Alfa Laval’s specially designed heat exchangers will recover waste heat from a sulphuric acid plant for reuse in district heating in Hamburg, Germany. The initial waste heat recovery process was installed in 2018, and the plant is now expanding the project to provide heating for more approximately 23,000 households, offices, hotels and the university. The project is part of a German government initiative to increase the city’s green footprint.

Aurubis Group is a leading global provider of non-ferrous metals and one of the largest copper recyclers worldwide. The related sulphuric acid process releases significant amounts of heat which was previously cooled with water from the River Elbe and thus left unutilized. Some years ago, Aurubis contacted Alfa Laval with a request to design a heat recovery process based on customized plate heat exchangers, fully adapted to cope with the high demands of corrosion, high pressure and extreme temperatures. This collaboration resulted in a process based on unique Alfa Laval plate heat exchanger technology designed to meet these requirements.

Now Alfa Laval will supply heat exchangers for the next phase, with delivery scheduled for 2023 and 2024. The expanded process installation will enable yearly savings of 100,000 tonnes CO₂ emissions.

“Our efficient plate heat exchanger technology saves energy and reduces carbon emissions, which is beneficial for both our customers and society. Today, four out of five heat exchangers sold within the Energy division are related to energy efficiency, energy savings and reuse where they make a difference also in a wider and broader scale,” says Thomas Møller, President of the Energy Division.

Did you know… Alfa Laval’s plate heat exchanger technology is 20-50 percent more efficient than conventional technology used by the industry.