Acuity is pleased to partner with three different industry-leading manufacturers of complementary Heat Exchanger products. Each manufacturer has an area of expertise, which enables us to be a “One Stop Shop” solution for clients and their most difficult challenges.
Alfa Laval is a global leader in plate and frame heat exchangers, which is commonly used in utility heating and cooling, offers pre-packaged Point-of-Use fluid coolers. Enerquip specializes in larger stand-alone shell-and-tube heat exchangers, while Exergy creates smaller versions of shell-and-tube designs, as well as their own Point-of-Use cooler design.
Our broad product offering is a direct result of the fact that specific challenges may require different solutions. Some projects, such as a recent fast-track Covid-19 project in Michigan, may even require solutions from all three manufacturers. This client had application challenges as well as incredible time pressure to get their process on line.
This client had a suite in which they needed additional capacity for Water for Injection (WFI). In order to maintain sterility, WFI systems normally operate at higher temperatures of up to 80 degrees Celsius, which can cause personal injury or have an adverse effect in the process. Most WFI systems operate by having a loop with a continuous flow of hot water that runs throughout the building. Where there is a requirement to have WFI water available, there is typically a Zero-Static diaphragm valve that can be opened much like a kitchen faucet. Given that the water is hot, even the average layman can see the problem: the water can still be extremely hot, making valve operation dangerous to the operator or the process itself.
In this scenario, the water must be cooled down before use, so it does not pose a threat to the operator or the process. This is when a point-of-use cooler comes into play. By using heat exchangers, water can be cooled down at these particular points prior to use, enabling safe use of the water. Alfa Laval and Exergy both make point-of-use coolers that have many features and benefits that can make one or the other more attractive to an individual customer. Enerquip manufactures stand-alone shell and tube heat exchangers that can be used in a field-assembled point of use cooling system. In this case, the client’s particular situation required solutions that involved proposals from all three.
The client had some points of use in their WFI system where they had low-flow requirements, the pressure drop in the main loop had to be kept to a minimum, and control of the cooler was critical, so the Alfa Laval model was used. However, they also had an application where they needed higher flows than the Alfa Laval units could meet. So, the Exergy units were proposed for those.
Finally, the client also had a third application that required a much higher flow requirement that was beyond the standard-sized units that either Exergy or Alfa Laval had available. While Exergy did have a model that could meet the flow requirements, because it was a custom size, they were unable to meet the extremely critical project deadline. As a result, an Enerquip heat exchanger was used in that instance and the client will use that heat exchanger to field construct their own custom point-of-use cooler. In doing so, they were able to manage the problem without needing to coordinate with several different manufacturers to reach their goal.
By taking all of the factors into consideration, we were able to diligently work with the manufacturers to find all of the correct equipment needed to fully satisfy our customer. As a one-stop shop, we can provide solutions for any kind of heat transfer that might be required, from utilities like WFI to high-end chemically resistant condensing units.
If you are interested in learning more about how we can simplify your company’s largest problems, contact us at (508) 809-5099 or at our website here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.