Efficiency that pays off: Alfa Laval spiral heat exchangers cut costs by €1.6 million at crude oil refinery

In 1999, a Russian oil company acquired a new refinery, setting modernization and cost control as top priorities. The high maintenance costs associated with the heat exchangers used in the visbreaking process were a significant concern. Alfa Laval was tasked with proving that their spiral heat exchangers could address these issues. The results were impressive, showcasing substantial savings and improved efficiency.

DATE 2025-06-24

The challenge

The newly acquired refinery faced severe fouling issues in its heat exchangers, particularly in the visbreaking bottom cooling duties. Fouling led to increased fuel consumption, higher CO₂ emissions, and excessive maintenance costs, amounting to €1,650,000 annually. The refinery needed a solution to reduce these costs and improve overall plant performance and profitability.

The role of spiral heat exchangers in the process is to preheat the feed entering the visbreaking unit by cooling the visbroken residue.

Our solution

Alfa Laval proposed replacing the refinery's 12 shell-and-tube heat exchangers with eight spiral heat exchangers. The spiral heat exchangers, known for their single-channel flow, uniform velocity profile, self-cleaning effect, and lack of dead zones, were tailor-made for heavily fouling applications. Their spiral flow and counter-current design also made them more efficient for heat recovery compared to traditional shell-and-tube heat exchangers.

Process implementation

In January 2001, two of the eight proposed spiral heat exchangers were commissioned as a pilot project. The results were promising, with the company saving enough on maintenance costs in the first year to cover the investment. By 2002, all 12 shell-and-tube heat exchangers were replaced with the eight spiral heat exchangers. These new exchangers handled the entire visbreaking bottom cooling duty, requiring only annual inspections and preventative cleaning.

Impact and benefits

The implementation of Alfa Laval's spiral heat exchangers led to significant savings and operational improvements:

Maintenance costs: Reduced from €1,650,000 annually to €3,000.
Payback period: Achieved within one year based on cleaning costs.
Fouling: Insignificant fouling since commissioning.
Efficiency: Heat-transfer efficiency increased up to four times.
Safety: Enhanced safety measures.
Production: More stable and profitable throughput and production.

The successful integration of Alfa Laval's spiral heat exchangers not only saved the company substantial maintenance costs but also improved the overall efficiency and reliability of the refinery's operations.