Contherm scraped surface heat exchangers
Contherm® is a single-wall scraped-surface heat exchanger (SSHE) designed for continuous and semi-continuous processing of an extremely broad range of viscosities. Its unique design offers impressive flexibility in heating and cooling operations for numerous products, with or without particles.
- Versatile solution that can handle particles up to 36 mm and viscosities well in excess of 50,000 cP.
- Easy-to-clean design can flexibly transition between products with limited downtime.
- Multiple material options ensure efficient heat transfer and reliable mechanical performance.
- Flexible installation with horizontal or vertical configuration to meet space limitations.
- Vertical installations include a built-in hydraulic system that allows for fast and safe inspection with low service costs.
How a scraped surface heat exchanger works
A scraped surface heat exchanger operates by continuously removing product buildup from the heat transfer surface, ensuring consistent thermal performance.
The key functionality
Product Entry: The product enters through the bottom tangential inlet, ensuring smooth flow.
Heat Exchange: The heating or cooling medium flows counter-currently through a narrow annular channel and this maximizes heat transfer efficiency and ensures even temperature distribution.
Continuous Scraping: Rotating blades remove fouling and promote uniform heat exchange, reducing shear stress.
Gentle Product Handling: A corkscrew flow pattern maintains product integrity while ensuring a low-pressure drop.
Product Exit: The product is discharged from the top, ready for the next processing stage.
The scraping speed and flow rate can be customized based on product characteristics, allowing precision control over processing conditions.
Key products
Service
Contherm Service Offering
Partnering with Alfa Laval for the service of your Contherm scraped surface heat exchanger will ensure your heat exchanger is always working at top performance.
- Easy commission and installation
- Safe start-up
- No unexpected downtime
- Reduce total costs of ownership
- Upgrade your scraped surface heat exchanger to achieve more
Learn more
Unlock more possibilities with Contherm® heat exchangers
For demanding continuous processing, Alfa Laval offers both single- and double-wall scraped surface heat exchanger solutions, which is the only supplier providing this level of flexibility.
Each Contherm® scraped surface heat exchanger is fully tailored to the customer’s unique production requirements, delivering:
✅ Higher throughput
✅ Increased energy efficiency
✅ Optimized product quality
✅ Lower operational costs
When it comes to enhancing profitability, Contherm® delivers more.
Viscous products
The complete Contherm® range provides solutions for continuous processing of any type of challenging viscous liquid. Whether dealing with low or medium-viscosity products or those with extremely high viscosities, there is a member of the Contherm® family to fit your needs.
Example applications include: ketchup, mayonnaise, hummus, chocolate spreads, fruit pie fillings, gravies and sauces, whipped/aerated products, peanut butter, pizza sauces, puddings, salad dressings, salsa and taco fillings, sandwich spreads, bread dough, mechanically deboned meat (MDM), gelatine, omelettes, baby food, nougat, skin lotions, shampoos, liquorice, and more.
Heat-sensitive products
Scraped-surface heat exchangers are an ideal solution for heat-sensitive products that tend to cause fouling in other types of heat exchangers. With the most complete range available, Alfa Laval can support customers with any challenging heat-sensitive product need.
Example applications include: liquid and scrambled egg products, meat emulsions, fruit preparations and fruit purées, cream cheeses, whey proteins, and more.
Crystallizing products and applications with phase change challenges
Preserving taste, colour and/or texture is a particular challenge for manufacturers of products that can undergo crystallization. We work with your business to find the optimal Contherm® solution to fit your production.
Example applications include: coffee/tea extracts, icings and frostings, sugar concentrates, margarines, shortening, spreads, gelatine broth, lard, fondant, biscuit creams, solvents, fatty acids, petroleum jelly, beer and wine, and more.
Products with particulate matter
Contherm® solutions are always built to the specifications of the target duty. Whether you are processing products with large, small or mixed particles, or switching between non-particulate and particulate products, your Contherm® can be adapted to meet the demands.
Example applications include: meat, chicken pieces, fish meal, pet food, jams and preserves, yoghurt with fruits, a variety of fruit preparations, rice pudding, vegetable pieces, and more.
Sticky products
Many heat exchangers encounter limits when handling process fluids that are sticky. For Contherm®, however, it’s never a problem. The complete Contherm® family can support a full range of mildly to extremely sticky products, from foods to beauty products and more.
Example applications include: caramel, cheese sauces, lecithin, processed cheese, confectionery, yeast extracts, gums, gelatine, mascara, toothpaste, starch, and more.
What is a SSHE and why Alfa Laval Contherm® is the best choice!
In this webinar, Alfa Laval Contherm® will explain the basic principles of a Scraped Surface Heat Exchanger (SSHE) and what are the unique values associated with this technology.
