Alfa Laval AXP AN (Extreme Pressure, AlfaNova)
Alfa Laval’s AXP AN heat exchanger stands for “extreme pressure” which highlights this AlfaNova heat exchangers capabilities. Specifically engineered for subcritical and transcritical applications with CO², the 100% stainless steel design also enables possibilities for other high-pressure duties with high hygiene demands or aggressive media. The AXP AN (Extreme Pressure AlfaNova) is highly suitable for CO²/ammonia cascade systems or compressor cooling.
The AlfaNova AXP line has a capacity range of 10-150 kW, with PED-approval for maximum pressures of 110 bar at 150°C and UL-approval for 1595 psi at 302°F. The high-pressure design, combined with the benefits of Alfa Laval’s all-stainless-steel AlfaFusion bonding process, enabling possibilities within a full range of subcritical and transcritical CO² applications. These include heat recovery duties, gas cooling, condensing, sub-cooling and suction gas heating and more.
Alfa Laval’s AlfaNova X-treme pressure line is specially designed to fulfill the need when using R744/CO² as refrigerant in subcritical and transcritical applications and for high pressure applications with requirements for 100% stainless steel.
The capacity range stretches from 10 to 150kW and maximum PED approval pressure of 110 bar at 150ºC and maximum UL, approval of 1595 psi at 302ºF. The AlfaNova X-treme pressure line is suitable to cover heat recovery duties, gas cooling, condensing, sub-cooling and suction gas heating.
Benefits
- Compact design cuts installation costs as less space is needed.
- High corrosion resistance
- Reduced maintenance as it is gasket-free.
- Low refrigerant volume.
- Handles aggressive media and ensures low life cycle even under high temperature conditions.
- Handle temperatures from – 196ºC up to 550ºC (-320.8ºF up to 1,022ºF)
Applications
- Ammonia as refrigerant – Desuper heater, high pressure condenser and oil cooler.
- Compressor cooling
- CO² as refrigerant – sub-critical condenser, suction gas heater and evaporator.
- Engine cooling – High pressure systems.
Material
Alfa Laval AlfaNova fusion-bonded heat exchanger consists of corrugated stainless steel plates, a frame plate and a pressure plate. The heat transfer plates in the plate pack are bonded together using AlfaFusion technology, a unique method of bonding stainless steel components that is an Alfa Laval patent.
Design
The AlfaFusion filler material seals and holds the plates together at the contact points ensuring optimal heat transfer efficiency and pressure resistance. Using advanced design technologies and extensive verification guarantees the highest performance and longest possible service life.
AXP AN are fusion-bonded plate heat exchangers with thin external frames in carbon steel that are able to withstand extremely high operating pressures. Always delivered with lifting lug for easy handling.
Examples of connections
The brazed design holds the plate pack together internally with contact points. Distributing the load across many separate contact points provides excellent resistance to pressure fatigue. And because all key parts are made of the same material, this design is thermally efficient as well as being shock-proof and having a mechanical strength fully equivalent to any welded counterpart.
The heat exchanger works on the bases of tow media at different temperatures flowing on either side of thin corrugated stainless steel plates stacked on top of each other. The design of the channels between the plates, along with entry and exit ports placed in the corners, means that the two media flow through alternate channels, always in counter-current flow. The media are kept within the plate pack by a fusion-bonded seal around the edge of the plates. The points at which the plates are in contact with each other are also bonded using the same technology, reinforcing the pack against the pressure of the media inside.
The counter-current flow makes it possible to extract heat efficiently even when there are only externally small differences between the temperatures of the hot and cold media. This results in notable savings on energy costs.
