AlfaVap and AlfaCond saves energy in Japanese beet sugar factory
The Hokuren Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives began installing Alfa Laval AlfaVap rising-film plate evaporators at its Nakashari sugar beet factory in 1992. Impressed by their high heat transfer performance and compact design, in 2005 Hokuren installed four AlfaVaps to help recover energy from the process steam. An AlfaCond condenser was also installed.
DATE 2023-11-28A total of 39 AlfaVaps installed Hokuren operates two sugar beet factories in the Hokkaido region, Nakashari and Shimizu. It began installing Alfa Laval equipment in the 1970s and, today, has a total of 39 AlfaVaps in both factories, as well as another 90 Alfa Laval plate heat exchangers.
“We had never done an installation like that before,” says Akihiro Kumagai, Alfa Laval, Japan. “However, with close teamwork between Hokuren and Alfa Laval in both Japan and Sweden, we were able to develop a solution that met the customer’s needs. The system worked very well, and our relationship grew much stronger,” he says.
Products
AlfaVap evaporator
The AlfaVap is tailor-made for evaporation. Particularly efficient at high concentration and high viscosities, it can work with temperature differences down to 3–4°C. Features and benefits
AlfaCond condenser
The AlfaCond is the first plate condenser in the world specifically designed for low-pressure vapour condensation in all types of industries.
Benefits
AlfaVap evaporator
- Corrugated plate pattern ensures a high degree of turbulence, which gives high heat transfer coefficients
- Rising film concept eliminates the need for a re-circulation pump and avoids problems with feed distribution
- Excellent wetting ability – a once-through evaporation process can often be used
- Flexible design: easy to adapt to changing capacity demands
AlfaCond condenser
- Plates specially designed for condensation
- Condensate and cooling water never mix, eliminating a source of pollution
- Flexible design: easy to adapt to changing capacity demands
- Compact size for a leaner installation
- Minimized fouling and easy maintenance for maximum uptime
Customer's voice
Installing more Alfa Laval equipment was an important part of our plans for cutting energy costs. It is far more efficient than the equipment we had previously, and maintenance is much easier. We’ve accomplished the energy savings we hoped for.
Sugar Production Manager