Alfa Laval Inc. - Experts & Thought Leaders

Ahead of the rollout of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) heat network zones, Alfa Laval is calling for the long-term implementation to go beyond that of just district heating, with a view to creating a nationwide district energy infrastructure. The initial rollout of DESNZ’s zoning programme began with the identification of 28 pilot locations where heat networks are likely to grow or be built out in the future.  Following this, six areas across the UK – Bristol, Leeds, Plymouth, Sheffield, Stockport, and two London sites – are set to be the beneficiaries of £5.8 million in shared government funding in order to help establish the zoning model, with construction set to commence in 2026. A total of 21 zoning maps have now been published. District heating It is expected that district heating will be the lowest cost of energy within each zone As part of the scheme, it is expected that district heating will be the lowest cost of energy within each zone, with the wider goal of growing total demand from 3% in 2024 to 20% by 2050. However, with the current rollout only legislating for district heating at present, Neil Parry, Alfa Laval’s Global Head of District Energy, is highlighting the necessity for district cooling, and how this can create a national district energy infrastructure and lead to year-round greater utilisation of waste heat and a more balanced energy system. He said: “The UK is experiencing increasing temperatures due to climate change. By 2050, we will have just as much need for district cooling as we do for district heating, which is why it would be a critical misstep if the ongoing rollout was only limited to the latter." “Beyond this, the integration of both technologies together is also fundamental to the concept of district energy, which will be critical to tapping into the nation’s waste energy potential and forging a credible path to Net Zero.” Huge energy wastage Two thirds of the heat required to heat and cool buildings in the UK is currently wasted According to Neil, two thirds of the heat required to heat and cool buildings in the UK is currently wasted. Without change, this figure is set to rise to four fifths by 2050. He continued: “The network itself can act as a thermal store – capturing excess heat, such as that from a data centre or industrial processes, and then delivering it as required to the connected buildings.” “The heat in the network can also be used to produce cooling, via an absorption heat pump, for example, and therefore the energy in both the heating and cooling networks balance themselves, based upon the connected buildings’ demand. If we captured our current waste heat in this manner, we would be able to reduce the heating demand for buildings by 66% overnight.” District energy “District energy also facilitates the integration of a variety of renewable energy sources and can indirectly help to balance the electrical grid. The increased electrical generation from wind and solar increases the pricing volatility of the electricity supply. District energy companies can operate their thermal and electrical generation assets, such as biomass CHP for example, based on the electricity price,” stated Neil Parry “When the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing, the price increases – the district energy companies can then operate their thermal and electrical sources, sending thermal energy into the heating grid and electrical energy into the electric grid. This balances the electrical supply while also opening up an additional revenue stream.” Reputation of poor implementation “This increases electric network resilience and helps to stabilize price levels minimising some of the well-documented challenges of renewable electricity production and large-scale electrification. In addition, ORC plants can also produce electricity from the thermal energy in the district systems, further increasing electrical output and stability,” continued Neil.  While the long-term potential for heat networks is evident, Neil believes that the technology is currently being held back by a reputation of poor implementation in the UK. Just last year, Utility Week revealed that a third of heat networks in the UK are expected to be scrapped ahead of the introduction of new technical standards. CIBSE-accredited district energy CPDs In response to this challenge, Alfa Laval is currently offering free, CIBSE-accredited district energy CPDs. In response to this challenge, Alfa Laval is currently offering free, CIBSE-accredited district energy CPDs. With a selection to choose from, these courses cover everything from the fundamentals of district energy, how to increase its efficiency and optimize the system, its importance in creating the sustainable city, to heat transfer theory and the critical role of heat exchangers in creating an energy-efficient system. Conclusion Neil concluded: “If heat networks are going to succeed in the UK, education and training will be key to achieving reliable, efficient systems while also dispelling the major misconceptions that still surround this technology." “As an energy source-agnostic technology, district energy and heat networks will be the key facilitators to a low carbon energy future. At this stage, the focus has to be on getting the pipes in the ground.”

Heat transfer specialist Alfa Laval is addressing the challenge of overwhelming choice in the processing industry’s heat exchanger market with a key appointment to its energy division and the launch of its new online design and specification tool, HEXpert. Recent market reports have suggested the global heat exchanger market will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 6% from 2022 to 2031, reaching $34.24bn, demonstrating the technology’s continued critical role in heavy processing applications. Given this pronounced growth, equipment specifiers will be under increasing pressure to identify the correct solution as differing designs and solutions flood the market, to ensure their plant remains as reliable, sustainable and efficient as possible. Availability of key performance According to Dmitry Emelianov, the newly appointed Energy Process Manager at Alfa Laval UK&I, this overwhelming level of choice and customization means tools such as HEXpert will become critical to company decision-making over vital heat exchanger equipment. Dmitry will be spearheading a new firm team saved to optimizing plant operations Dmitry, who joined Alfa Laval earlier this year after 12 years of experience in various processing industries, will be spearheading a new company team dedicated to optimizing plant operations in new and established industries. He believes ensuring the availability of key performance information is crucial to choosing effective solutions for specific processing plant applications, and online resources have a key role to play in this. impact on industrial processes “Because of the ongoing energy crisis and strain on global supply chains, processing sector professionals are under increasing pressure to do more with less,” Dmitry explains. “If processing plants are like a body, heat exchangers are the backbone–vital to almost everything, and if all is well, they function unnoticed. Given this, their incorrect specification can have a major impact on industrial processes, placing facility stakeholders in a difficult position." “Specifically, processing professionals requiring high-performing, adaptable solutions that can produce major yields from fewer resources may no longer be able to fully rely on these integral components, especially with intermittent grid supplies becoming an increasing concern. Inefficient, ill-suited components may hugely impact facility performance, further exacerbating these issues and making short- to long-term operational goals harder to achieve." HEXpert online tool Dmitry added: “Yet to find the optimal heat transfer solution for a particular process application and facility design, there are always lots of factors to consider and options to weigh. Given these current, strained circumstances, key stakeholders are increasingly time-poor and simply don’t have the capacity to sift through reams of information or a complicated purchase process. This is why we developed the HEXpert online tool–to make these time-consuming tasks simpler.” Tool will be priceless to busy processing experts looking to simplify the step of the specification mode Using HEXpert, specifiers enter information about their operations and heat transfer requirements in a four-step process, starting with adding information about the exchanger position. Further steps involve providing specific details on design parameters and application demands through a question-and-answer format, before providing a full and detailed product recommendation. As Dmitry is keen to emphasize, the tool will be invaluable to busy processing professionals looking to streamline the first step of the specification process. use of HEXpert “We’ve already seen people using HEXpert have a previous idea of the type of heat exchanger they need, only to discover within five minutes that an alternative model was more suitable to their requirements,” Dmitry concludes. “As providers of the widest and most complete portfolio of heat exchanger equipment, we would always advise that, alongside engaging with online tools, equipment decision-makers should also discuss their requirements with technical experts." “Indeed, considering many manufacturers only offer one or two types of exchanger technologies, gathering further information on the full breadth of what is available will be key to ensuring the eventual specified solution offers the best match for its application and position. We would therefore encourage processing professionals to make use of HEXpert and get in contact if they have further questions.”

Following reports UK greenhouse gas emissions have risen year-on-year, Alfa Laval has launched its latest, most sustainable T21 gasketed plate heat exchanger (GPHE) to help energy-intensive facilities and plants save tons of carbon dioxide through highly efficient cooling and minimized energy consumption. According to a June 2023 report from the Office for National Statistics, UK greenhouse gas emissions rose by 3% to just over 502 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent between 2020 and 2021. These findings followed an announcement from the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Authority declaring a 2.4% annual increase in CO2 emissions covered by the ETS in 2022–up 2.7 million tons from 2021 to 110.6 million tons in total. Efficient plate heat exchanger Advanced, efficient plate heat exchanger technologies such as the T21 will be key to this These figures, alongside tightening sustainability legislation, underline the impact reviewing existing process equipment and specification processes could have on power-hungry plants and facilities. According to Gemma Reeves, Business Unit Manager for Heat Transfer at Alfa Laval, sector sustainability strategies should be expanded to focus on minimizing energy use and realizing heat recovery opportunities. Advanced, efficient plate heat exchanger technologies such as the T21 will be key to this. pressure on Power-intensive sectors “Energy efficiency can account for more than 40% of emissions reductions in the next 20 years and will be crucial to achieving net zero,” she says. “Considering 50% of today’s potential for energy savings comes from industry, and 30% can be achieved from buildings, this puts pressure on power-intensive sectors to decarbonize. For stakeholders at these sites, the selection of more efficient process equipment can provide an immediate way to reduce carbon footprints while optimizing performance." District heating schemes Harnessing and reusing these otherwise wasted process by-products will be vital to emissions" Gemma Reeves added, “For example, our new T21’s upgraded plates increase overall thermal efficiency, and its flexible configuration means its heat transfer area can be modified, making it suitable for a wide range of applications across plants looking to decarbonize. Similarly, it allows for more effective recovery of waste heat, which can be redeployed for other site processes or for use in other systems such as district heating schemes." "Harnessing and reusing these otherwise wasted process by-products will be crucial to emissions reduction, so I would urge facility and plant managers to explore solutions that will allow them to do so effectively and efficiently, including the T21.” CurveFlow™ technology The new T21 includes Alfa Laval’s energy-driven patented efficiency features, including CurveFlow™ distribution area technology to improve media flow and minimize fouling risks, alongside the company’s unique OmegaPort™, which further enhances flow and thermal efficiency. T21 includes the option to optimize the unit efficiency with Alfa Laval’s FlexFlow™ plate design  The T21 also incorporates the possibility to further optimize the unit efficiency with Alfa Laval’s FlexFlow™ plate design, which uses asymmetric channels to optimize pressure drop utilization and make additional improvements to thermal efficiency when unequal flows are in play. performance and equipment specification “GPHEs are often crucial to many facility processes, so ensuring the best possible performance and equipment specification is a must for energy-intensive plants,” Gemma concludes. “Collaboration across the supply chain will be required to ensure power consumption can be reduced and operators’ decarbonization journeys remain on track. Specifying effective solutions such as the T21 will be crucial to this, so it is vital to site decision-makers work in close partnership with suppliers to identify opportunities where upgraded equipment can help turn potential efficiencies into reality.”