World-leading in three key
technologies

Alfa Laval’s operations are based on three key technologies – heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. These technologies play a key role in a number of industrial processes and Alfa Laval commands a world-leading position in all three areas.

The energy transition
has started

Heat transfer

Heating and cooling are basic needs for both individuals and most industrial processes. In a large number of industries, heat transfer solutions are essential for heating, cooling, ventilation, evaporation and/or condensation. All of this can be achieved efficiently using a heat exchanger. Therefore, heat transfer products from Alfa Laval are now found in numerous areas – within everything from food production and marine environmental solutions to the creation of a pleasant indoor climate or hot tap water in private households with a heat pump or air-conditioner. Heat exchangers is also a key technology in various new clean energy solutions to drive emission reduction, such as green hydrogen, energy storage and fuel cells.

Efficiency is key

Heat exchangers transfer heat or cold – often from one fluid to another – safely and efficiently, in businesses and homes around the world. Alfa Laval’s main product is the compact plate heat exchanger, which does this in a more energy-efficient way than alternative solutions. The different types of plate heat exchangers – gasketed, brazed and welded – are each designed to not only withstand different pressure and temperature levels but also specified hygiene and safety requirements. With the industry’s broadest product portfolio, Alfa Laval offers efficient solutions that are easy to service and maintain. This reduces costs and lessens the impact on the environment.

Development driven by sustainability

Energy efficiency is today one of the most important ways of reducing global emissions. This can be achieved through innovative heat transfer technologies that reduce energy consumption and by using more efficient solutions in existing processes, such as solutions that capture and reuse waste heat for other purposes. Alfa Laval has solutions in both of these areas, in which industries and societies must now work together to accelerate developments to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. The pace of innovation to find new and clean energy sources is accelerating. This means not only new opportunities for Alfa Laval, but also a responsibility to make sure that we keep up with the technological development to allow for the much needed transition to clean energy solutions in the years to come.

Accelerating sustainable energy supply

Hydrogen has the potential to store energy from renewable sources for up to months at a time, and enable transportation over long distances. Alfa Laval will deliver compact heat exchangers to the world’s largest green hydrogen plant, which is to be constructed in the Middle East. When completed, the facility is expected to produce 650 tons of hydrogen per day, while being powered by renewable energy. Alfa Laval is a leading supplier of heat exchangers to many of the hydrogen manufacturers, which is so important in the race to net zero emissions.

Did you know…

… according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy efficiency is one of the main factors in reaching the Paris agreement. Energy efficiency can deliver more than 40 percent of the carbon emissions savings needed by 2040, with 50 percent of the energy efficiency savings coming from the industrial sector.

… a plate heat exchanger is all about optimizing the use of energy, and it is up to 50 percent more efficient than traditional technology (shell & tube technology).

… every year, the millions of heat exchangers Alfa Laval install, and service, support customers in reducing their heat capacity needs by 100GW. To put this into perspective, the global wind power capacity from newly installed wind turbines was 93GW in 2021.

… energy efficiency together with the access to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, will facilitate the switch from fossil fuels to new energy carriers such as hydrogen and biofuels.

Evolving our origin

Separation

Separation is the technology that represents the origin of the Alfa Laval we see today. The business began in 1883, based solely on separation, and this technology remains a core feature to this day. With precision and a high degree of reliability, liquids, solid particles and gases are separated from one another, which is a requirement in a large and growing number of industry applications.

The benefits of separation

Separation is now a key technology in many industries, such as food, dairy, beverages and pharmaceuticals, as well as in shipyards, shipping, plastics and chemicals, energy and water treatment facilities. There are numerous benefits, including improvements in product quality and guaranteeing the performance of industrial processes, or satisfying strict hygiene and safety requirements. And just as important, the separation process helps boost efficiency, which cuts costs and reduces environmental impact.

Customer need in focus

The needs of our customers’ businesses are the driving force behind our innovative solutions, which are reliable and help increase productivity, sustainability and digitalization. Alfa Laval’s separation products are dominated by a broad offering of high-speed separators and decanter centrifuges. Separators have high rotation speeds, are generally mounted vertically and can separate small particles from liquids and gases. Decanter centrifuges are normally mounted horizontally, operate at lower speeds and are used to separate larger particles from liquids in applications such as mechanical dewatering of sludge in wastewater treatment plants.

Turning waste into value

Spent grain accounts for up 85 percent of the leftovers waste from the brewing process. However, a US start-up company (and wholly owned subsidiary of a global brewing giant) has developed a process for extracting high-quality protein from the grain, using Alfa Laval’s decanter and membrane technologies. The process takes the inedible waste product, which is usually dried and sold as animal feed, and turns it into valuable quality protein that can be incorporated into a variety of foods, such as energy bars, smoothies, plant-based drinks and plant-based protein powder.

Did you know…

… the centrifugal separator (on which Alfa Laval was originally founded in 1883) revolutionized the dairy industry by continuously separating cream from milk.

… the technology was introduced to the marine industry in 1917 to separate oil from water – and today centrifugal separators are used in dozens of industries and in scientific research.

… Alfa Laval’s separation technology can clean wastewater to the extent it can be used as process water or for irrigation purposes.

… used by municipalities, Alfa Laval’s membranes are so effective that they remove particles down to 0.0002 mm in size to prevent harmful microplastics from ending up in our oceans where they cause sever damage to marine life.

… separation technology plays a key role in enabling food producers to get more out of less. This increases yield and turns bi-products into high-quality end-products – or simply turns waste into value.

The importance of
being in control

Fluid handling

The transportation and regulation of fluids in an efficient and safe manner is crucial to many industries. Alfa Laval focuses on fluid handling products, such as pumps and valves for food and pharmaceutical industries with stringent hygiene requirements and on pumping systems for the marine industry and the offshore market.

Efficient and precise control

Fluid handling is about transporting, controlling and regulating fluids and other product flows. Pumps transport the fluids, while valves control the flow by opening, closing and redirecting. Optimized fluid handling increases the yield of a manufacturing or processing operation, satisfies hygiene requirements, improves energy efficiency and reduces the amount of waste. As well as increasing productivity and ensuring quality in a flow process, these systems facilitate filling and sampling, and simplify cleaning and monitoring. As a result, our solutions help to both maximize plant uptime and minimize costs in a customer’s business.

Advanced systems for different needs

The technology is used in a large variety of industries, for example, in the manufacturing and processing of food, beverages and pharmaceuticals, as well as in shipping and in offshore. For hygienic food and water applications, the offering includes various valves for increased control, but also mixers used to mix both high and low-­viscosity fluids, such as milk, wine, juice, yoghurt, desserts and fruit drinks. For the Marine industry, products and solutions include submerged, hydraulic pumping systems for product and chemical tankers and tank cleaning technologies. For the offshore industry, the offering includes pumping systems for collecting sea water for various onboard applications, water injection in drill holes and fire extinguishing, which contribute to safe and efficient operation.

Saving precious seconds

Four and a half seconds: it might not sound like much but for food and beverage producers, it can make a big difference to water and chemical consumption. A typical dairy or brewery houses hundreds of valves and control units, which manage the flow of the beverage itself as well as different cleaning chemicals. Alfa Laval ThinkTops, the leading sensing and control units for hygienic valves, can cut valve cleaning time from five seconds to half a second, which reduces water consumption by up to 90 percent.

Did you know…

… the Alfa Laval ThinkTop control unit (used for instance in dairies) cuts valve cleaning time from five seconds to half a second, while reducing water consumption by up to 90 percent.

… Alfa Laval valves can handle the simultaneous flow of two fluids while keeping them both separate. This creates flow systems in which cleaning and production take place alongside each other.

… one in every six beers drunk in the world comes from a tank that uses Alfa Laval equipment.

… when designing pumps, Alfa Laval uses the Computational Fluid Dynamics method, which accurately predicts flow patterns to ensure high and efficient fluid transfer in the customer’s process.