Kelvion Thermal Solutions – formerly GEA Aircooled Systems – designs and manufactures heat exchangers, pressure vessels and cooling systems for the petrochemicals and power industries. GEA Aircooled Systems was founded in 1975 in South Africa.
GEA sold GEA Heat Exchangers Group to an investor, Triton, in 2014, after which it was split into three: Kelvion, which specialises in industrial heat exchangers, Enexio (cooling systems for the power industry) and DencoHappel (heating, ventilation and air conditioning).
Kelvion Thermal Solutions has substantial thermodynamic and mechanical design expertise, as well as engineering, manufacturing and contract management capabilities. It operates from a 21 500 m2 manufacturing facility in Roodekop, Germiston. Its products include air-cooled heat exchangers, shell and tube heat exchangers, pressure vessels and columns, plate heat exchangers, cooling towers and air-cooled condensers.
The company is currently completing work on an air-cooled condenser at power utility Eskom’s Medupi power station, which is scheduled for completion in March 2017. This air-cooled condenser will be one of the largest in the world, with a plot area of about 72 000 m2.
In addition to the products that the company manufactures in South Africa, it also markets the full range of Kelvion products, including transformer cooling systems, transformer oil pumps, machine cooling systems and plate heat exchangers, besides others.
It also represents Enexio in Southern Africa, offering large mechanical and natural draught cooling towers, air-cooled condensers and Heller dry-cooling towers.
Kelvion Thermal Solutions’ sister company, Kelvion Services – formerly GEA Nilenca – is located nearby in Roodekop. It offers on-site and off-site heat exchanger refurbishment and cleaning services. Currently, it provides condenser retubing services for existing installations in the power and petrochemicals sectors.