Valuable heat no longer wasted

One of the major paraxylene producers in Asia replaced an existing air-cooled heat exchanger on top of a distillation column with an Alfa Laval Compabloc. The new Compabloc heat exchanger recovers 9 MW of heat. Over a year it saves the company energy valued at approximately 1.25 million euros annually. Payback time, including the installation cost, was less than 6 months.

DATE 2023-11-28

Paraxylene production involves a series of distillation steps which use large amounts of energy. A standard 650,000 tpa plant produces approximately 170 MW of heat that is often treated as waste and cooled off. Recovering 40% of this heat leads to a 12% cut in the plant’s total energy consumption.

There are typically 19 distillation columns in a paraxylene plant. Five of these produce 50% of the waste heat, making them prime candidates for an energy-recovery revamp.

Alfa Laval Compabloc heat exchangerThe compact, fully welded Compabloc heat exchanger is designed to operate with a wide range of aggressive media and at high temperatures and pressures. 

More about Compabloc 

Benefits

  • Perfect for condensing and heat recovery duties
  • Superior performance
  • Compact size
  • Low pressure drop
  • Minimal maintenance
  • Designed and built for rough conditions