Lanxess keeps choosing Alfa Laval heat exchangers

Whenever the international chemical company has had to replace a heat exchanger at its production site in Germany in recent years, they've chosen a compact heat exchanger from Alfa Laval – either a Compabloc, or an AlfaNova model.

DATE 2023-11-28

At the Lanxess plant in Germany, phenol-based colorants are produced for colouring everything from children’s Lego blocks to plastic components for automotive parts. The organic pigments are created in a reactor and then separated from the solvent in a filter-press. The solids then continue to a dryer, and the solvent is recovered and sent back to the reactor.

Lanxess currently uses 110 heat exchangers at the site in many duties including cooling and heating of the reactors. Of the 110 units, nearly 75% are Alfa Laval compact heat exchangers. By choosing Alfa Laval compact heat exchangers whenever a shell-and-tube unit needs to be replaced, Lanxess can reduce the size of their units by as much as 80%.

Product

AlfaNova is a high-performance, cost-efficient plate heat exchanger designed to handle demanding duties in a broad spectrum of industrial applications and utilities. The material is bonded in a patented process, known as AlfaFusion, which is similar to welding. AlfaNova heat exchangers.

 AlfaNova 

Benefits

  • Less spending and resources used on installing the light and flexible AlfaNova and Compabloc units
  • Robust material and design reduce the chance of corrosion and leakage
  • The Compabloc is easy to access should repair or service prove necessary

Challenge

When the existing shell-and-tube heat exchangers needed to be replaced, the limited space of the plant’s layout proved challenging.

Customer

Part of Lanxess AG’s functional chemicals division, the plant in Leverkusen, Germany produces phenol-based colorants. Numerous
indoor reactors with heating and cooling capabilities are used to produce industrial polymer colouring for everything from children’s Lego blocks to plastic components for LCD monitors and automotive parts.

Customer's voice

The AlfaNova heat exchangers are a better match for the compact design of a plant like ours with limited space.

Holger Kuhrt,
Plant engineer at Lanxess