Product Description
Compabloc is an unrivalled champion that stands out among other
heat exchangers – including other bloc-type designs. These features
enable more reliable and efficient performance, helping you to save
energy and improve your sustainability
Applications
Liquid-to-liquid heating and cooling applications
Performing at 3 to 5 times the efficiency of shell-and-tubes,
Compabloc is perfectly placed as a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger
(heater, cooler or interchanger).
With the ability to handle crossing temperatures in a single unit,
and a temperature approach as close as 3°C (5.4°F), Compabloc
offers significant energy saving possibilities.
Compabloc also handles asymmetric flows with ease thanks to its
flexible flow configuration. Since this lightweight unit is
installed vertically, installation problems are instantly solved.
Compabloc as a reboiler
High thermal efficiency, compact size, low static head, minimum
fouling and easy cleaning make Compabloc the perfect reboiler. It
can be used as a thermosiphon or forced circulation reboiler.
Compabloc makes it easy to increase reboiler capacity, offering up
to double the capacity of a traditional heat exchanger of the same
size, and reducing the installation costs of the distillation
tower.
The compact size means the hold-up volume, and residence time, is
very low compared to a traditional heat exchanger, reducing thermal
degradation of the fluid. This makes starting the process quicker,
with lower cost for out-of-spec process fluid.
Working principles
Sitting at the core of every Compabloc is a stack of corrugated
heat-transfer plates made of stainless steel or other
corrosion-resistant materials, laser welded alternately to form
channels.
The hot and the cold streams flow through alternate channels.
Corrugated plates cause high turbulence, resulting in substantially
higher heat transfer efficiency with a 50–80% smaller heat transfer
area than comparable shell-and-tubes. Flow turbulence also reduces
the build-up of fouling. The Compabloc’s unique plate design
eliminates dead zones in the heat exchanger.
The two flows in a Compabloc can be configured as single pass, or
as multiple pass by using baffles. The number of passes on the hot
and cold side can be chosen independently, making it possible to
optimize heat transfer even if flow rates on the different sides
differ greatly. This unique flexibility means the Compabloc is
always optimized for exactly the required duty. The baffles are
made to withstand full vacuum, and can be rearranged if design
conditions are changed in the future.
Compabloc units have a counter-current flow and can operate with a
crossing temperature program (in a single unit), where the
temperature approach is as close as 3°C (5.4°F), maximizing energy
recovery. The small size and light weight makes it possible to
install Compablocs anywhere, for instance at the top of
distillation columns or suspended from support structures.
