Energy conservation - the key for refineries
Energy costs can account for as much as 50 percent of a refinery’s total operating costs. For this reason this industry focuses on optimizing and recovering energy in order to minimize both costs and environmental impact.
By converting traditional shell-and-tube heat exchanger technology to more efficient compact plate heat exchangers, energy savings of at least 25 percent can be achieved, with additional benefits in terms of extended operating intervals, reduced maintenance costs, shorter downtime, faster payback times, and minimal environmental impact.
Alfa Laval offers a variety of compact heat exchangers specifically designed for refinery applications. The solutions include all-welded plate heat exchangers, which can utilize energy much more effectively than traditional solutions. They provide better reaction efficiency, improved yield, and increased hydrogen production in catalytic reforming as well as superior thermal efficiency in heating, cooling, condensing, and reboiling.
Alfa Laval also supplies centrifugal equipment that separates varied emulsions of oil, water, and solids in oil refining processes.