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.
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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.
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.
Processing high-viscosity products
The Alfa Laval scraped surface heat exchanger is ideal for handling viscous and complex fluids. It ensures consistent temperature control, even for challenging, high-viscosity materials.
Example Applications
Food & Beverage: Ketchup, mayonnaise, hummus, chocolate spreads, peanut butter, and salad dressings.
Protein & Dairy: MDM (mechanically deboned meat), omelets, cream cheese, and baby food.
Cosmetics & Pharma: Lotions, shampoos, mascaras, and toothpaste.
Efficient processing of heat-sensitive products
Many heat-sensitive products tend to foul or degrade under extreme temperatures. The Contherm heat exchanger prevents burn-on, ensures uniform heating/cooling, and maintains product quality.
Example Applications
Dairy & Protein: Cream cheese, whey proteins, liquid and scrambled egg products.
Food Processing: Meat emulsions, fruit purées, and specialty sauces.
Crystallizing products and applications with phase change challenges
Preserving taste, color 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.
Processing products with particulate matter
The Alfa Laval scraped surface heat exchanger is designed to process both particulate and non-particulate products. Its customizable configuration allows for handling of various particle sizes without compromising product integrity.
Example Applications
Food & Dairy: Yogurt with fruit, rice pudding, meat emulsions, jams, and vegetable pieces.
Pet Food & Protein: Chicken pieces, fish meal, and pet food formulations.
Optimized performance for sticky products
Sticky, high-adhesion products can cause processing issues in traditional heat exchangers, leading to clogs, waste, and inefficiencies. The Contherm heat exchanger is specifically designed to handle sticky substances efficiently while maintaining heat transfer performance.
Example Applications
Food & Confectionery: Caramel, processed cheese, lecithin, and starch-based products.
Pharmaceutical & Cosmetic: Gums, gelatine, mascara, and toothpaste.
