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PLATE & SHELL HEAT EXCHANGERS FOR PROCESS-CRITICAL APPLICATIONS IN THE OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRIES

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Vahterus Oy of Kalanti, Finland is further establishing itself within the offshore market with the supply of 4 crude oil coolers using their patented plate and shell heat exchanger technology to one of the world's largest oil and gas suppliers. The installation, a retrofit on an existing platform, will provide additional cooling of the crude oil, using seawater as the cooling medium, and will go into service during 2006.

Flexible design

At the design phase, the operational flexibility of Vahterus plate and shell technology (PSHE) was recognised. For example, the exchangers are designed to run in co-current mode rather than the conventional counter-current operation, to minimise the chances of waxing that often occurs with crude oil cooling. This arrangement maintains a higher wall temperature of the plates. In addition, the high shear stress induced between the plates creates increased turbulence, which minimises fouling and reduces the potential for waxing.

The Vahterus units can be opened for access to the plate pack at any time for inspection/cleaning in order to comply with necessary maintenance procedures on the platform. Also the availability of a spare plate pack will ensure continuous operation and minimise downtime and lost production, should a replacement be required.

25 % smaller and 50 % lighter

Offshore oil and gas installations, where space and weight are critical factors, are now seen as ideal applications for PSHE technology because of the equipment's small footprint and low weight, aligned with wide-ranging pressure and temperature capabilities. On average, PSHE installations are 25% smaller and 50 % lighter than conventional solutions. Furthermore, where space is limited, PSHEs can be mounted vertically or horizontally.

Within this installation, shell and tube technology was discounted because of size and weight constraints, whilst plate and frame technology was eliminated on account of the high risk of oil leakage and possible environmental damage.

Wide applications

In recent years, Vahterus has supplied PSHE technology for many niche offshore applications, e.g. glycol/glycol interchangers, which may be deemed non-process-critical. However, the company is a long-term supplier to oil companies including TotalElfFina, Shell and BP, and has recently been involved with LPG heaters and condensers, inter-stage gas coolers, lean/rich amine exchangers, LNG heating and BTX (benzene-toluene-xylene) production. To this effect, Vahterus PSHEs are now being viewed by many as a realistic and viable alternative to conventional shell & tube technology in both non-critical and process-critical applications within the oil and gas sector.

VAHTERUS Oy
Pruukintie 7
FI-23600 Kalanti,
Finland
Tel: +358 2 842 7000
Fax: +358 2 842 7029

www.vahterus.com