Alfa Laval Contherm Scraped Surface Heat Exchangers
The Alfa Laval Contherm™ Scraped Surface Heat Exchangers (SSHE) are designed for heating, cooling, sterilizing, crystallizing, pasteurizing and freezing viscous, sticky and heat sensitive products. Unlike traditional exchangers that foul quickly, Contherm ensures gentle product handling, uniform heat transfer and extended uptime. This makes it a proven SSHE heat exchanger solution for the food, personal care, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Contherm is available in both single wall scraped surface heat exchanger and double wall scraped surface heat exchanger configurations, depending on process safety and contamination control requirements.
Models available, Contherm, Contherm Core, Contherm Select, Contherm Max, Contherm Evaporator, Contherm Max Evaporator.
Applications of Alfa Laval Contherm SSHE
Food and Beverage, sauces, purees, soups, condiments, dairy, beverages
High Acid Foods, fruit fillings, jams, concentrates
Personal Care and Health, creams, lotions, gels
Chemical and Industrial, adhesives, biofuels, polymers
Pharmaceutical and Bioprocessing, viscous APIs, controlled crystallization
Scraped Surface Evaporator (Convap), concentration of viscous products under vacuum
Contherm Scraped Surface Heat Exchangers Features and Enhancements
Handles sticky, viscous or particulate products with reduced fouling, suitable for scraped wall heat exchanger duties where product build up is common
Food safety upgrades with detectable polymer scraping blades for hygienic SSHE heat exchanger applications
Tangential head option, 3 inch, for sanitary food applications and improved cleanability
Alfaloy cylinder coating for wear resistance and chemical resistance in demanding services
ConthermFlex upgrade service for older scraped surface units to improve reliability and performance
Larger Contherm 6 x 11 with more surface area and higher capacity for high throughput production lines
Contherm Scraped Surface Heat Exchangers Operating Parameters
Product side temperature, -30°F to +338°F
Media side temperature, -30°F to +338°F
Product side pressure, up to 300 psig and full vacuum
Media side pressure, up to 250 psig
Connections, DIN, Tri Clamp, SMS, NPT or flange, 2.0 to 3.0 inch
Materials and Design
Heating surface, 316L stainless steel, high polish finish
Scraping blades, Alfalon III, Nylon, Teflon
Seal options, single carbon, aseptic, hard face combinations
Mounting, vertical standard, horizontal optional
Rotor diameters, 3, 4, 5, or 14.5 inch
Compliance, USDA, 3 A, ASME, PED
Product enters at the bottom and flows upwards, while heating or cooling media flows in counter current. Rotating blades continuously scrape the cylinder walls to maintain uniform heat transfer, protect product quality and reduce fouling. This operating principle is the key reason a scraped wall heat exchanger, also known as a scraped surface heat exchanger, performs better than conventional designs for viscous and sticky products. Product exits at the top.
For evaporation duty, the Convap module operates under vacuum with mechanical agitation, separating concentrate from vapor efficiently. This configuration is often referred to as a scraped surface evaporator and is used to concentrate viscous products with controlled heat exposure.
Optional Features
Horizontal mounting for limited ceiling height
Control panel with automatic maintenance logic
Refrigeration or heating and cooling valve packages
27 barg product side pressure rating available
Rental test units for in plant trials
FAQ About Contherm Scraped Surface Heat Exchangers
Q1, What is a scraped surface heat exchanger used for
A, A scraped surface heat exchanger is used for viscous, sticky, particulate, or heat sensitive products in food, pharmaceutical, chemical and personal care production, especially when conventional exchangers foul quickly. It is also commonly searched as an SSHE heat exchanger.
Q2, What is the difference between single wall and double wall scraped surface heat exchangers
A, A single wall scraped surface heat exchanger is the standard option for most viscous product heating and cooling duties. A double wall scraped surface heat exchanger adds an extra safety barrier to reduce cross contamination risk, making it suitable for sensitive food and pharmaceutical applications. Some users also describe single wall designs as a heat exchanger with single walled scraped surface.
Q3, What is the Convap scraped surface evaporator
A, Convap is a module that converts Contherm SSHE into a scraped surface evaporator for vacuum concentration of viscous products such as fruit pastes, concentrates and chemical slurries.
Q4, Can Contherm Scraped Surface Heat Exchangers be customized
A, Yes, Alfa Laval offers multiple rotor sizes, materials, seal options and mounting configurations to meet specific process requirements, including hygienic connections for sanitary duties.
Q5, Which industries use Contherm Scraped Surface Heat Exchangers
A, Contherm is used across food and beverage, dairy, high acid foods, home and personal care, biofuels, pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals, particularly for products that are difficult to process in conventional heat exchangers.
Contherm Range of Scraped Surface Heat Exchangers Brochure
The Alfa Laval Contherm Scraped Surface Heat Exchanger series delivers strong performance for processing viscous, sticky and heat sensitive products. With advanced features such as food safe blades, Alfaloy coating, Convap evaporator modules and configurable designs, Contherm supports gentle handling, reliable operation and extended uptime for demanding SSHE heat exchanger duties.
Whether you need a single wall scraped surface heat exchanger, a double wall scraped surface heat exchanger, or a scraped surface evaporator configuration, Contherm provides flexibility for modern food, chemical and pharmaceutical production. Contact us today to explore the right Contherm SSHE solution for your process.
