Alfa Laval Launches New Heat Exchangers for R290 Heat Pumps

Swedish manufacturer Alfa Laval said it is “investing in the future” with the launch of its SE Serie range of copper brazed-plate heat exchangers for residential and industrial propane (R290) heat pumps.

The range was launched Tuesday, October 8, at the Chillventa 2024 trade show and is being showcased alongside several of the manufacturer’s other products.

“The SE Serie offers state-of-the-art heat exchangers,” Fabian Schega, Energy Division Manager at Alfa Laval Mid Europe, told NaturalRefrigerants.com. “From outside, it looks the same as a normal copper brazed heat exchanger; the magic is on the inside.”

According to the manufacturer, SE stands for “safety and efficiency.”

“The SE Serie offers state-of-the-art heat exchangers.”

Fabian Schega, Energy Division Manager at Alfa Laval Mid Europe

These new heat exchangers incorporate advanced safety and efficiency features, such as asymmetric channels to reduce refrigerant charge and enhance performance.

“We have a very small channel on the refrigerant side to lower hold-up volume,” he said. “We then have a bigger gap on the water side to reduce the pressure drop. This is firmly designed with safety and efficiency in mind.”

The units are built for up to 40bar (580psi), with an additional mechanical safety margin.

The topic of safety for propane technologies was a major feature of the Chillventa Congress, held Monday, October 7.

The range currently consists of two models – the SE43 and the SE76, both of which are on display at Chillventa – with a third model already in development and soon to be launched, he noted.

Alfa Laval is also presenting its larger-capacity industrial heat exchangers – the AC900 brazed plate heat exchanger and the T21BW-FX semi-welded heat exchanger – at Chillventa 2024.

“In the industrial sector, it’s still a traditional ammonia [R717] business,” Schega explained. “Here, it’s more about technology conversion and transitioning from shell-and-tube heat exchangers to semi-welded solutions. The focus is improving energy efficiency.”

Both units offer flexibility to meet the varying needs of industrial end users. For example, the AC900 heat exchanger can act as either an evaporator or a condenser with different connector sizes to allow for this feature. Connections can also be made on either side of the unit.

“We work with the customer to design the optimal heat exchanger, to establish the perfect mix of efficiency, pressure drop and customer limitations,” he said.

As noted by Schega, there is a clear trend towards natural refrigerants, particularly propane, in the domestic heat pump market.

“All the players in the market are going to natural refrigerants; you see it everywhere,” he said.

The industrial heat pump market is also booming, driven by decarbonization efforts, he added.

To meet this growing demand, Alfa Laval has significantly expanded its production capacity. The company recently built a second factory in San Bonifacio, Italy, that is focused purely on small- and medium-sized copper brazed-plate heat exchangers for the heat pump market. This project was part of a broader €300 million ($329 million) investment to increase capacity across its various manufacturing sites.

“We’re really preparing for this future growth in all these markets,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time.”

Chillventa 2024 is being held at the NürnbergMesse exhibition center in Nuremberg, Germany, October 8–10.

“All the players in the market are going to natural refrigerants, you see it everywhere.”

Fabian Schega, Energy Division Manager at Alfa Laval Mid Europe