Heat exchanger solutions provider Kelvion’s new advanced diffusion bonded heat exchanger – KºBond – offers a cutting-edge solution for the most challenging processes.
Oil rigs, liquefied natural gas and regasification facilities, hydrogen and supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) stations depend on heat exchange solutions that can withstand extreme temperatures and pressures while taking up minimum space.
The KºBond is up to six times smaller than conventional shell and tube heat exchangers, making it ideal for operations with space restrictions.
The company notes that this particular heat exchanger is capable of working reliably with pressures up to 1 000 bar and temperatures from –200 ºC to 600 ºC. In addition, it provides a high heat transfer rate, allowing temperatures approaching up to 2 ºC.
The KºBond is composed of a series of stainless steel plates integrally welded together by pressing at high temperature – a process known as diffusion bonding. Each plate is first chemically etched with microchannels appropriate to the specific application. The bonding process creates a solid core of metal. As required, multiple cores can be welded together.
Diffusion bonding ensures the highest levels of safety, free from the risk of leakage, and high resistance to cyclic services.
Kelvion’s extensive industry knowledge and welding experience has inspired the development of the innovative KºBond. It is ideally suited to a range of oil and gas processes, including offshore plants and floating storage regasification units and power-related hydrogen and supercritical CO2 processes.
Meanwhile, Kelvion exhibited a range of heat exchange product solutions at the Europort Trade Fair that took place on November 5 to 8 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The heat exchange product solutions are designed for on-board and offshore plants and systems that offer safety, reliability and durability in the most turbulent conditions at sea.
One of the products it showcased was Kelvion’s new compact fin (ComFin) Safety technology, which merges its pioneering double tube safety with the ComFin technology.
It offers major advantages for applications where the media properties are significantly different, such as transformer cooling systems and machine oil cooling on board ships or in hydro power plants. Those applications require high safety levels combined with a compact design.
“Kelvion’s shell and tube heat exchanger portfolio is now expanded in terms of safety and compactness,” says the company.
The ComFinSafety system will be available in both standardised and customised solutions as double tube safety heat exchangers and transformer oil water coolers.
Meanwhile, Kelvion also showcased its new exhaust gas heat exchanger, which provides energy efficiency for installations with a very limited space. This heat exchanger features a compact design made from high-alloyed stainless steel, which allows it to withstand temperatures of up to 550 ºC. Its sturdy setup even withstands high continuous stresses caused by vibration and pressure pulsation.
Kelvion’s exhaust gas heat exchanger comes equipped with a compact finned heat exchanger module, which is easily replaceable and therefore service friendly. The compact stainless steel finned tube bundles are insensitive to soiling and silting and easy to clean with high pressure as well as cleaning agents.
Additionally, a statement released by the company noted that visitors at the fair experienced Kelvion’s full-service packages, a bespoke box cooler as well as a plate cooler refurbishment and cleaning programme.
“Kelvion believes that service excellence equals a satisfied customer. Whether it involves inspections, overhauls, repairs, preventive maintenance or retrofits. The company’s highly qualified specialists help customers to get their equipment back in working order using only the highest quality genuine spare parts.”