Exotic or small, they have it all
15 Jan 2000
Heat exchange products will also be well represented at Eurochem, from small plate exchangers to the largest shell-and-tube models.
One notable exhibitor is Le Carbone (311). The company has just acquired AstroCosmos, a manufacturer of heat exchangers made from exotic metals. Materials available include tantalum, which is as corrosion-resistant and contaminant-free as glass, the company says. Tantalum shell-and-tube heat exchangers are available for pharmaceutical manufacture, incorporating flush-constructed tube sheets which avoid any pooling of process fluids in tube mounting joints.
Other exotics include titanium immune to corrosion by salt water, metallic salts, chlorides and hydroxides, and by nitric and chromic acids; niobium; and zirconium.
Alfa Laval Thermal (312) is showcasing its range of compact heat exchangers. Designed to challenge conventional designs, these can be up to seven times smaller than equivalent shell-and-tube models, claims the company.
A new product, the EC-500-WTFE plate evaporator, requires only half the space of traditional falling-film evaporators, and costs half as much to fit, says Alfa Laval. Consisting of a plate pack with welded cassettes alternating with gasketted plates, it boasts high thermal efficiency, making it suitable for producing caustic soda, sodium chloride, iron chloride and ammonium sulphate.
