Alfa Laval solves a layout problem and cuts costs in a Swiss refinery
Four Alfa Laval Compabloc exchangers have been successfully operating since 1997 in Tamoil’s refinery at Collombey in Switzerland. The most important criteria for the selection were reliability, compactness, and its availability in titanium at an economic cost.
DATE 2023-11-28In 1995, Tamoil SA, Raffinerie de Collombey embarked on a revamp and modernisation program for their Collombey refinery. One of the major issues was heat recovery from the atmospheric distillation column.
The final result, after meeting all the stringent process requirements, was the selection of the all-welded Compabloc heat exchanger for the virgin naphtha condensing and cooling service.
Product
The Compabloc is a high-efficiency all-welded compact heat exchanger designed for aggressive or hazardous process services. It is available in six sizes with heat transfer areas ranging between 0.7 to 320 m2 (7 to 3 450 sqft).
Benefits
- Recovery of a substantial amount of heat from the overhead steam.
- The capital cost for the exchangers was reduced to half and for the structures and installation to less than half the cost compared to shell & tube heat exchangers.
- Less requirement for service and maintenance.
- Less space needed.