smooth.
of the National Association
of Corrosion Engineers, The What about other services?
Materials Technology Institute, In overhead condensers and light-ends coolers, low fin tubes
Heat Transfer Research Inc., have been used throughout the refining industry since the
1950s with a high degree of success. One major end client
and The American Society of
using HPT fin tubes since 1975 has reported excellent results
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
in services such as: catalytic cracking unit fractionator OHC,
Conditioning Engineers.
catalytic light ends splitter OHC, pipestill vacuum OHC,
Fouling issue in a reboiler case study, solved using fin tubes.
»
36 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
power former reactor effluent cooler, naptha debutanizer
OHC, alkylization unit deisobutanizer condenser, fuel gas
MEA regenerator OH, lube oil cooler. In some heavier saltine
fouling services, fin tubes have been used with an online
water wash system as a way to keep them clean and extend
run time and ensure the full heat transfer benefit between
planned maintenance cycles.
Low-fin tube has also been used in very heavy/dirty services.
One operator replaced bare tubes with low fin tubes in an
asphalt cooler (7% API asphaltic residual shell side) as part of
a debottlenecking project. They found that the fin surface was
effective and maintained a higher average heat duty than the
bare tube within their 18-month cleaning cycle.
What about cleaning?
This would depend on the type of fouling but in the above
referenced asphalt cooler case, the fin tube bundles cleaned
by hydro blasting in less time than the original smooth
bundles. The same was observed by another operator with
cracked gas coolers. One explanation for this may be the
larger cleaning lane in the bundle given the smaller root
diameter of the fin tubes.
So how do I know when a service is safe for
low-fin tubes?
Each case must be evaluated on its own merits because
there are many types of fouling and not all services are
appropriate for fin tubes. Ask for and check references on
experience. If there is a removable bundle that is already
on a planned cleaning cycle, even if the fin tube fouls
over time, it may still deliver a higher average heat duty
over the same mean time between cleaning as compared
to a smooth tube. A pragmatic problem-solving approach
is always better than a blind policy approach. The main
point here is not to rule out the low fin tube just based
on a general policy that it can only be used in very clean,
non-fouling environments. You might even be able to
solve a fouling problem using fin tubes as shown in the
reboiler case photo below.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Cooling
Cooling data centres: A hot topic
Virginia Tech data centre. Courtesy of Christopher Bowns via Wikimedia Commons.
»
Over the last couple of years, we have seen a steady increase in data
centres, which are used to store data and facilitate telecommunications,
among other needs. These centres generate a wealth of heat, and heat
exchangers assist with both cooling and valuable heat recovery.
By Alexandra Kist, Heat Exchanger World
To find out more about the heat exchanger-focused
perspective on the matter, Heat Exchanger World spoke
with Anna Blomborg, Industry Manager Data Centres at
Alfa Laval.
“This industry has a big sustainability challenge,” she
states. Anna finds that, up until now, this industry has
focused largely on green power but as much as 40%
of that power is used for cooling the servers; now, the
focus is moving more and more towards sustainable
cooling solutions. “We specialise in data centre cooling
solutions. What we often see is that in this industry,
the focus lies with security and uptime. The general
philosophy seems to be that the bigger the design, the
more security it will offer. For instance, someone might
need a heat exchanger for 500 m3 per hour, but will
then buy one that can do 1000 m3 per hour, because that
sounds like a safe option. In reality, the total opposite
may be true,” Anna explains.
“A heat exchanger will work best when running at the
designed conditions, and when designed properly. The
real challenge lies there. Technology providers should be
involved early in this design phase, so they can help out
with coming up with the optimal design. So many heat
38 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
exchangers in the world are not running as they should,
and that’s an energy efficiency waste.”
Data centre boom
In recent years, there has been a rapid growth and
expansion of data centre infrastructure. A data centre is a
large facility used to house computer systems and related
components, such as telecommunications and storage
systems.
The boom in data centres can be attributed to several
factors, including the exponential growth of data being
generated and stored by individuals and organisations,
the increasing demand for cloud computing and big data
analytics, and the rise of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
The need for data centres has become critical for many
companies as they require high-speed, reliable connectivity
and massive storage capabilities to manage the growing
volumes of data. This has led to significant investment in
building and expanding data centres globally.
Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has further
accelerated the data centre boom, with more people
working remotely and using cloud-based services for
their work and personal needs.
Overall, the data centre boom has created new
opportunities for businesses and investors in the
technology sector, while also contributing to the growth
of the digital economy.
Cooling data centres
Data centres need to be cooled to prevent overheating of
the electronic equipment housed within them. Electronic
www.heat-exchanger-world.com

equipment generates heat as it operates, and this heat
must be removed to prevent damage to the equipment.
Overheating can cause a variety of problems, including:
• Reduced performance: Electronic equipment may
slow down or even shut down when it gets too hot,
reducing the overall performance of the data centre.
• Increased energy consumption: As electronic equipment
gets hotter, it requires more energy to operate, which
can increase energy consumption and costs.
• Equipment failure: Overheating can cause electronic
components to fail, which can be costly to replace and
can cause downtime for the data centre.
• Fire hazard: If electronic equipment gets too hot, it
can pose a fire hazard.
Cooling systems are used in data centres to remove the
heat generated by electronic equipment, maintaining
a safe operating temperature, and preventing these
problems. Different types of cooling systems may be
used, including air-cooled and liquid-cooled systems,
but the goal is always the same: to keep the temperature
within the data centre at a safe and consistent level to
ensure reliable and efficient operation of the equipment.
A hot issue
Data centres generate a lot of heat due to the high
density of computer equipment and their continuous
operation. Cooling these facilities presents several
challenges, including:
• Energy consumption: Cooling can account for a
significant portion of a data centre's energy usage.
This leads to increased operational costs and
environmental impact.
• Heat distribution: Data centres have hot spots
where heat is generated more intensely. Proper heat
distribution is necessary to ensure that all equipment
is cooled effectively.
• Airflow management: Efficient airflow management
is essential for proper cooling. Blockages, such as
cables, can restrict airflow and lead to hot spots.
• Humidity control: Maintaining the proper humidity
level is critical to prevent equipment damage and
ensure efficient cooling.
• Cooling system failure: If the cooling system fails,
the temperature can quickly rise to levels that can
damage equipment.
• Scale: As data centres become larger and more
powerful, cooling requirements become more
challenging to meet.
• Location: Data centres located in areas with high
temperatures and humidity require more cooling,
which can increase energy consumption and
operational costs.
Heat exchangers in data centres
Heat exchangers are an important component in the
cooling systems used in data centres. These systems are
designed to remove the heat generated by the servers and
other electronic equipment housed in the data centre, to
prevent overheating and potential equipment failure.
Heat exchangers are typically used in two types of cooling
systems for data centres: air-cooled systems and liquid-
cooled systems.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Cooling
Waste heat offers great potential for use in district heating. Tiefstack district heating station.
»
Courtesy of Sebastian Koppehel through Wikimedia Commons.
In air-cooled systems, heat exchangers are used to transfer
the heat from the data centre to the outside air. This is
typically accomplished using air-to-air heat exchangers,
which use fans to move air over a heat exchanger, which
transfers the heat to the outside air. Alternatively, some
data centres may use a liquid-to-air heat exchanger, which
uses a liquid coolant to absorb the heat from the data
centre, which is then transferred to the outside air using an
air-cooled heat exchanger.
In liquid-cooled systems, heat exchangers are used to
transfer the heat from the data centre to a liquid coolant,
which is then circulated outside of the data centre to
dissipate the heat. This is typically accomplished using
liquid-to-liquid heat exchangers, which transfer the heat
from the data centre to the liquid coolant, which is then
circulated to a heat exchanger located outside of the data
centre. The heat is then transferred from the coolant to the
outside air or to a cooling tower, which dissipates the heat
into the environment.
“My general message to this
industry is to always demand
more of your equipment,
suppliers, and of your heat
exchangers.”
-Anna Blomborg
Partnering up
One of the most important ways to optimise the cooling
process is to include the heat exchanger manufacturer
from the very beginning, Anna says. “We can help
customers get everything just right from the start. We can
help the data centre to optimise the process and we can
challenge the way they cool their facilities. For example,
if we were to see that the recorded temperatures look
strange, we can take a look at the bigger picture. Maybe
those temperatures were recorded on the two hottest days
in the year in Arizona. If so, it would not make sense to
design the whole cooling system around two days out of
the entire year.”
Heat Exchanger World April 2023 39
Cooling
Thermal transport in a plate heat exchanger. Image courtesy of Alfa Laval.
»
Not only can the manufacturer make a difference in
determining the crucial stats and acting upon them, but
they can also be of great help regarding sustainability. “We
can make sure that we build in a sustainable performance
throughout their lifecycle. Should the data centre
have pollution issues onsite, then we can come in with
additional technology that can give early warnings when
the heat exchangers need to be cleaned and maintained.”
“The general mindset is focused on the here and now, but
our heat exchangers are built to last for 20 to 30 years. We
want to make sure they are up to standard throughout
their entire lifecycle,” Anna explains. “It is important for
us to be involved early in the process. We have a lot of
knowledge about cooling systems in general that we can
apply. We can make sure there’s a sound plan in place from
the very start to make sure the product and the system
will keep running sustainably throughout the lifecycle.”
Of course, heat exchanger manufacturers are not always
immediately involved. The bigger clients, who are mostly
based in the US, are increasingly reaching out to them.
Smaller contractors and installation companies, however,
have much to gain. They often go for an initially cheaper
method, which is to create a solution with different bits
and pieces, instead of opting for an extensive cooling
system to be installed from the very start. “They think
buying a component off the shelf is going to work,” Anna
explains. “The challenge for this industry is that if they
want to build truly sustainable data centres, they need to
have the determination and stamina to cover the whole
chain.”
Reusing the excess heat
“It’s also fantastic to see that the world is starting to look
at data centres as heat plants,” Anna says.
“We could heat up so much of the world with excess
heat; heat that is being wasted. Data centres have a
huge potential to be heat plants and give away heat to
surrounding users.” Here, heat exchangers take care of
the waste heat and send it off to the location that needs
heating up. This could be a district heating network, a
local greenhouse, or an office building, for instance. “In
40 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
Norway, they are heating fish farms. There are so many
opportunities. When you reuse the heat, there is less of a
need for cooling. It is one of the biggest opportunities that
data centres could utilise.”
Demand more
For heat exchanger manufacturers, it’s important to
keep on innovating and always strive to do better. One
of Anna’s key philosophies is to demand more. “At Alfa
Laval, we keep tweaking. We press thinner and thinner
plates to maximise the heat transfer. It’s a matter of tens
of millimetres, and it makes a difference. My general
message to this industry is to always demand more of your
equipment, suppliers, and of your heat exchangers.”
Heat exchangers are underutilised, she says. “They’re
being designed with too wide tolerances. If (retroactively)
added to a data centre, they will work, but they can do so
much more.” She encourages manufacturers to scrutinise
every angle and millimetre and to always strive for
improvement. The beauty of the heat exchanger is that
they come in so many different shapes and sizes. There
will always be a solution to fit the customer’s needs. As
part of that process, it’s also possible to adapt over time by
changing some settings or a spec.
One of the things companies and customers alike should
demand, according to Anna, is AHRI performance
certification. AHRI is a standard requirement in the US,
but not yet in Europe. Still, conforming to such a standard
ensures good quality heat exchangers.
As the data centre boom continues, opportunities for heat
exchanger manufacturers increase. An, unfortunately,
underutilised option is to reuse waste heat for heating up
other facilities, making the cooling process not only much
more efficient, but also killing two birds with one stone.
One thing is clear: whatever data centre companies decide
to do, there is much to gain from involving heat exchanger
manufacturers from the very start. Doing so may be more
expensive in its initial costs, but the improved life cycle
costs will definitely be worth it.
About AHRI
The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration
Institute (AHRI) is the trade association
representing international manufacturers
of heating, water heating, ventilation, air
conditioning, commercial refrigeration (HVACR),
and water heating equipment. The standards they
produce ensure that various types of heating,
ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and
water heating products perform according to
manufacturers’ published claims.
Products bearing the AHRI Certified® mark are
proven to perform accurately and consistently.
Backed by more than 100 years of research
and development, international regulators and
consumers rely heavily on AHRI’s industry-
leading certification programme for the accurate
and unbiased evaluation of equipment. The
association’s comprehensive roster of free
equipment performance standards and guidelines
are the basis for the certification programme and
are adopted or harmonised worldwide. 
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
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 H e a t E x c h a n g e r Wo r l d E u r o p e 2 0 2 2 C o n f e r e n c e S e r i e s

Thermal cleaning: not an alternative,

but a better way of cleaning

It is actually quite simple to thoroughly clean your heat exchangers. Advantages of thermal cleaning
After all, if the cleaning method used succeeds in pulverising the With thermal cleaning, it is therefore possible to
organic contamination to only a few percent of the original amount simultaneously remove contamination both inside pipes,
around pipes, between pipes and jackets, and even in pipes
– more specifically in the form of easily removable dust – cleaning with static mixers. As a result, the areas can be thoroughly
thoroughly is child's play. While this all sounds very simple; is it also cleaned and this has many advantages:
achievable in practice? •• Improved heat exchanger performance
•• Improved heat transfer
By Robert Mol, CEO of Thermo-Clean Group •• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
•• Saving on operating costs
•• Fewer maintenance shutdowns
To answer this question, it is important to know a little •• Longer operating hours
more about the technique that makes all of this possible: •• Less wastewater
thermal cleaning. This technique involves the use of special
ovens in which the combination of heat and low oxygen A cleaning technique that can return a heat
The subject of this article levels will ensure that the organic components in the exchanger close to its original design values is a
was originally presented fouling are converted into pyrolysis gases and dust residues.
during the Heat Exchanger During the process, these gases are used as a source
World Conference 2022 of energy with which the furnace plant is brought
held in Rotterdam, the up to adequate temperatures and to maintained the
Fouling Dust
Netherlands. heat. Thus, most of the pollution is already processed
Our next European event in an environmentally friendly and useful way.
will be held in 2024. For What remains is dust consisting of ash residues and
more information on future inorganic components, which can be easily removed
events or to see how our afterwards by hosing down the previously polluted
2022 edition went, check area.
our event website: https:// As this thermal cleaning method features the combination
1 kilogram 50 grams
heat-exchanger-world- of heat and the fact that a kilo of dirt is converted into 50
europe.com/ grams of dust, it is now possible to clean all those hard-to-
reach places. Before and after thermal cleaning.
»

www.heat-exchanger-world.com Heat Exchanger World April 2023 43

H e a t E x c h a n g e r Wo r l d E u r o p e 2 0 2 2 C o n f e r e n c e S e r i e s
Inside the tubes Around the tubes Between the tubes and the shell
Examples of where thermal cleaning could be applied.
»
very important asset today. It automatically results
in far fewer maintenance shutdowns and also makes
a huge difference to the energy consumption of the
production process. This can really save hundreds of
thousands of euros or dollars per year per cleaned
heat exchanger; a nice result for an initially slightly
more expensive cleaning method. A clean bundle
transfers heat much better and, as a result, much
less energy is needed to keep production running
properly.
Practical considerations
When using this cleaning method, it is of course
important that the parts can withstand the temperatures
used. A normal treatment is generally carried out
between 400 and 450°C (752 °F and 842 °F), and the metal
components of the material must be able to withstand
this. Aluminium exchangers are thus already ruled out for
thermal cleaning.
For special alloys which cannot withstand this
temperature, such as duplex steel or Monel, two-stage
cleaning is often performed. Here, the contamination is
first thermally cracked at a lower temperature, after which
the residue will be removed by hydro blasting. As the
Before thermal cleaning
+/-1 hour HP cleaning
Before and after thermal cleaning.
»
44 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
Inside tubes with static mixers
fouling becomes somewhat more brittle due to the thermal
treatment, it is relatively easy to completely remove the
residue using water blasting. A thermal test with the
fouling will soon reveal whether this is a feasible cleaning
option or not.
Ideal candidates
The broad range of parts can be treated by thermal
cleaning: heat exchangers with pollution in and between
the tubes; heat exchangers with fixed housings and
pollution between tubes and the shell; compablocs, heat
exchangers plates, spiral heat exchangers; vane decks,
demisters, mellow packs; pipe work (also with static
mixers); extruder screws & parts; polymer & refinery
pumps; flame arrestors, sieve packs, valves; filters, spin
packs, die plates, hot runners, and so on.
In principle, all parts resistant to the temperatures used,
polluted with organic material, can be thermally cleaned.
Note: inorganic fouling can only be removed if it is
part of a fouling mix with organic components. In such
cases, thermal cleaning will remove the organic part
(the adhesive in this case), leaving the inorganic part
loose and ready to be removed by the post-treatment
technique.
After thermal cleaning
Final result
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
 H e a t E x c h a n g e r Wo r l d E u r o p e 2 0 2 2 C o n f e r e n c e S e r i e s

Comparison between hydro blasting and thermal cleaning, based on heat transfer performance

Hydro blasting Thermal cleaning

Performance heat transfer %

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
Months 100
110 12
0

Downsides shutdown. In practice, such capacity problems usually

As with any technique, there are some drawbacks with
this cleaning method. Aside from the materials having
to be able to withstand the high temperatures, pyrolysis
furnaces are not mobile, so only offsite cleaning is possible.
In that case, your proximity to a potential supplier
possessing this technology in-house obviously plays an
important role.
Moreover, thermal cleaning is a highly specialised niche,
and not all pyrolysis furnaces are suitable for it. Perfect
temperature control, the ability to heat up and cool down
slowly, and the creation of a low-oxygen environment
are important prerequisites for using this technique
properly and safely. Not only does the pyrolysis furnace
need to be installed correctly, but the necessary expertise
is also required to bring the cleaning to a successful
conclusion. Because of these restrictions, only a few
companies in the world can offer this in a professional
manner. As a result, the current capacity is quite low,
and it is sometimes difficult to clean all parts with this
technique within a few days or weeks during a major
mean that thermal cleaning is only used for the bundles
that will benefit most from this excellent cleaning
quality.
Looking forward
Thermal cleaning is not an alternative, but simply a
much better cleaning method for a very large spectrum of
contaminated parts. The technique itself has been around
for years and is increasingly being used to bring dirty heat
exchangers from various industries to a higher level of
clean. The fact that this method generates much less waste
and, additionally, could result in a huge reduction in CO2
emissions, are huge assets that make thermal cleaning even
more appealing for the future.
Practice shows that thermal cleaning is now widely
used, and the method is fortunately becoming more
and more familiar to the general public. Choosing the
right cleaning technique is very important, as it largely
determines the efficiency of your production process in
the future.
About the author

Robert has been the CEO of

the Thermo-Clean Group
since 2005. What started
as a company with only
three employees is now a
network of ten sites in total,
scattered across Europe.
Robert regularly lectures
about thermal cleaning and
there are numerous articles
in various trade magazines
about the cleaning technique.
A clear example of the difference thermal cleaning can make.
»

www.heat-exchanger-world.com Heat Exchanger World April 2023 45

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Box cooler maintenance: From a 21-
day schedule to an 8-day turnaround
Cooling various strong engines and motors of a vessel with only
limited space in the hull available requires compact heat exchangers.
The box cooler with its compact design installed in the sea chest on
the side of a ship’s hull is a space-saving and efficient solution.
By Christoph Fischer-Zernin - Commercial Director,
SÄKAPHEN
Due to the use of sea water as coolant and since the box
cooler requires lesser energy to operate, the box cooler can
be considered an eco-friendly choice, helping to reduce
a ship's carbon foot print. Their rugged design enhances
the resistance to the harsh operational conditions in the
marine environment and in combination with the good
maintainability it makes the box cooler a sustainable solution
throughout the life cycle of vessel. The expected life cycle of
a box cooler is usually 15 years, even though Nederlandse
Radiateuren Fabriek (NRF), inventor of the box cooler, has
found units from the 1960s that are still in operation.
Coating under harsh conditions
Since box coolers are made of a copper nickel alloy and are
installed in carbon steel sea chests, there is a huge potential
A box cooler coated with Säkatonit Extra AR-F after 5 years in service, prior to pressure washing.
»
The vessel operated in cooler water which can be derived from the amount of marine growth.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
P r o t e c t i v e C oa t i n g s
A box cooler coated with Säkatonit Extra AR-F after
»
5 years in service. The cooler has only been pressure washed
to remove marine growth. The smooth surface of the coating
eases the removal of barnacles and other organic growth.
of galvanic corrosion due to the dissimilar metallurgy.
Thus, it is very important to apply a protective coating
not only in the sea chest but also on the surface of the box
cooler to avoid such galvanic corrosion. The importance
of a very good insulation between box cooler and ship
hull was stressed in 2016 by DNV GL, an internationally
renowned classification society.
Hence a coating solution for box cooler not only has to be
resistant to the harsh operational conditions in the marine
environment, which is not only sea water or brackish
water, but also has to withstand the mechanical stress
caused by the flow of water through the cooler tubes with
the velocity of the sailing vessel as well as the vibrations
and air bubbles potentially causing cavitation. Moreover,
the coating has to withstand the permanent electrical
stress caused by the ICAF system, a system impressing an
electrical current into a copper anode to reduce fouling and
marine growth on the coolers.
Case study: Scandinavia
Having applied baked phenolic coating on box coolers since
the early 1970s, Säkaphen was contacted by a Scandinavian
vessel operator back in 2016 to provide a re-coating
solution that is available in all geographical key regions
of operation of their fleet of offshore supply vessels. The
vessel operator not only wanted to reduce docking times
but also wanted to avoid sending coolers, partly by air
freight, back to Europe for maintenance – a costly but still
understandable undertaking considering the immense
docking costs that can accumulate to up to 50.000€ per day
for an extension due to delays.
Heat Exchanger World April 2023 47
P r o t e c t i v e C oa t i n g s
A box cooler coated with baked phenolics after being in service for 5 years. The marine growth has
»
been removed by cleaning and pressure washing. The condition of the coating requires a full re-coating.
The initial idea of both parties involved was to establish a
network of Authorized Applicators for Säkaphen’s baked
phenolics in all relevant locations, such as Rio de Janeiro,
Singapore, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Middle East
and so forth. But this was quickly discarded, considering
the high investment costs per location, foremost due to
need an oven in order to polymerize this type of coating,
but also due to the relatively large number of potential
docking sites.
Based on the unavailability of polymerization ovens, it
became clear that a coating solution would have to be
cold-cured, while offering a pot life long enough to allow
the coating to be applied in a certain way that the cooler
surface is completely coated but at the same time curing
fast enough to have a feasible processing time.
Furthermore, all of this had to work under various
environmental conditions ranging from colder
temperatures in Scandinavia (10°C) to elevated
temperatures in South America or the Middle East (38°C)
and potentially at elevated humidity up to 80%. Last but
not least, the application procedure had to be simplified to
allow cleaning and re-coating of the box coolers around the
world in or near the respective dry dock location chosen by
the vessel operator for the 5-year class renewal.
Cold-curing solution
One such coating solution that fulfils all these
requirements is the new and innovative epoxy hybrid
coating system Säkatonit Extra AR-F from Säkaphen. With
a volume of solid over 80% and applied at DFTs around
150 microns, the coating provides very good protection
while at the same time maintaining the heat transfer rate.
The re-coating process for box coolers on-site starts with
setting up a mobile production line beginning with a
cleaning station to remove marine growth followed by
an abrasive blasting station and completed by the coating
station.
48 Heat Exchanger World April 2023
Once the production line is in place, the local shipyard
starts dismantling the coolers and after a course
cleaning with pressurized water, the coolers are handed
over to an authorized party, e.g. Multi Solutions from
Norway, a company with profound knowledge in safe,
efficient and environmentally friendly cleaning of
equipment and surfaces on all types of vessels at yard
stays. After cleaning, the box coolers are blasted to
SA 3, which means all old and deteriorated coating
has been removed. Next the coolers are carefully
inspected. Damaged tubes can either be plugged or
even be exchanged. Once those steps are completed,
the coolers are ready to be coated. After the coating is
fully polymerized, the coolers are handed over to the
shipyard, ready to be re-installed into the hull of the
vessel. Finally, any damages that may have occurred
during installation are touched up. Multi Solution is not
only an authorized partner of Säkaphen for re-coating
but also of NRF for maintenance and onsite repair of
their box coolers.
Inspection and review
Having started with the application of this technology
in February 2018 and since then having coated several
10.000m² of box cooler tubes around the world, everybody
was keen to see the real-life performance of this solution.
Since the class renewal of a vessel is usually due every 5
years, the first vessel being operated with box coolers re-
coated with Säkatonit Extra AR-F was due for drydocking
for class renewal at the end of 2022.
Säkaphen recently had the opportunity to inspect and
review the set of 31 box coolers in Denmark that had been
re-coated onsite within a shipyard in Stavanger, Norway
over 4 years ago – at the time, this was only the second
project carried out using Säkaphen’s ultra-high solids two-
pack coating system, Säkatonit Extra AR-F. The box coolers
were part of an ROV construction support vessel carrying
out subsea operations.
The original scope in February 2018 included the
dismantling and cleaning of the box coolers to remove
barnacles and other marine growth prior to grit blasting
to remove the old coating and carrying out a complete re-
coating of the box coolers with Säkatonit Extra AR-F.
During the dry docking, all 31 box coolers were removed
from the hull to be cleaned, inspected, have their gaskets
renewed and pressure tested prior to being placed back in
the vessel.
Säkatonit Extra AR-F is an ultra-high solid coating
material with over 80% volume of solids (VS) and
contains no biocidal filler ensuring a move towards
a greener, environmentally friendly, and sustainable
world. The coating withstands the harsh marine
environment in warm and cold waters. The use of
box coolers as well as cleaning and re-coating with
Säkatonit Extra AR-F allows vessel operators to
prolong the life cycle of their box cooler and at the
same time improve sustainability. It supports them in
their efforts to reach UN sustainability development
goals and ESG standards.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
 P r o t e c t i v e C oa t i n g s

A set of Box Cooler manufactured by Nederlandse Radiateuren Fabriek (NRF) installed in the aft portside sea chest of a vessel.
»

After an initial inspection, the vessel owner decided to

only carry out pressure washing of the box coolers and the
results were very good. The marine growth was not only
less than expected due to the hydrophobic surface, but
any barnacles etc. present were easily removed. Further
inspection showed minimal mechanical damage which
was largely caused by routine handling of the box coolers
during service. Furthermore, neither the Marine Growth
Prevention System (MGPS), an Impressed Current Anti
Fouling (ICAF) System, nor erosion had any negative effect
on the coating. The mechanically damaged areas were duly
repaired and the box coolers returned to service, reducing an
initially planned 21-day schedule to an impressive 8 days.
Another vessel with Säkatonit-coated box coolers was
drydocked in January 2023 in Brazil. The coolers were
re-coated in the United States in early 2018 and the vessel
later operated in the warmer waters of coastal Brazil.
Same as in November 2022 in Denmark, the box coolers
inspected in Brazil showed an equally good result after 5
years of service.
About the author
Christoph Fischer-Zernin
is Commercial Director of
SÄKAPHEN, a 3rd generation
family business renowned for
its internal linings, especially for
internal and external coating of
heat exchangers. Christoph’s
professional experience reaches
from international sales and technical consultancy
to lining inspection and application supervision of
own products. He has experience in lining related
technical consultancy as well as material composition,
application technologies and procedures. He is also
acquainted with laboratory related testing procedures.
As trained NACE CIP Level 2, he is experienced in
failure analysis concerning internal linings.

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Experience Exchange
is the space for sharing
your industry stories,
from cautionary tales to
enlightening experiences.
Would you like to share
your story with us?
Email the Editor at
e.pritchard@kci-world.com
About the Centre
The Centre for Renewable
Energy Sources and Saving
(CRES) is the Greek national
entity for the promotion of
renewable energy sources,
rational use of energy and
energy conservation. CRES
implements innovative pro-
jects and significant activities
for the promotion and market
penetration of new energy
technologies.
Experience Exchange
Keeping face-to-face during COVID
By Aristotelis Botzios-Valaskakis, Senior Engineer
at CRES
What a difference a year makes. Back in
September 2019 we and colleagues from
around Europe formally started the EU-
funded EMB3Rs project, which is developing
a platform to allow excess industrial heat and
cold sources to find ways to reuse their excess
thermal energy. This involves working on a
case study in Greece, whereby an industrial
park can use a heat exchanger and district
heating system to provide excess heat to a
nearby town. We want to see just how well the
EMB3Rs platform can model such a setup.
But first we needed to find the right business
park. We settled on the Volos Industrial
Park, around 160 Kilometres from Athens,
where we’re based. It was an ideal mix for us.
There are about 50 businesses at the park in
industries such as cement, processed fish, and
biomass generation. Also, around 5km away
from the park is a small town with around 200
homes – they could easily benefit from the
heating and hot water that can be created from
district heating. We asked around and around
20% of the businesses in the park agreed to
take part in our research.
We first sent surveys asking about their
operations on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis.
That said, I must admit that we are not the
highest priority for these types of businesses.
In Greece, a large proportion of our industries
are small-to-mid sized businesses. Many of
these are run by manufacturing engineers
who are already stretched thin by all their
responsibilities. To then reply to in-depth
questions about energy efficiency and types of
equipment can be a tough thing to prioritise.
If you’ll forgive the pun, the early reception to
our questionnaire was lukewarm. There were
some replies, but we needed some extra detail
to get a full idea of what could be possible.
Usually we can rely on getting this detail by
visiting people face-to-face, though at this
point it was early 2020 and like the rest of the
world, the COVID-19 lockdowns hit Greece
hard. We had to rely on teleconferencing for
our survey follow-ups. While they served
their purpose, I feel people naturally provide
more detail from personal visits.
That said, we had a good relationship with
people at the industrial park and we got
detailed data about which industries were
producing excess heat and which could act as
heat-sinks – consuming another industry’s
excess heat. All this data helped to refine
simulations on the EMB3Rs platform.
Now, three years on, a near-final version of the
platform has identified four sources of waste-
heat in the industrial area. Their rejected heat
is computed to be around 14 million kilowatt
hours per year - this could potentially heat the
homes of a village of 7000 people.
As the project wraps up, the important thing
for us to remember is just how useful face-
to-face meetings are for both researchers and
those working in industry. As we have exited
lockdown and returned to having face-to-face
meetings again, people at Volos Park are now
united in a common goal. That creates other
synergies that can benefit companies and
locals alike.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Product News Daikin Altherma 4 on R454C and R290

The T21 brings new energy to energy efficiency

Daikin is about to launch its The first series, the Daikin

Efficient heat transfer can
save millions of tons of CO2. With
Alfa Laval’s new T21 plate heat
exchanger, customers can boost
their sustainability journey, reducing
CO2 and energy consumption.
When it comes to combating climate
change and meeting the goals of the
Paris Agreement, energy efficiency
has a vital role to play. Over the next
20 years, increased efficiency could
account for more than 40 percent of
emissions reductions. And the
solutions to enable these energy
efficiency improvements already
exist.
Alfa Laval’s new T21 plate heat
exchanger enables energy efficiency
across most industries and will
become one of the main drivers
within the plate heat exchanger
portfolio. It’s more compact, more
convenient, and more adaptable.
Thanks to several plate materials
and pressing depths that it can now
offer efficient heat transfer to even
more industries.
“We are launching the new T21
GPHE, which is replacing the T20
one of the most popular Alfa Laval
products in our range,” says Julien
Gennetier, President, of BU GPHE.
“Now we are working to push
even further with the T21. Thanks
to several plate materials and
pressing depths we can now offer
efficient heat transfer to even more
industries.”
latest range of Altherma 4 heat
pumps with versions using
R454C and R290 (propane)
refrigerants.
Daikin says the new range of air-
to-water heat pumps is a response
to REPowerEU, the European
Commission’s plan to make Europe
independent of Russian fossil
fuels, and to Europe’s HFC phase-
out.
R454C with GWP 148 is a mixture
of A2L R32 and 1234yf. According
to Daikin, the use of this lower GWP
refrigerant offers a wide range
of installation options, making
it suitable for use in a variety of
residential building types across
Europe. R290, better known as
propane, is an A3 refrigerant with a
GWP of just 3.
Altherma 4 H Standard, will be
launched in 2024 in sizes from
4kW to 8kW. The heat pump
with an operating range down to
-25°C is reportedly suitable for
various European countries and
can be used for various types
of heat distribution systems,
from underfloor heating to
radiators. Outlet water temperature
up to 65°C.
The second series is the Daikin
Altherma 4 H Quiet, powered
by R290, with a power of 8, 10,
and 12 kW. As the name implies,
the main feature of this series
is the particularly low noise
level. Producing water temperatures
up to 70°C, it will be available in
both single-phase and three-phase
versions.

Kaltra offers reengineered Turbocor-based chillers

With the launch of Powerstream Turbo II
water-cooled chillers this month, Kaltra
extends and improves its portfolio for IT- and
process cooling applications. In terms of energy
efficiency, new chillers are a step ahead of
mainstream units available on the market,
far exceeding seasonal efficiency levels of
EcoDesign 2021 specification.
When introduced in April 2018, the
Powerstream Turbo has previously been
available in capacities from 300kW to 4.5MW
with R134a and R1234ze refrigerants, with
R513a, added later.
The new range, Powerstream Turbo II, will be
launched with R1234ze in capacities of up to
2MW and extended to 4.5MW later in 2023.
Inheriting all advantages of its predecessor,
the Powerstream Turbo II operates with
supply water temperatures of up to 25°C and
evaporator deltas up to 15°C, condenser water
temperatures of as high as up to 55°C, and
features lower noise emission levels (-15dB(A)
in lineup average).
Powerstream Turbo II’s set of options includes
integrated sequence management with a
dynamically selectable master unit and
resource priority management, fast restart,
refrigerant leak control, and built-in energy
analysis software.

Bendel Tank & Heat Exchanger stainless steel storage tanks

Bendel Tank & Heat Exchanger
recently shipped a pair of
custom fabricated stainless steel
storage tanks to a Minnesota-
based food & beverage industry
customer.
Storage tanks utilised for the
storage and transportation of food
and beverage products are typically
made of stainless steel, chosen for
its durability, corrosion-resistance,
and its ease of cleaning.
Bendel has the expertise to design and
manufacture custom above-ground
vertical and horizontal stainless steel
storage tanks to meet all process and
industrial manufacturing needs.
The storage tank fabrication
process starts with the design and
specifications of the tank, which are
typically provided by the customers.
The in-house engineers often work
with the customers to achieve
optimal designs.
Following the design and
engineering stage, stainless steel
is cut to size and shaped using
specialised equipment, including
water jets, lasers, or plasma
cutters.
Tank components are then
welded together by expert
team of AWS-certified welders,
utilising specialised welding
techniques which can include TIG
(Tungsten Inert Gas) welding or
MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding.
Once welding is complete, the
tank is polished and cleaned to
remove any surface impurities or
contaminants.
The last step is the installation
of any required components
such as valves, gauges, and
other fittings which are attached
to the tank using specialised
welding and/or bolting
techniques.

www.heat-exchanger-world.com Heat Exchanger World April 2023 51

Product News
Chart Industries provides ISO tanks to Blue Water Shipping
Chart Industries, Inc. GTLS (Chart),
a global engineering design and
manufacturer of highly engineered
equipment servicing multiple
applications across clean energy is
providing ISO tanks to its customer,
Bofort NV of Antwerp, Belgium, the
exclusive provider of ISO containers
to Project Greensand consortium
member Blue Water Shipping A/S,
Denmark.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
Project Greensand demonstrates,
for the first time, the feasibility
of cross-border, offshore CO2
storage across the full value
chain - from capture to transport
and storage. Specifically, CO2
is captured in Antwerp and
Heat Exchanger World April 2023
transported by ship to the
depleted Nini West oil field in the
North Sea, paving the way for the
development of an international
CCS value chain.
This marks the culmination of the
project’s pilot phase. The Final
Investment Decision (FID) for a full-
scale project is planned for the first
half of 2024.
In full scale, Project Greensand
can store up to 1.5 million tonnes
of CO2 per year in 2025/2026 and
potentially up to 8 million tonnes of
CO2 per year in 2030. In February
2023, leading consortium partners
INEOS and Wintershall Dea received
the necessary storage license from
the Danish authorities.
Oxford Brookes University part of GBP 3.35M pilot project
A ground-breaking research
project that will see up to 150 clean
air-source heat pumps installed in
Oxford homes is being supported by
Oxford Brookes University.
The Clean Heat Streets project aims
to explore how barriers to heat
pump uptake, such as the high cost
of installation, can be overcome by
taking a street-by-street, rather than
individual home, approach.
The project will see 150 heat
pumps installed in participating
households in the Rose Hill area of
Oxford, funded by a grant of GBP
3.35M from the Net Zero Innovation
Portfolio (NZIP) which is part of the
Government’s Heat Pump Ready
funding programme.
The consortium consists of
Samsung, Oxford Brookes
University, University of Oxford,
Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire
County Council, Scottish and
Southern Electricity Networks
(SSEN), GenGame, Passiv UK, Alto
Energy, and Rose Hill and Iffley Low
Carbon group.
The project builds on the work of
a six-month feasibility study that
used Oxford Brookes University’s
innovative local area energy
mapping approach (LEMAP)
to identify suitable homes for
installing heat pumps and explored
the key barriers to heat pump
uptake in the Rose Hill area of
Oxford.
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
 Product News

Bradford White water heaters Infiniti® GS and GR
Bradford White Water Heaters,
an industry-leading American
manufacturer of water heaters,
boilers, and storage tanks,
announces that its Infiniti® GS
and GR  tankless water heaters
and select eF Series® Ultra High
Efficiency commercial tank gas
water heaters have been certified by
the Green Restaurant Association
(GRA), the leading voice within the
Green Restaurant movement, for
use in GRA-certified restaurants.
Installation and use of GRA-certified
products help restaurants achieve
and maintain Green Restaurant
certification, the industry’s highest
standard for sustainability.
With stainless steel heat
exchangers, optional rack mounts,
and multiple venting options, the
Bradford White ENERGY STAR®-
certified Infiniti® GS and GR
tankless water heaters combine
reliability with the flexibility to meet
the demands of both residential
and commercial applications
and accommodate a variety of
installations.  The Infiniti® GR
boasts an integrated recirculation
pump with a dedicated connection.  to 97%, ICON HD® controls, direct
The Infiniti® GS offers a high-end
temperature setting of 82°C and
is cascadable up to 16 units.  Both
models are available for use with
natural gas or propane.
Bradford White’s ENERGY STAR®-
certified EF60T125 and EF100T
commercial tank gas water heaters
feature BMS integration, protective
powered anodes, Vitraglas® lining
with Microban® antimicrobial
technology, thermal efficiency up
spark ignition, three-pass fire-tube
heat-exchanger system, and an
installed T&P relief valve.
Viessmann and Keyter Technologies enter strategic
partnership
The Viessmann Group and the
Spanish family-owned company
Keyter Technologies S.L. based in
Lucena, near Malaga, are entering
into a strategic partnership. Keyter
Technologies, the manufacturers of
heating, cooling and air conditioning
solutions (HVAC+R) in Southern
Europe has strong research and
development expertise in heat
pumps and chillers. With around
600 employees, the commercial and
industrial heat pump specialist is
expected to generate more than 100
million euros in sales in the current
fiscal year.
Aurelio García Álvarez, President and
CEO of Keyter Technologies: “Climate
change is the most pressing challenge
of our time. With this partnership,
two technologically strong, European
family-owned companies are forming
an entrepreneurial alliance for
energy-efficient, regenerative climate
solutions, looking for the acceleration
of heat pump expansion. Based on
this cooperation, we will strategically
expand our business and drive our
growth worldwide together with a
partner to whom we feel a strong
cultural bond.”
Max Viessmann, CEO Viessmann
Group: “Viessmann and Keyter
Technologies share the same values
and the same mission: through our
cooperation, we continue to actively
drive the heat pump ramp-up and
the rollout of green, electricity-based
climate solutions together as enablers
of the independent energy transition
following our purpose of co-creating
living spaces for generations to come.“

HRS Heat Exchangers operates at the forefront

of thermal technology, offering innovative
and effective heat transfer products worldwide,
focusing on managing energy efficiently.

Heating Evaporation
Cooling Waste Volume Reduction
Condensing Product Recovery

Visit HRS at the CHEMUK Event HRS Heat Exchangers

Stand H52 (10-11 May 2023) +44 (0)1923 232 335 | info@uk.hrs-he.com
NEC Birmingham, UK www.hrs-heatexchangers.com
Product News

Alabama Heat Exchangers, Inc. is an Engineered-to-Order fabrication and repair

company in business to meet the highly specialized process equipment needs
of our clients. We’ve been serving various industries as a small business with
an unwavering passion for quality and excellence since 1986. We’ve earned
a reputation from our customers as a “go-to” source for pressure vessels,
heat exchangers, specialty welding, machining, and industry knowledge.

Core Capabilities Certifications & Specifications

• Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers • ASME – “U” designation

• Plate & Frame Heat Exchangers • NBIC – “R” certification (repairs)
• Air-fin Heat Exchangers • Small Business / C-Corp.
• ASME Pressure Vessels • Registered: SAM & FEDBIZOPPS
• Heat Exchanger and Tank Components
• Fabricated Piping Assemblies
• Heat Exchanger re-tubing & repair
• Process equipment repairs in house & onsite

Pressure Vessel and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing,

Repair & Alterations to ASME & NBIC Code

Phone & Fax Address Email & Web

P (251) 653-1166 5751 LaRue Steiner Road info@heatexchanger.com

F (251) 653-1104 Theodore, Alabama 36582 heatexchanger.com
Heat Exchanger World April 2023 www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Project News GA-ASI signs new MoU with Conflux

Unigel and thyssenkrupp nucera sign MoU

In an effort to further advance its establish a clear path to production for

thyssenkrupp nucera and Unigel
have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to increase
the capacity of the green hydrogen
plant that Unigel is developing
in Bahia, Brazil, from 60 MW to
240 MW of water electrolysis.
The signing ceremony was
held in Belo Horizonte, during
the visit of the German Federal
Minister for Economic Affairs
and Climate Action, Dr. Robert
Habeck. This is a key step for
both companies to continue their
good collaboration to accelerate
the green transformation through
the development of the green
hydrogen economy worldwide.
Unigel’s facility will be the first
industrial-scale green hydrogen
plant in Brazil. It is planned to be
delivered at the end of the year. In
the first phase, the plant will have
a total water electrolysis capacity
of 60 MW with thyssenkrupp
nucera standard electrolyzers
and an initial production capacity
of 10,000 tons/year of green
hydrogen and 60,000 tons/year of
green ammonia. The new plant will
be an important stimulus for the
development of the entire region.
Additive Manufacturing capability,
General Atomics Aeronautical
Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has
established a new Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) with
its longtime partner Conflux
Technology. The new MoU, signed
this week at the AVALON 2023
Australian International Airshow and
Aerospace & Defence Exposition, is
the culmination of several years of
collaborative work between GA-ASI
and Conflux to build a flight-qualified
Fuel Oil Heat Exchanger (FOHE) for
GA-ASI platforms.
“We continue to work closely
with Conflux on the design and
manufacture of FOHE for our aircraft,”
said Ken Loving, GA-ASI Regional
Vice President for Indo-Pacific.
“Through this new MoU, we will
the heat exchanger components used
by multiple GA-ASI production lines.”
GA-ASI is a leading developer of
unmanned aircraft, and Conflux
is a thermal management system
solution company headquartered
in Australia. Conflux is an industry-
leading expert, mastering Additive
Manufacturing (AM) for heat
exchanger applications.
“Our continued partnership with
General Atomics is a milestone for
the commercialization of additively
manufactured heat exchangers within
the aerospace and defence markets,
carrying the significant weight
and performance benefits offered
by these technologies towards
production,” said Abe Masoud,
Conflux Business Development
Manager - North America.

Interenergy awarded construction contracts

The Lempa River Hydroelectric Executive
Commission (CEL) has awarded the contracts for
the construction of two geothermal power plants in
El Salvador to the English-Panamanian consortium
InterEnergy following a tender process announced
in August 2022.
The aforementioned geothermal power plants are
the Chinameca geothermal power plant with an
installed capacity of 20 MW and the San Vicente
geothermal power with an installed capacity of
10 MW. Plans for the construction of these power
plants had previously been announced by CEL
President Daniel Alvarez. According to the proposal
submitted by InterEnergy, project execution is
expected to be completed within two years.
The plans to expand the geothermal power capacity
of CEL are part of the government of El Salvador’s
commitment through the subsidiary company
LaGeo. The project will require an estimated
investment of USD 620M.
The expansion plan is carried out through a BOT
model (Construction Operation Transfer) for the handle the investment and construction. After 20
construction of the new geothermal plants. In this years, the power plants will become the property of
model, the company awarded the contract will the state-controlled CEL.

Special Projects continues works at Cranfield University

Briggs & Forrester Special
Projects have been awarded the
mechanical and electrical services
installation on the B084/B085
Hangar Decarbonisation project at
Cranfield University alongside R G
Carter and CDG.
The project will see two pre-WWII RAF
hangars receive a major refurbishment
to improve their energy efficiency and
carbon footprint.
Briggs & Forrester will be
responsible for the full design
and build works for the GBP 2.5M
electrical, mechanical, and plumbing
services package to the hangars
helping to transform the thermal
performance and efficiency of the
hangars with the aim of significantly
reducing the carbon footprints of
the buildings.
To provide a sustainable solution,
CDG designed an insulated, air-
tight ‘box within a box’ which sits
inside the hangar. Services include
the installation of new district
heating pipework to the plate heat
exchangers with associated valves,
control, and pumps within the
plantroom and a specialist Jetflo
air induction heating system in the
hangars.
The work is being made possible by
an award through the Public Sector
Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS)
which is funded by the Department
for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy (BEIS) and delivered by
Salix Finance. Once the works are even further when connected to the
completed, the heating demand of district heating newly fitted with
the buildings will be reduced by 75% air source heat pumps, also funded
and the carbon footprint reduced through the project.

www.heat-exchanger-world.com Heat Exchanger World April 2023 55

 Project News

Wood secures engineering contract

Wood will perform engineering
services for a significant carbon
capture and storage (CCS) pipeline
project involving Canada’s six
largest oil sands producers.
The contract, awarded by the
Pathways Alliance, will support
the engineering and design of
an approximately 400 km main
transportation line and laterals
linking oil sands facilities in
Fort McMurray, Christina Lake,
and Cold Lake regions with a
subsurface carbon sequestration
hub near Cold Lake. The
distribution system, along with
the required metering and booster
stations will gather and transport
up to 40 Mt/year of carbon
dioxide from more than 20 oil
sands facilities by 2050.
The transportation pipeline
system with varying diameters is
a key component of the Pathways
Alliance foundational project that
is expected to reduce emissions by
10 to 12 million tonnes annually by
2030, about half of the Alliance’s 22
million tonne goal by the end of this
decade.
Established in 2021, the Pathways
Alliance operates about 95% of
Canada’s oil sands production and
is working, with the support of the
Canadian and Alberta governments, greenhouse gas emissions from oil
to achieve the goal of net zero sands production by 2050.

Ceres Collaborates with Bosch and Linde Engineering

Ceres Power Holdings plc has signed contracts
with Linde Engineering and Robert Bosch
GmbH to start a collaboration to validate the
performance, cost, and operational functionality
of its SOEC technology.
The companies plan to prepare a two-year
demonstration of a one-megawatt SOEC system,
starting in 2024, and to be located at a Bosch
site in Stuttgart, Germany. It aims to showcase
that the technology provides a highly efficient
pathway to low-cost green hydrogen, which has a
significant role to play in harder-to-decarbonise
industrial sectors.
Ceres has committed GBP 100M for the
development of its SOEC technology. Its first
100kW electrolyser module is currently on test
and initial results are providing confidence that
this technology can deliver green hydrogen at
<40kWh/kg; around 25% more efficiently than
incumbent lower temperature technologies.
Linde Engineering has world-leading
capabilities in industrial process engineering
of chemical plants and a global footprint
in industrial facilities. Coupled with
Bosch’s significant expertise in product
industrialisation and mass manufacturing, the
companies are aiming to evaluate and qualify
SOEC technology for large scale industrial
applications.
The SOEC programme builds on Bosch’s
experience of Ceres’ solid oxide fuel
technology (SOFC) and the technology
shares the same material sets, manufacturing
process, equipment, and stack design. The
demonstration represents an important
validation of SOEC at a system level,
which is a relevant basis for potential
commercialisation.

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DOE invests USD 47m
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
has announced nearly USD 47M in
funding for 22 research projects to
advance the development of new and
innovative measurement, monitoring,
and mitigation technologies to help
detect, quantify, and reduce methane
emissions across the oil and natural
gas producing regions of the United
States. Methane emissions are the
second largest contributor to climate
change only carbon dioxide ranks
ahead of methane as a greenhouse
gas source. The selected projects
will help to ensure an efficient,
resilient, and leak-tight US natural gas
infrastructure and support President
www.heat-exchanger-world.com
Biden’s US Methane Emissions
Reduction Action Plan and the Biden-
Harris Administration climate goal of a
net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
DOE’s methane mitigation program
addresses critical environmental
issues associated with the production,
transmission, and storage of domestic
oil and natural gas. Projects will
focus on the technical challenges of
quantifying and mitigating methane
emissions along the US oil and
natural gas supply chain, including
the development and demonstration
of an efficient integrated methane
monitoring platform to enable early
detection of methane emissions.
Ecopetrol, Baker Hughes and CHEC sign MoU
Ecopetrol, Baker Hughes and the
hydroelectric power plant Central
Hidroeléctrica de Caldas (CHEC
for its Spanish acronym) of Grupo
EPM, signed a memorandum of
understanding for the structuring
of feasibility studies to implement a
geothermal power generation project
in the Nereidas Valley, located in the
department of Caldas.
This proposed geothermal power
generation project initiative, which
uses the high temperatures inside
the earth to produce electricity,
could generate between 50 and
100 megawatts (MW) of renewable
energy to benefit over 250,000
families.
Geothermal energy is currently
generated in more than 20 countries,
with the United States being the
Heat Exchanger World April 2023
Project News
world’s largest producer, followed by
Indonesia and the Philippines.
The anticipated definitive
collaboration agreement(s) extends
over a 12-month period in which
technical studies, subsoil analysis, and
structuring of financing sources will
be conducted to define a proposal for
the generation of renewable energy,
ultimately leading to the execution of
a pilot in the department of Caldas.
The president of Ecopetrol Group,
Felipe Bayón, highlighted the
importance of this alliance, stressing
it will allow verifying the viability of
implementing a geothermal project,
leveraging the strengths of each of the
companies in the different links of the
value chain, from the development in
the subsoil to the commercialisation
of energy.
57
Project News

Eavor’s geothermal project awarded EUR 91.6M grant Saudi Aramco and Linde Engineering sign an agreement

Eavor Technologies Inc. and Eavor
Erdwärme Geretsried GmbH have
been awarded a EUR 91.6M grant from
the European Innovation Fund (EIF),
in support of the Eavor-Europe™
geothermal project already under
construction in Bavaria south of
Munich near the town of Geretsried,
Germany.
The project is the world’s first
commercial implementation of an
Eavor-Loop™, a showpiece of the zero-
emissions heat and power production
capabilities of next-generation
geothermal technology, and a flagship
site for the fundamental ability of
Eavor-Loop™ to provide energy
security and autonomy, globally.
Construction began in October 2022,
with drilling scheduled to commence
in July 2023. Two of Europe’s largest
drilling rigs are already under a
four-year contract with KCA-Deutag.
An Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)
power plant is being designed and
constructed simultaneously with
drilling operations in collaboration with
Turboden S.p.A., with the first energy
production scheduled for Q4, 2024.
The project will result in 8,2 MWe
and ~44.000 tCO2e GHG emissions
avoided per year including anticipated
heat offtake and power sales. Eavor
estimates that ~20.000 homes will be
powered with clean energy harnessed
from the Earth and up to 600
person-years of drilling services and
powerplant/infrastructure jobs will be
created during the construction phase
of the project.
Saudi Aramco and Linde
Engineering have signed an
agreement to jointly develop
a new ammonia cracking
technology. The collaboration
between the two companies
will combine Linde Engineering
and Aramco’s experience and
capabilities in industrial research
and development, lower-carbon
hydrogen, and ammonia cracking
technology.
A potential differentiator of this
new technology is the ammonia
cracking catalyst, jointly developed
by Aramco and the King Abdullah
University of Science and
Technology (KAUST), which will be
evaluated against other catalysts.
Through this agreement,
Aramco and Linde Engineering
plan to build a demonstration
plant in northern Germany to
showcase this new ammonia
cracking technology. Linde
Engineering intends to offer this
ammonia cracking technology
to current and new customers,
creating new commercial
opportunities within the global
lower-carbon energy supply
chain. The emerging lower-
carbon ammonia business may
prove to be key in bridging
the gap between a country’s
domestic renewable energy
production capacity and total
energy demand. 

Azerbaijan awards AFRY service assignment

Azerenerji OJSC, the largest electricity electrical generation and transmission

producer in the Republic of Azerbaijan, has
awarded AFRY with an owner’s engineering
service assignment for the construction of a
new power plant and increase of efficiency
of the existing Azerbaijan Thermal Power
Plant.
The new 1280MW gas-fired power plant
will be built within the current site in
Mingechevir and consist of four new
gas turbines and heat recovery steam
generators.
The project aims to increase power
generation capacities due to the country’s
growing energy demand and to stabilise the
grid, as well as to increase overall efficiency.
Two of the existing steam turbines will be
modernised and connected to the new power
plant, reaching a total capacity of 1880 MW.
Once in operation, the plant will provide a
reliable power supply throughout Azerbaijan
which will have a positive impact on the
system countrywide.
AFRY’s role is to support Azerenerji with
project management, design review, and
factory acceptance tests to ensure that
the project complies with international
standards during all stages of the project.
AFRY’s assignment also includes the
review of the Engineering Procurement
and Construction (EPC) specifications,
and monitoring of the construction and
commissioning of the power plant. In
addition, AFRY will review the integration of
the control system with the existing thermal
power plant and the new two combined cycle
gas turbines.

SABIC and Coolbrook announce cooperation

SABIC has signed an agreement
with Coolbrook, a transformational
technology and engineering
company, to assess Coolbrook’s
Roto Dynamic ReactorTM
(RDR) technology in support of
decarbonising ethylene production.
SABIC is committed to achieving
its stated decarbonisation
ambitions – 20% reduction by
2030 and carbon neutrality
by 2050 – and to supporting
customers in achieving their own
decarbonisation ambitions.  This
new collaboration is one of
SABIC’s many active programs
aimed at reducing, and ultimately
eliminating, the CO2 emissions
from manufacturing facilities as
well as supporting customers on
their energy transition journeys.  technology, SABIC, via SABIC
One very promising option is the
electrification of steam cracking
plants which, in conjunction with
the use of renewable power, has
the potential to reduce the Scope
1 and 2 emissions linked with
ethylene and propylene production
by over 90%.
In addition to pressing ahead
with the commercialisation of
near term available electrification
Ventures, its global corporate
venturing arm, continues to
stimulate the industry ecosystem
and invest in a pipeline of early
stage technologies with the
expectation that some of these,
once fully developed, can be
commercialised to support SABIC’s
and the wider petrochemicals
industry’s transition towards
carbon neutrality. SABIC believes
collaboration and partnership are
key to achieving its ambitious
climate targets in line with the
industry’s growth aspirations.

58 Heat Exchanger World April 2023 www.heat-exchanger-world.com

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FABRICATION CLEANING REPAIR ENGINEERING

One call does it all. Ohmstede Ltd. offers a full FIVE ASME SHOPS

spectrum of services for your heat exchanger TWO CLEANING FACILITIES

requirements, while ensuring Safety, Quality ENGINEERING SUPPORT

and On-Time Delivery are achieved. NEW FABRICATION & REPAIRS

SPARE PARTS

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

EQUIPMENT STAGING

IN-HOUSE TRANSPORTATION

IN-HOUSE BLAST & PAINTING

sales@ohmstede.net | ohmstede.com
Project News

60 Heat Exchanger World April 2023 www.heat-exchanger-world.com