Industrial refrigeration
Alfa Laval is a leading innovator in the field of compact plate heat exchangers for refrigeration and heat pump systems. Most of our units are installed in cold storage rooms, ice rinks, marine applications, HVAC, district energy, process cooling, and food and beverage. We work closely with leading local installers and system builders from across the globe, supplying both standard and customized solutions. We focus largely, but not exclusively, on applications that employ natural refrigerants.
The keys to sustainable industrial refrigeration
- Use natural refrigerants such as ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons, in optimized solutions
- Boost efficiency with Alfa Laval heat exchangers, whose minimal pressure drop and close temperature approach shorten the system’s payback time
- Choose reliable plate heat exchangers from Alfa Laval – many of the nearly 100,000 units we’ve supplied have been in use for decades
Natural Refrigerants Preparedness Quiz
The impact of new regulations will dramatically alter the way heating and cooling applications are performed in a wide range of industries. But making the move to natural refrigerants can also lead to operational efficiencies and better performance. Is your organization ready to make the switch? Take our quiz to find out!
Global network of trusted solution providers
Semi-welded units can handle temperatures as low as -49°F and pressures up to 900 psig. Brazed and fusion bonded units can handle temperatures down to -320 °F and pressures as high as 2306 psig for use as:
✓ Flooded Evaporators ✓ DX - Evaporators
✓ Cascade Systems ✓ Heat pumps
✓ Liquid-cooled condensers ✓ Desuperheater / gas coolers
✓ Economizers / subcoolers ✓ Oil coolers
Advanced solutions for sustainable industrial refrigeration
Semi-welded plate heat exchangers
Our compact semi-welded heat exchangers enable even greater efficiency and reliability in industrial refrigeration applications, while preventing the risk of cross-contamination with their proven RefTight™ sealing system.
AlfaNova
Built with our unique fusion-bonding method, AlfaNova offers the market’s only 100% stainless steel plate heat exchanger. It is a compact, efficient solution for cooling very clean, sensitive, liquids, which takes advantage of ammonia’s low-GWP potential.
Brazed plate heat exchangers
Our copper-brazed plate heat exchangers are a compact, efficient, and maintenance-free solution for heating, cooling, evaporating, and condensing in a wide range of refrigeration applications. Each unit is designed with a range of unique features that ensure superior thermal performance and reliability.
Key benefits of Alfa Laval semi-welded heat exchangers
High Heat Transfer
- Always turbulent flow
- Good flow distribution
- High COP factor achievable
Compact
- Low refrigerant filling
- Low environmental impact
- Low weight and space
High Resistance
- Pressure and temperature fatigue resistance
- Freezing causes no damage
- Corrosion - resistant plate material
Flexible Design
- Add / remove cassettes
- Openable for cleaning
U-turn
U-Turn is a liquid separator especially designed for use with plate heat exchangers in ammonia applications. The compact module, including the separator and plate heat exchanger, reduces pressure loss, while also ensuring a low ammonia charge and maximum energy efficiency.
RefTight™ sealing system
High performance gasket sealing, for high-pressure duties. The RefTight™ sealing system in our semi-welded plate heat exchangers enables enhanced, long-term performance in heat pump applications with high pressures and temperatures. The weld is positioned outside the separate ring-gasket groove, which ensures reliable sealing, extends the lifetime of the gasket, and prolongs service intervals.
Integrated subcooling
Heat pumps with high-efficiency design can result in substantial economic savings. Integrating subcooling and de-superheating into the condenser of the plate heat exchanger makes it possible to improve energy efficiency without the need for extra pipework or additional components.
Discover why Semi-welded plate heat exchangers are a good fit for high pressure refrigeration systems
Concerns over climate change have driven the refrigeration industry to place more focus on natural refrigerants. CO2 is a natural refrigerant growing in popularity in our refrigeration systems, but it comes with the challenge of designing components rated for higher pressures. Join us to learn more about Alfa Laval’s Industrial Refrigeration heat exchangers for high pressure applications.
Semi-welded GPHE: Benefits for industrial refrigeration
Alfa Laval semi-welded plate heat exchangers combine the flexibility and serviceability of normal gasketed plate heat exchangers with higher pressure resistance, making them ideal for industrial refrigeration applications. They are highly resistant to the formation of ice, as well as to fatigue stress caused by extreme pressure and temperature variations, and are suitable for use with most types of primary refrigerants and secondary fluids, including ammonia and carbon dioxide.
White paper: Navigating a changing refrigerants market
A massive change is currently underway in the refrigerants market. Driven by environmental concerns, legislation is pushing a gradual phase out of traditional refrigerants in favor of new alternatives with lower global warming potential (GWP). Download this white paper for a fundamental primer on selecting and accommodating alternative refrigerants for diverse heating and cooling applications.
