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Compabloc results in energy savings of 197,760 MWh per year
When one of Indonesia’s leading pulp and paper plants upgraded its preheater with an Alfa Laval Compabloc heat exchanger, the results were immediate and impressive.
www.alfalaval.com
In Southeast Asia’s rapidly expanding pulp and paper sector, a major Indonesian facility faced mounting challenges: aging equipment, rising energy costs, process inefficiencies, and stricter environmental standards.
The plant, which produces rayon and other cellulose-based products from wood, was dealing with frequent fouling, leakages, and blockages in its outdated shell-and-tube heat exchanger. Seeking a reliable, high-performance alternative, the company turned to Alfa Laval for a solution.
One key challenge stood out: the limited footprint in the stripper fouling condensate preheater position. Spiral heat exchangers or updated shell-and-tube systems either exceeded the space available or fell short in terms of its ability to recover the required amount of heat.
Additionally, the plant required full mechanical cleanability due to prior issues where chemical cleaning had proven inadequate. They wanted to feel assured that any new equipment was easy to open and provided full access for manual- or hydroblast cleaning.
Compabloc: the compact, high-efficiency alternative
Taking all requirements into account, including tight footprint, fouling concerns, easy maintenance and performance targets, Alfa Laval recommended Compabloc, a fully welded, compact plate heat exchanger.
With over 35,000 installations worldwide, Compabloc is renowned for its reliability and thermal efficiency. For this application, several features made it perfect as a preheater:
- Superior heat transfer: Exceptional thermal efficiency and energy savings
- Compact design: Small footprint allowed easy installation in the plant’s existing space
- Reliable performance: C-Weld construction and laser-welded plates to optimize reliability
- High uptime: Turbulent flow patterns reduce fouling risk
- Easy access: The side panels provide full access for maintenance and mechanical cleaning, ideal for demanding applications prone to fouling and scaling
- Results: outstanding thermal performance and ROI After detailed discussions and technical evaluations, the plant approved the Compabloc for their preheater upgrade. Installed in 2023, the system delivered immediate gains in performance
Crossing temperatures in a single unit maximizes energy recovery, reduces power bills, and boosts process performance. These results represent not just operational improvement, but a significant step toward the plant’s sustainability targets.
A trusted partnership
The customer is highly satisfied with the outcome. A key factor in selecting Alfa Laval was their ability to precisely configure the solution to the duty, as well as the trust built through proven technical expertise and a strong local support network.
Although the Compabloc may have a higher initial cost than traditional alternatives, the customer team quickly saw that total cost of ownership, including lower maintenance, emissions, and unplanned downtime, was the better metric for long-term success.
A trusted partnership
The customer is highly satisfied with the outcome. A key factor in selecting Alfa Laval was their ability to precisely configure the solution to the duty, as well as the trust built through proven technical expertise and a strong local support network.
Although the Compabloc may have a higher initial cost than traditional alternatives, the customer team quickly saw that total cost of ownership, including lower maintenance, emissions, and unplanned downtime, was the better metric for long-term success.
