Spiral

heat exchangers

www.tranter.com, www.spiralheatexchangers.com
Tranter HES GmbH Spiral Heat Exchangers
Tranter HES originated from the acquisition of HES The spiral heat exchanger was developed in the twenties
GmbH Heat Exchanger Systems GmbH early 2009. for use in the paper industry by the Swedish engineer
Tranter HES represents the impressive heritage in spiral Mr Rosenblad. For the first time, a heat exchanger became
heat exchanger design and manufacturing constituted available, that allowed trouble-free heat transfer between
by the combined experience of Kapp Apparatebau, particle-loaded process streams.
HES, Canzler and Vaahto; the spirals-related know-
how and production machinery of the latter two were In the beginning of the seventies, Kapp Apparatebau star-
acquired by HES in 2007. Tranter HES is a worldwide ted manufacturing spiral heat exchangers on the basis of an
operating enterprise with more than 60 years of ex- own design that has distinct advantages over the Rosenblad-
perience in the design and manufacture of spiral heat design which had been exclusively employed until then.
exchangers (SHE).
Nowadays, Tranter HES is the only company capable of
Tranter HES is located in Schopfheim in the south of manufacturing spiral heat exchangers both in its own
Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km north-east design and in accordance with the Rosenblad concept in al-
of Basel, Switzerland. most any size from any cold-workable and weldable material.

Tranter HES develops, designs, manufactures and mar-

kets heat exchangers for a wide range of applications. Our
customers include well-known plant builders, engineering
firms, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, the
mining and paper industries, steel works, refineries, water
treatment facilities and many others.

Manufacturing capabilities
Design and fabrication are executed in accordance with inter-
national pressure-vessel codes including PED (CE-Stamp),
AD-2000 Merkblätter, ASME (U-Stamp), AS1210 etc.; Quality
is ensured by maintaining own written practices from proposal
to delivery. Corresponding certifications to ISO 9001:2000 and
Manufacture License for Special Equipment (SELO) are a
matter of course.

Capabilities and Applications

Capabilities from to Applications
Channel spacings 5 mm 70 mm Fluids Liquids, suspensions, fibre- and
Channel widhts 50 mm 2000 mm particle-loaded liquids, (highly)
Surface per unit 0.1m 2
to 800 m 2
viscous fluids, non-Newtonian fluids
Design pressure Vacuum 45 bar and above including slurries and sludges,
Design temperature -100°C 450°C and above vapour with and without inert gases
Materials Carbon steel, (super-) austenitic Tasks Cooling, heating, heat recovery,
stainless steel, duplex, Nickel and (near-vacuum) condensation, evapo-
Nickel alloys, Titanium and others ration, thermosyphon, reboiler
PV Codes AD-2000, PED, ASME, AS1210, etc. Application in the (Petro-) chemical, food, pharma,
Quality ISO 9001:2000, SQL following industries vegetable oil, water treatment,
Certification for worldwide industries paper, steel and mining
industries
The Spiral Heat Exchanger
– a solution for a wide range of applications
The concept of a spiral heat exchanger is as simple as it is Tailored to the requirements
sophisticated. Two or four long metal strips, onto which
spacer studs are welded, are wound around a core, thus As the channel geometry can be varied with great flexibility,
creating two or four equally spaced single passage channels. a spiral heat exchanger can be adapted ideally to the existing
requirements and desires. Notwithstanding varying mass flows
The concentric shape of the flow-passages and the studs and desired temperature differences, a spiral heat exchanger of-
yield turbulence already at low Reynolds numbers. By ten enables heat transfer in a single unit and offers an excellent
optimising the flow pattern heat transfer is enhanced, turn-down ratio. The long single-flow passage channels offer
whilst fouling is reduced. This yields a compact and space- almost any desirable thermal length by which difficult process
saving construction that can be readily integrated in any flows can be heated or cooled in a single device, while avoiding
plant and reduces installation costs. any sharp turns of flow that so often cause blockages.

Because of the all- Tranter HES have developed a wide range of cores, each of
welded and robust which is tailored to accomplish specific tasks, which enables us
design and the low to choose the right solution for each application.
fouling properties,
maintenance costs An important feature of our design is the use of continu-
are reduced to a mi- ous strip from core to shell that avoids weakening inter-
nimum. From the nal and almost unreachable welding seams, and thickness
viewpoint of Total transitions, entirely.
Cost of Ownership,
the spiral heat ex- The execution of a unit can be chosen freely in our, or in
changer is frequent- the Rosenblad-design, which enables us to offer replace-
ly the most cost- ments units for all applications without the need of costly
effective solution. piping adjustments.

Different types for different tasks

Type A:
COUNTER- OR CO-CURRENT-FLOW
• Both covers closing the spiral body
• Liquid/liquid as well as vapour/liquid-applications

Type B:
CROSS-FLOW
• Both covers at a distance from the spiral body
• (Overhead) condensation and evaporation applications

Type C:
CROSS-/COUNTER- OR CO-CURRENT-FLOW
• One cover closes the spiral body; the other is at a distance
• Condensation applications with the possibility of
condensate sub-cooling
Main applications
Liquids and slurries
Because of the single-flow passages, the spiral heat Leakage is practically excluded by the all-welded channel
exchanger is State-of-the-Art-Technology especially in the construction. For this reason the spiral heat exchanger is ideal
case of fouling, viscous and/or particle-loaded fluids and is in the case of sensible, dangerous and/or aggressive fluids.
therefore frequently the first, if not the only choice. This is
because bypassing is intrinsically avoided resulting in a self- Because of the single-flow passage, chemical cleaning can
cleaning effect by which potential blockages are washed away be very effective.
before they become a problem. Also in the case of ‘difficult’
fluids, high heat transfer coefficients are established and in The covers are mounted with hook-bolts to enable easy
case of particle-loaded fluids sedimentation is avoided. access to the channels, which can also be readily cleaned
mechanically. In particular for sludge or slurry applications,
The standard spiral heat exchanger is almost free of dead- covers can be executed with hinges or davits, thus enab-
space and can be executed without any dead spaces. Cold- ling very fast access that reduces down-time. Especially for
and/or hot spots are therefore excluded and temperature dif- a petrochemical environment and in the case of demanding
ferences between the fluids of less than 3°C can be reached. design requirements, traditional robust through-bolted end
cover mounting is available.
In particular, for sludge or sludge-alike applications the
spiral heat exchanger is executed without spacer studs
so that the risk of blockages is reduced to the absolute
technical minimum.

0.35 m2, ø 245 mm, Ti-Gr.2 Chlorine Application 40 m2, ø 1900 mm, Sludge Application
 Cold fluid OUT

Hot fluid OUT Cold fluid IN

Hot fluid IN

Hinges Reinforced covers Body flange Frame

Condensation and Evaporation
In case of condensation applications, the spiral heat If the pressure drop needs to be minimised, such as in
exchanger demonstrates its versatility. It is almost the ideal near-vacuum applications, the vapour is condensed in a
condenser, especially in case of condensing mixed vapours, cross-flow arrangement with the cooling fluid. As a re-
with or without inert gases. The concentric, single-flow sult of the short flow passage, but high cross-sectional area
passage constitutes a perfect geometry for this task and is available, high flow rates of vapour can be condensed at
therefore a basis for maximised product recovery. pressure-drops of less than 1 mbar. Also in this case, inert
gases can be removed readily. In the case where the con-
For condensation applications, there densate needs be sub-cooled, while having only a small
are three possible flow arrangements: pressure-drop at disposal, the combination of cross-/
Counter-current, co-current, cross-current counter-flow is used.
and a mixture of these.
An outstanding advantage of the spiral heat exchanger as a
If pressure-drop is allowed, a unit with coun- condenser is that it can be flanged or welded directly onto
ter- or co-current flow is a good solution. a column as an overhead condenser. It is also frequently
Vapour, particularly with a high inert gas used to realise multiple-stage condensers. The assembly of
concentration, needs a sufficiently long con- the spiral condenser onto a column greatly reduces instal-
densation path, which can be realised by me- lation costs, because connecting pipework is reduced to
ans of a spiral heat exchanger. In addition, the minimum.
the condensate and/or inert gases can be sub-
cooled within the same unit.

3-stages overhead condenser Bottom condenser

 Overhead condenser
Outlet, uncondensed vapours

Cooling Fluid
stage II, OUT

Cooling Fluid
stage II, IN

Condensate
outlet stage II,

Cooling Fluid
stage I, OUT

Cooling Fluid
stage I, IN

Condesate
outlet stage I Standard condenser
Steam/vapour

Vapour inlet

Coling Fluid OUT

Cooling Fluid IN

Condensate
Know-how, flexibility and service
With our experience in all applications of the spiral heat world, and ensures the continuous improvement process
exchanger, we can assist our customers in many ways. As a within our company.
result of development, design, engineering and fabrication
all being carried out by us in our facilities at one single By our development and manufacturing of ever more
location, we can quickly respond to customer require- mechanically sophisticated units and prototypes, we have
ments and wishes. The excellent team-work with the repeatedly set new standards and technical possibilities for
Tranter worldwide network of representatives and co-ope- the spiral heat exchanger.
ration partners provides local and direct access.
For new applications, test units are available that enable a
Apart from the high standards of our engineering work and co-operative elaboration of solutions that respond to given
fabrication, exemplary quality management and full techni- process heat transfer challenges. Repairs and overhauls of
cal documentation belong to every unit we deliver. Customer existing units of all brands can be executed effectively and
feedback and the resulting experience play a vital role. efficiently both in the plant and in our shop.

Our customers contribute importantly to the development Always prepared to take new challenges, we look
of our company, which is required in a rapidly changing forward to receiving your next inquiry.

Tranter HES GmbH

Hohe-Flum-Straße 31, 79650 Schopfheim, Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 7622/6 66 89-0, Fax: +49 (0) 7622/6 66 89-30
E-mail hes@de.tranter.com

www.tranter.com, www.spiralheatexchangers.com