Spiral Heat Exchangers
Alfa Laval / Spiral Heat Exchangers
Benefits to solve tough problems
Alfa Laval is the only supplier that has been developing spiral heat exchangers for more than a half-century. Our extensive experience
in welded heat transfer technology means that our SpiralPro and
SpiralCond models offer benefits that you simply cannot find on
other types of heat exchangers:
- Improved heat recovery translates to significant energy savings, along with reduced fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions
- Low installation and operational expenses, along with improved energy efficiency, result in short payback times
- Virtually no fouling or clogging in duties involving very dirty, highly viscous or particulate media
- Easy-to-open design makes cleaning quick and simple, ensuring low maintenance costs
- Reduced pipework and steel structures means lower installation costs.
| SpiralPro | SpiralCond |
|---|---|
| Available for liquid-to-liquid or steam heater duties | Suitable for vacuum condensation or evaporation duties |
| Can be configured onto existing process columns or delivered as a stacked column for applications involving multiple cooling media | |
| Design temperature: -100°C (−148°F) to 400°C (752°F) | Design temperature: -100°C (−148°F) to 400°C (752°F) |
| Design pressure: Full vacuum to 100 barg (1,450 psig) | Design pressure: Full vacuum to 100 barg (1,450 psig) |
| Diff. pressure: Up to 50 barg | Diff. pressure: Up to 50 barg |
| Maximum heat transfer area: 900 m2 (9,688 ft2 ) | Maximum heat transfer area: 2,500 m2 (26,910 ft2 ) (for stacked columns) |
Unique features
Compared to other heat exchangers used in similar applications,
Alfa Laval spiral designs offer a more compact footprint with
increased thermal efficiency. They are also built with unique features that ensure the most reliable performance:
SelfClean™
- Superior cleaning and extended performance
- A single channel for each fluid ensures reliable self-cleaning of the unit.
RollWeld™
- Automated, reliable channel enclosure
- An automated bending and welding process for the closure of each channel ensures consistent quality and reliability.
HighP™
- A custom solution for high-pressure duties
- Circular shell design and a self-supporting internal coil improves mechanical strength under high pressure.
ALOnsite™
- Qualified support at your facility
- True onsite service by skilled engineers, anywhere in the world
Relevant industries for Alfa Laval spiral heat exchangers include:
The Alfa Laval Industrial semi-welded line offers a high-efficiency solution with a sealing
function combining gaskets and welds. These units can also withstand a higher design
pressure compared to fully gasketed plate-and-frame heat exchangers.
- Petrochemical
- Refinery
- Steel making
- Pulp and paper
- Mineral processing (metals, ore)
- Wastewater treatment (municipal and industrial)
- Pharmaceutical
- Vegetable oil refining
- Natural gas processing
Frequent cleaning a thing of the past
Challenge
Due to incredibly frequent cleaning
needs from fouling, the facility required
two shell-and-tubes in alternating
operation in the PVC slurry interchanger
position.
Solution
Mexichem ordered two compact
SpiralPro models with high thermal
efficiency to replace the existing
shell-and-tubes. After seeing the results
of reduced fouling and increased
performance, Mexichem quickly
followed up with six additional units.
Result
Annual steam savings: €110,000
The ultimate solution to fouling problems
Challenge
Because the media contained
suspended solids, the product sides of
the exchangers quickly clogged after a
short time in operation. Cleaning, which
was needed every ten days, required
3-4 days of downtime.
Solution
The MIDER refinery replaced the tubular
units with two Alfa Laval SpiralPro heat
exchangers. The SelfClean™ design
prevented fouling with the suspended
solids, meaning the units could run for
over three years without cleaning.
Result
Capital payback time:
Less than one year, thanks to
reduced service costs
Designed to meet all your application needs
Available with design pressures of up to 100 barg, Alfa Laval SHEs are designed to meet all your
application needs, from dirty fluids to vacuum condensation and reboiling duties. Although Alfa Laval offers
standardized versions, many customers request the customized solutions of our SHEs shown on these pages.
Spiral Heat Exchanger Type 1 |
Spiral Heat Exchanger Type 2 |
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Maximum heat recovery with counter-current flow |
Cross-flow condensing with lowest possible pressure drop |
The Type 1 is a good choice when one, or both, fluids are fouling, due to its self-cleaning effect. Since the fluid flows continuously in one single channel the force of the fluid acts against any deposits, “pushing” them through the channel and out the other end. In a few cases Type 1 can be used as a condenser, for example when the cooling media is heavily fouling, or very close temperature approach is required (since the counter-current configuration is thermally the most efficient).
The compact nature of the Type 1 spiral often allows several large shell-and-tubes units to be replaced by one single SHE, giving considerable infrastructure benefits in addition to the
reduction in maintenance and cleaning activities. If, or when, the SHE needs cleaning, the covers can easily be removed and the SHE cleaned in-situ using a hydrojet.
Benefits :
Applications :
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The Type 2 SHE is used for 2-phase duties, both
condensing and evaporation (re-boiling). In this configuration
the spiral is always in the vertical position. The compactness of the SHE and the fact that it is mounted vertically allows it to be installed with a very small footprint compared to the equivalent shell-and-tube unit and reduces supporting structures and piping complexity.
The Type 2 SHE has cross-flow rather than counter-current
flow. Because of the good channel gap on the
condensing side there is generally a very low pressure
drop on the condensing circuit, therefore it is ideally suited
to vacuum condensation duties. There are many different
configurations of Type 2,
Benefits :
Applications :
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Spiral Heat Exchanger Type 3 |
Spiral Heat Exchanger Type 4 |
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Two in one – cross-flow and counter-current paths in the same unit |
Column solutions |
The Type 3 SHE is often called a “steam heater” and has a mixture of Type 1 and Type 2 features. The main feature is that the liquid being heated by the steam is generally fouling, therefore the circuit is designed to be accessible for cleaning, which is not the case with the normal Type 2. In addition the counter-current nature of the Type 3 allows tighter temperature approaches than are achievable with the cross-flow nature of the Type 2. Benefits :
Applications :
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The Type 4 is an SHE integrated into a column, often as part
of a distillation process. In most cases the spiral operates
similarly to the Type 2 version, where the operation is in
cross-flow and the open channel allows extremely low
pressure drop in vacuum situations. Another extremely
important feature and benefit is that the two fluids are never
in physical contact so there is no cross-contamination,
which often happens in traditional columns. Benefits :
Applications :
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