Vahterus Hot & Cold news 1/2016 English

VAHTERUS NEWS 1/2016

G-Mar Plus will continue close cooperation with Sokolovská Uhelná p. 10

Vahterus won the President of Finland’s Internationalisation Award

”DOORS ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO COMPANIES THAT INNOVATE”

P. 14

VAHTERUS NEWS 1/2016

Dear Partner Publisher Vahterus Oy

Editor in Chief Sari Kesälä

Lay-out Mainostoimisto Tekokuu

Interviews Terhi Raumonen

Press Euraprint

On the cover

Mauri Kontu, Sinikka Kontu, President of Finland Sauli Niinistö and Matti Kontu

Vahterus Oy Pruukintie 7 FI-23600 Kalanti FINLAND Tel.: + 358 2 840 70 sales@vahterus.com

Vahterus Americas, LLC PO Box 77264 Charlotte NC 28271 USA Tel.: +1 704 846 5050 sales.americas@vahterus.com

Vahterus Deutschland GmbH Magnolienweg 26 63741 Aschaffenburg GERMANY Tel.: +49 6021 181 700 webmaster@vahterus.de

Vahterus Heat Exchangers Shanghai Co. Ltd Room 816, Enterprise Square Mei Yuan Road 228, Zha Bei District 200070 Shanghai CHINA Tel.: +86 21 638 00848*113 sales_china@vahterus.com

Vahterus (UK) Ltd 12-14 Derby Road Melbourne Derbyshire DE73 8FE UK Tel.: +44 1332 863175 vahterus.uk@vahterus.com

The spirit of this issue

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n this issue, we present case studies of the experiences our clients have had with our Plate & Shell heat exchangers. With over 25 years in the business and more than 40,000 units shipped all over the world, there are thousands of clients and end users, and probably just as many different end-user applications.

I can honestly say that, for most of our products, we have found the best techno-economic benefits with the help and guidance of our clients. Our theoretical starting point was solely based on a rudimentary understanding of plate heat exchanging theory and applying these principles to water/water use in district heating in heat exchangers and solutions.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our partners for a number of wonderful years working together, which have made our growth possible. I can now safely say that we are the world’s leading PSHE heat exchanger manufacturer both in terms of theoretical knowledge and client solutions.

This position is what we want to hold on with you. We believe that new ideas will spur us on to even stronger growth.

Customer satisfaction survey Thank you for all the feedback you gave us through our customer satisfaction survey. The results of the survey indicate that overall, you still hold us in high regard and that we have made clear improvements in the punctuality and quality of our shipments.

It was also extremely reassuring to hear that you believe that your purchases from us will increase, and that 94% of you would recommend us to your new clients. All in all, the feedback we’ve got is very encouraging! The answers gave us also clear improvement and development ideas, which we will start to work on immediately.

You continue to count on our ability to create innovative solutions, but as an example now you expect more communication between us and more product-specific training for specific applications.

The results of this questionnaire will be used to improve our operations and development projects next year.

In order for us to find new ways to work together better with all of you, we are looking into conducting these surveys every year. We hope that you will continue to answer the questions honestly, as we appreciate your transparent opinions.

Together we can achieve better results.

Year 2016 Our plan for this year is to grow. Our production equipment is ready for a significant increase in production capacity, so we’ll produce more products for your current applications, as well as new ones with new solutions. We’ll tell more about these developments early this year. We aim to further increase the efficiency of our ordering and shipping processes and to look into even more competitive solutions to benefit our customers for years to come.

Memorable prize for our partners and employees Sauli Niinistö, the President of the Republic of Finland, gave Vahterus the President of Finland’s Internationalisation Award in November 2015.

The annual prize is awarded to two companies and one community, and among previous winners was Supercell, and the year before that Rovio. Other former winners include Kone Oy and Nokia.

The award is based on the company’s continuous profitable growth, innovative products and services, and strong drive towards global markets. In the year 2015 the award committee also took the candidates’ commitment to their operating environments into consideration.

The committee first shortlisted 48 companies for further consideration, and in the end two companies and one community were selected as the winners.

There is not a single more prestigious prize a company could get in Finland. I give my sincerest thanks to both the President and the award committee for the recognition given to us. A very special thank you is of course in order for you, our clients, for helping us go global, and to the Vahterus staff.

I couldn’t ask for a better team to work with. Thank you!

Togerher we succeed!

Mauri Kontu CEO

More news and articles can be found at www.vahterus.com 2

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MADE BY VACKAFINNAR

VAHTERUS NEWS 1/2016

SINCE THE MIDDLE AGES SOUTHWEST FINLAND HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT CENTER OF INTERNATIONALITY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY. IN THESE PAGES WE WILL TELL MORE ABOUT PRESENT PHENOMENA, COMPANIES AND INNOVATIONS OF THIS REGION.

Philosopher’s stone to erase poverty and death

A story about the alchemists of Uusikaupunki who wanted to revolutionise the world

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lchemists attempted to turn base metals into gold as early as in the 2nd century in Alexandria and the 3rd century in China. The 8th century Persian polymath Geber, considered by many to be the father of chemistry, is often also credited for coming up with the idea of a ‘philosopher’s stone’ that would be needed in the process.

According to the alchemists’ theories, the philosopher’s stone, also known as Urim, could be used to produce endless amounts of gold. It was also a panacea for all diseases and capable of granting immortality.

The best-known alchemist in Finland was August Nordenskiöld, a nobleman born in Sipoo in Southern Finland in 1754. He studied chemistry and mineralogy at the Royal Academy of Turku and discussed the properties of pewter in his dissertation. Studies in Finland were not enough to quench August’s thirst for knowledge, so he continued his studies abroad where he would soon become enthralled with alchemy.

In London, young August was introduced to the ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg. Swedenborg, who had died a few years prior, was a scientist, mystic, theologian and philosopher whose theories had received a mixed response from his contemporaries. The Lutheran church of Sweden accused him of heresy, but in London he gained a group of enthusiastic followers known as the Congregation of New Jerusalem.

In the spring of 1787, plans to change to world started to brew just 10 kilometres away from Kalanti, when a mysterious nobleman moved to Uusikaupunki. The nobleman, a royal alchemist named August Nordenskiöld, was hard at work in his laboratory attempting to make a philosopher’s stone that he believed would free the world from the sway of money.

Rise to the title of the royal alchemist August Nordenskiöld became a keen Swedenborgian, joining a multitude of people who wanted to solve the mystery that had eluded alchemists for centuries. Finland was at the time a part of Sweden, and Nordenskiöld managed to convince King Gustav III of Sweden that base metals could be transmuted into gold. Gustav III gave his blessing to Nordenskiöld’s goals and allowed him to move to the Drottningholm Palace where he set up his laboratory.

Nordenskiöld’s attempts at making gold failed one after the other. Frustrated, he returned to Finland and took up the post of director of the Finnish mining industry. In 1783–1784, however, he was back in Sweden working once more 4

August Nordenskiöld

on his gold production process – even the recent fate of James Price could not dent his enthusiasm. In 1783, Price had attempted to demonstrate how to transmute mercury into gold to the Royal Society of London. Unfortunately, his attempt failed, and Prince committed suicide by ingesting hydrogen cyanide.

August Nordenskiöld’s goal of producing gold was not to become rich, but rather to free

the world from the sway of money. In his visions, alchemy would devalue gold and save people from the tyranny of wealth.

King Gustav III, on the other hand, had no such lofty ideals; his goal was to use the gold to fund the war he had started against Russia.

Becoming rich was also quite likely the incentive of the Finnish-born Count Munck, the mastermind behind the project and the man who persuaded the King to back Nordenskiöld.

The seeds of gold germinate in Uusikaupunki When Nordenskiöld failed to make any gold in Sweden, he relocated to Uusikaupunki together with his wife Anna Charlotta, their three children and their servants. Nordenskiöld was also followed by his faithful helper Carl Fredrik Bergklint, a young surveyor and a keen Swedenborgian, who in practice was the main person in charge of the transmutation attempts.

Together the men set up an alchemy laboratory in a small house on the Alinenkatu street by the Vallimäki hill. A muffle furnace was built in the lab for gold making. The iron heart of the kiln, or muffle, stood in the furnace on gypsum feet so that air could not enter the chimney without first going through the kiln. Flames licked the kiln from every side, and the muffle only had one small hole, barely the size of a pea, through which the men could peek into the kiln.

Thanks to its small size and remote location, Uusikaupunki was an ideal place for dishonest activities such as gold making. On the other hand, the town was still close enough to the city of Turku and by extension Stockholm, where August Nordenskiöld had to go time and again to sort out his troubled finances. This delayed the onset of his latest gold making project.

Maintaining the large family and servants did not come cheap, and to make matters worse neither Mr Nordenskiöld nor his wife were dutiful bookkeepers; after just a few months in Uusikaupunki, the family found themselves in debt to various collectors.

Nordenskiöld and Bergklint first intended to buy charcoal for heating the kiln from the Männäinen ironworks in Kalanti, but the owner,

maker was forced to eat their meals from borrowed plates and the fire in the kiln died when the men ran out of charcoal.

Gold making in Uusikaupunki came to an end on 7 June 1787.

Samuel af Ugglas, refused to sell charcoal to the two penniless alchemists on credit. In the end, the men were forced to source the fuel for the kiln from the Kauttua ironworks, over 50 kilometres away from Uusikaupunki.

After numerous twists and turns, a fire was finally lit in the gold kiln at 11 am on 11 January 1787, and the men could start their project in earnest. The gold making process began by putting eight ‘gold seeds’ – tiny gold nuggets – into the kiln on a thin clay plate. The nuggets were, naturally, donated by King Gustav III. The seeds were then burnt in the muffle oven day and night. The project was mostly overseen by Bergklint who turned so black from all the soot he started resembling ‘a small demon’.

Gold and immortality remain a dream

The fire fades While his assistant was hard at work by the kiln, August Nordenskiöld concentrated on the theory behind their work. With the help of his clerk, he wrote two handbooks about alchemy in quick succession. “Go, little booklet, to the ends of the world and erase the tyranny of money so that gold, silver and gems are no longer idols and tyrants of the people!” were the words with which Nordenskiöld finished his work.

In his books, Nordenskiöld described the process of alchemy. Gold was supposed to turn into a philosopher’s stone after it had been alternately melted down and annealed in a kiln for a period of 10–15 months. There were two ways to reach this goal; Nordenskiöld chose the shorter one in order to keep the angry debtors off his back.

The first stage lasted seven days, after which the seeds were taken out from the kiln. In this time, a thin, glass-like shell had formed on the nuggets. After this, the seeds were burnt for three weeks. The third stage, unfortunately, did not go as planned, as an incident occurred while Nordenskiöld was looking after the kiln: The unfortunate alchemist heated the kiln too much, causing the delicate layer covering the seeds to split and forcing the men to return to square one.

At the same time, the debtors grew more and more impatient with Nordenskiöld and eventually sued him, forcing Nordenskiöld to try to get another loan. In the meantime, Bergklint travelled to Stockholm to ask Count Munck and King Gustav III for help. Their attempts failed and the noblemen lost all of their possessions, right down to their furniture. The family of the gold

Alchemist statue which is located in Uusikaupunki.

Despite yet another setback, Count Munck and King Gustav III still believed in the skills of Nordenskiöld and Bergklint, and the men were transferred to Stockholm to continue their gold making project under the watchful eye of the Count. The new laboratory was set up in the same facility with a nitric acid manufacturing plant. The project was top secret, so to hide his identity Nordenskiöld had to let his beard grow long and the alchemists were forced to sneak around in disguise.

Despite the men’s best attempts, the philosopher’s stone kept eluding them.

Nordenskiöld grew frustrated with the limited freedom he was allowed, fell out with Count Munck and to top it off, was relieved of his duties.

After leaving the Swedish court, Nordenskiöld lived in Denmark, England and France before ending up working as a mineralogist in Sierra Leone, where he wanted to found a utopian Swedenborgian colony.

In the end, gold and immortality eluded all the characters in this story. Carl Fredrik Bergklint remained in Stockholm and nearly got to make gold when Count Munck tricked him into counterfeiting banknotes. Being an honest man, Bergklint thought he was only following the King’s orders, so when the counterfeiting case was heard in court, he was acquitted. Ever greedy for more gold, Count Munck, on the other hand, was forced to flee the country.

Bergklint worked as the director of the nitric acid manufacturing plant and later as a teacher leading a simple life.

When August Nordenskiöld went abroad, he left his family to live in poverty in the Uusikaupunki region. His wife Anna Charlotta is believed to have passed away in the village of Hallu in Kalanti, a few years after August left the country.

The same year, August Nordenskiöld died in mysterious conditions in Freetown in Sierra Leone – some say he died after being mugged by a group of locals, whereas others say a severe illness claimed him. Today, the muffle furnaces used by the luckless gold maker are on display at the Alikartano museum in Mäntsälä, Finland, and the Nordiska museet in Stockholm.

An alchemy laboratory in a small house on the Alinenkatu street by the Vallimäki hill.

Writer: Terhi Raumonen 5

VAHTERUS NEWS 1/2016

Vahterus&World

FROM AROUND THE GLOBE UK

China

News from the UK 2015 proved to be a challenging year in the UK – we are seeing reasonable levels of enquiries and orders, but there has been a shift in the type of projects.

The North Sea oil & gas sector, which has historically formed a significant part of the UK business, has of course been hit by the continuing low price of oil. As a result, new projects with a realistic prospect of sanction in the short term have been very few and far between. Nevertheless, we have had success with a project that has seen us push the capability of PSHE with 1.5mm titanium plates for seawater cooling – this is currently in production.

The refrigeration market is buoyant and PSHE is very much an accepted solution in this industry – many of our customers are

ming more interested in larger heat pumps, and we have recently been involved in the design of several large heat recovery projects. The hope is that we will be well placed once energy prices increase and make capital investment in these projects more attractive.

The combined unit continues to be well received as a strong innovation, and more clients are now interested in looking at this as an option.

After 14 years in our old office, it was decided that the time was right for a change, so in May 2015 we relocated to new offices in Aspect Business Centre, just outside Nottingham. The new office is part of a business complex and has a much more professional feel, benefiting from a range of meeting rooms and conference facilities.

The new site is located centrally within the UK, and close to major car, train and air transport links, making it ideally placed to service our clients throughout the UK. now purchasing PSHE indirectly as part of complete packages.

However, it seems that the market is beco-

Paul Button, Sales Manager Vahterus UK Ltd.

More than a decade’s presence in the Chinese market Vahterus entered the Chinese market in early 2000, as the country was just beginning its economic boom. We are one of the first western plate heat exchanger manufacturers to have been certified by AQSIQ (the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of P.R.C.) for pressure vessels exporting to Chinese market.

During last decade, Vahterus welded plate and shell heat exchangers have been installed in various demanding processes throughout China. Several major EO (ethylene oxide) plants in Shanghai, Jiangsu and northern China are still running with heavy duty Vahterus heat exchangers. We sincerely thank our customers for choosing Vahterus fully welded plate and shell exchanger for these demanding operating conditions. At that time, it was a brave choice from clients to adopt this relatively new heat exchanger

Several major EO (ethylene oxide) plants in Shanghai, Jiangsu and northern China are still running with heavy duty Vahterus heat exchangers.

technology instead of traditional shell and tube heat exchangers. Ever since then, the

Vahterus 15 years in Germany concentrating mostly in industrial refrigeration and district heating and power generation. Over the years the experience and the team was growing and Vahterus Heat Exchangers were presented for the new industries.

Since 2003 Sven Wohlgemuth is working for Vahterus subsidiary in Aschaffenburg and is now responsible for the Chemical and Process Industry in Germany and Switzerland. Although Vahterus products are already well known by many companies in our region but there is still many new opportunities for Vahterus heat exchanger.

Therefore Vahterus GmbH team is growing, and welcomes its new member Antti Aspfors to making our product more known in Energy and Oil&Gas markets.

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Tracy Hakala, Managing Director Vahterus Heat Exchangers Shanghai Co., Ltd.

Americas

Germany

Beside our biggest celebration 25 years of Vahterus, we also celebrated the 15th anniversary of Vahterus subsidiary company in Germany.

compact yet highly efficient and robust Vahterus heat exchangers have won recognition from more and more clients in China.

It is to our great satisfaction that we have helped our Chinese clients and partners to take advantage of the booming industry and progress in their country.

Over the years, Vahterus has also made investments in the Chinese market: now we have a sales office in Shanghai and a production plant in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province, about 150km northwest from Shanghai. Being a member of our family-owned business, our China team is a close-knit family too. We sincerely hope that the “Vahterus family” continues to grow strongly in the years to come!

Vahterus Deutchland GmbH was founded 2000 in Aschaffenburg. First employees were Daniela Amrhein, Thomas Grün and Hans Petterson. In the beginning the business was

Marko Rantala, Sven Wohlgemuth, Daniela Amrhein and Antti Aspfors Team Vahterus GmbH

Vahterus joining forces with Edelflex S. A As Vahterus look to expand and develop business in Central and South America, we recently signed an agreement to take us deeper into these markets. As part of Vahterus joining forces with Edelflex S.A., working from their corporate base in Buenos Aires, Argentina, an agreement has been signed between Miguel Harutiunian, President and CEO of Edelflex, and Jonathan Pascoe, President of Vahterus Americas.

In the initial stages, Edelflex will act as an exclusive representative for Vahterus in Mexico and Argentina, with a view to expanding into other countries in the foreseeable future.

Founded in 2004, Edelflex S.A. works across all industrial sectors, as a provider of components and systems for fluid-management applications. They aim to use their experience and innovative approach to bring

ideas and smart solutions to clients and industries that require the most advanced technology.

This mentality and working culture is a perfect fit with Vahterus, which is why

both Vahterus and Edelflex foresee a very bright future.

Dr. Jonathan Pascoe, President Vahterus Americas, LLC 7

Vahterus&Us

VAHTERUS NEWS 1/2016

QUALITY THROUGH PEOPLE Foreman Teuvo Kinnula:

Welding operator, shift supervisor Tarja Nummi:

It’s nice to be part of development work

Pride and passion behind top quality

“The best thing about my job is definitely the people I work with”, foreman Teuvo Kinnula says.

Enjoying working with people certainly comes in handy in Teuvo’s line of work, as the duties of a foreman include numerous meetings and negotiations, as well as staying in touch with team members and what are known as internal clients: the design, sales, purchasing, materials, quality and technology departments of Vahterus.

“I get loads of phone calls and enquiries and I don’t mind it one bit. It’s important that information is passed quickly and clearly to all members of the group.”

Plate packs are welded in two shifts, each of which employs over 20 people. “Working with the foreman and shift supervisor of the other shift is easy,” Teuvo says of his colleagues.

“When it comes to functionality, the welded pack of circular plates is the most important component in a heat exchanger.

Together with the shift supervisor I see to it that each shift has the necessary resources for manufacturing the packs, namely designs and people,” Teuvo says, summarising his most important task.

“We hold production meetings three times a week, where we organise a suitable schedule for the different tasks or, in other words, we schedule which plate packs are manufactured when. The goal is to have the packs and shells

finished at the same time at the end of the manufacturing chain. Despite the planning, coordinating the schedules can sometimes be very challenging: “A bad day for me is one when a pack is delayed for some reason or other.”

Hailing from Reisjärvi in Central Ostrobothnia, Teuvo has worked for seven years at Vahterus. Before joining Vahterus, he had a long career at the Uusikaupunki car factory. During his 23 years at the plant, Teuvo was involved in the production of cars such as Saab, Opel Calibra and Porsche.

“As production at the plant started to dwindle after the contract with Porsche expired, I figured that I still had time for another career. I applied to a vacancy at Vahterus and got lucky,” Teuvo says.

He has been living in the village of Kalanti since 1987, practically opposite to the Vahterus facilities. Teuvo enjoys life in the Vakka-Suomi region, which he feels particularly comes to life in the summers.

Vahterus has seen significant growth during Teuvo’s seven years with the company; staf f numbers have increased by 10 0 and the facilities h av e b e e n expanded by

Teuvo Kinnula 8

thousands of square metres. Machinery and equipment are replaced and their numbers are constantly growing.

“It’s interesting to be involved in all these processes and to brainstorm workable and successful solutions with the technology department. I like being having a say in the way we develop things. That’s what I like the most about my job in addition to working with people,” Teuvo Kinnula says.

To Teuvo, continued growth and a drive for success are the cornerstones of a successful company.

“I think that Vahterus is a remarkable success story even from the employees’ point of view, and it feels great to be a part of it,” Teuvo says.

Vahterus is a family-owned company, which to Teuvo is a significant asset: “All the owners and directors work here in the same place with us which makes them easy to approach. There’s no bureaucratic levels between us and them so we can discuss matters directly, and you will always know who to ask in different situations. Everyone here knows each other. The working culture might be quite different if we were a listed company with faceless management,” Teuvo reckons.

Teuvo’s activity tracker wristband never beeps to tell him to exercise more; he gets plenty of that, as he enjoys running and Nordic walking in the beautiful surroundings of Kalanti. His other interests include equestrian sports and reading, in particular crime novels.

“I devour them! There’s always at least one book in progress. My favourites are Swedish and Norwegian detective novels.”

In the summers, an important part of Teuvo’s summer house in his birthplace in Ostrobothnia accounts for a lot of his free time.

“What I like about Vahterus is that you can ask absolutely anyone for help. Someone will always help you even if they’re not exactly an expert in the area. At Vahterus, problem solving is a joint effort,” welding operator Tarja Nummi says. “For me it means a lot.”

Help and support from colleagues played a big part when Tarja came to Vahterus 11 years ago. After taking care of children at home, Tarja had worked at a plant manufacturing car upholstery components and at a glass factory. Joining Vahterus meant that she had to learn the skills necessary for a totally new job.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the supportive atmosphere at Vahterus. Now, I’d be delighted to see my colleagues turn to me with their questions!”

Welding operators are responsible for the production of plate packs, which are at the heart of heat exchangers.

“We follow the parts list and put the required plates into the machine. The robot takes care of the welding while we keep an eye on the process. We inspect the quality of the welding and fix it where necessary,” Tarja explains.

In addition to working as a welding operator, Tarja has also worked as a shift supervisor f o r ro u g h l y nine years.

“At the beginning of each shift we get together and share out the tasks. We talk with

the foreman and discuss what needs to get done and if something is urgent.”

Tarja enjoys her role as a shif t manager as it brings variety to her days.

“I don’t mind having to pause what I’m doing to go help out with a problem situation. For example, if there’s something unclear in the designs we’re using, I’ll contact the design department. If we run out of components I’ll order more from the warehouse, and if something is broken I’ll ask the maintenance people to come over.”

Plate packs are manufactured in two shifts at Vahterus.

“My children have grown up so shift work goes well with my current lifestyle. Having free time in the mornings allows me to run all sorts of errands,” Tarja says.

Tarja grew up in Uusikaupunki and now lives in Kalanti.

In her spare time she enjoys exercising, and divides her free time between walking, cycling and looking after her two adorable grandchildren.

“I live close to my grand-

children so I get to spend a lot of time with them,” Tarja says warmly.

“We just enjoy each other’s company and play games. For me it’s very rewarding.

Children say the funniest things, which stay with me for a long time.”

The 2- and 6-year-old boys have visited granny’s workplace during an open day at Vahterus. The elder grandson found it interesting that his granny gets to work with robots.

“It feels great to be a part of a team that manufactures the leading products in the industry.

I’m proud of what I do. Vahterus products are hugely popular, now and in the future.”

The success enjoyed by Vahterus and the drive for development not only feel good, they also bring a sense of continuity and help employees feel secure during these economically unstable times.

For Tarja, the success of Vahterus motivates her to always do her best.

“I want to make durable, quality products that our customers can count on.

This is what I tell new employees too so that they see that, even though welding a plate pack is just another task in the production chain, it is still a vital task. A poorly made pack ruins the entire heat exchanger, making all the hard work put into it count for nothing.

Tarja Nummi 9

Vahterus&CaseStory

VAHTERUS NEWS 1/2016

From a simple utility service to critical process applications

G-Mar Sokolov

SASOL TIMELINE

Sokolovská Uhelná is one of the largest producers of electricity from brown coal in the Czech Republic. It has a total annual capacity of around 3 500 GWh, which it transmits to the town of Karlovy Vary and other smaller towns in the region. Sokolovská Uhelná is also a coal mining company, producing thermal coal and chemical products derived from brown coal. The company mines about 6.5 million tons of brown coal each year.

O

ur relationship with Sokolovská Uhelná has been built through Vahterus distributor G-Mar Plus and its chemical specialist David Váňa, who has been working there since 2001. G-Mar Plus has been the official distributor for Vahterus Plate & Shell heat exchangers (PSHE) in the Czech Republic and Slovakia for over 10 years, and they have been in contact with Sokolovská Uhelná’s operations engineer Emil Holub throughout this time.

PSHE was first introduced to Sokolovská Uhelná at the International Engineering Fair in 2002 in Brno, Czech Republic. Even at first glance, it was clear that this was the product that Sokolovská Uhelná needed, combining the good points of traditional plate heat exchangers on the one hand, and shell and tube heat exchangers on the other. “Right from the start, PSHE seemed to be a great solution,” says Holub Before PSHE was installed, the client

The first unit was ordered soon after the Brno exhibition, at the end of 2002. The heat exchanger worked flawlessly and, during the following maintenance shut down in 2004, another identical unit was installed to replace a second old shell and tube heat exchanger.

used shell and tube heat exchangers.

The units were in poor condition and the high cost for maintenance and certification of the unit forced Sokolovská Uhelná to find alternatives. The compact size of the new equipment was one of the key advantages: the old shell and tube heat exchangers were four times bigger than PSHE. Another key factor was that PSHE can be used in high temperatures.

Holub has also noticed a further major advantage of PSHE: maintenance-free operation. There has been no need for maintenance or cleaning, and both units have been working non-stop since they were installed (in 2002 and 2004). Once every two years, the whole system is shut down for two weeks. Holub comments “When David asks about how well the PSHE are working, my answer is always the same – I’m happy to say that I don’t know anything about them because I have been able to forget them completely!”

The first unit was ordered soon after

the Brno exhibition, at the end of 2002.

The heat exchanger worked flawlessly and, during the following maintenance shut down in 2004, another identical unit was installed to replace a second old shell and tube heat exchanger.

The PSHE units use 2-bar steam to heat about 350,000 kg/h of demineralised water from 60–120°C. Both PSHE units are part of the system for supplying heat to Karlovy Vary and the surrounding towns and villages.

One of the key factors in the project was a successful relationship between the parties, which has continued even after these deliveri es. “We are very satisfied with the 10 other PSHE that we have, mainly in steam and water applications,” declares Holub. Sokolovská Uhelná works with aggressive chemicals, and they were happy to hear that PSHE can be used for this kind of task as well. They have two heat exchangers in special applications with Hastelloy (C276) plates. The 1200 kW heat exchanger is used in the pressure gasification of coal for cooling of a chemical mixture of ammonia water and organic compounds. The units have been working well and have been in continuous operation since 2003.

G-Mar Plus will be continuing close cooperation with Sokolovská Uhelná over the coming years as well. “We are happy to have Sokolovská Uhelná as one of our key clients, and we are currently working on some PSHE projects with them,” says David Váňa.

Writer: David Váňa, G-Mar Plus

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P

etrochemical companies tend to be wary of adopting unfamiliar technologies, and Sasol is no exception. At the turn of the century, an urgent process problem called for the installation of an additional fractionation column to remove heavy hydrocarbons from a process stream. The urgency of implementation, and the lack of plot space, meant that some extraordinary measures had to be applied, and so the normal route of a column with an overhead condenser, reflux drum and reflux pumps could not be accommodated. Instead, the column was fitted with an internal overhead condenser and reflux drum with gravity reflux.

The plate-type internal condenser could not tolerate the normal cooling water available on the Sasol site, meaning that a tempered water system had to be applied, with the tempered water cooled by cooling water. A shell and tube exchanger was considered for the tempered water/cooling water duty but rejected because of the temperature approach, cost and time frame.

The proposal to use plate and shell exchangers for the tempered water to cooling water duty was very attractive and was implemented. There was some uncertainty regarding the reliability of the plate and shell exchangers for use in cooling water service, and so a fully redundant spare was installed. The two exchangers installed were type PSHE 5HH-390/1/1.

Sasol´s positive experience with this first application of plate and shell exchangers in a utility service improved confidence in the technology and led to other applications.

The next steps were taken in the Detergent Alcohols

project. Here the constraints regarding available plot space, capital and the schedule necessitated a similar approach to the one outlined above. In one application, which illustrated the advantages of plate and shell technology, the process licensor needed a heat exchanger to cool the aldehyde reactor effluent stream with tempered water. While they had allowed for a shell and tube heat exchanger with dimensions of 7m long by φ2,5m, Vahterus was able to do the job with a PSHE a fraction of the size, measuring just 1,087m long by φ0,61m. The heat exchanger model was PSHE 5HH-204/1/1. It has been in operation for over 12 years without any need for maintenance.

Another significant process/process application is in the ethylene plant where cracked gas, with a hydrogen partial pressure of 900kPa, is cooled by liquid propylene in a thermosyphon arrangement. Again, site constraints prevented other more conventional approaches to solve the problem. Vahterus was tasked with the design and manufacture of the complete package. This consisted of a thermosyphon drum (φ1120mm with a tangent length of 2000mm) and the plate and shell exchanger (shell φ860mm with an overall length of 1775mm designated as PSHE 7LL-450/1/1).

Over a period of some 15 years, the applications Sasol has entrusted to Vahterus have progressed from a simple utility service to critical process applications. Vahterus has stepped up every time and Sasol now has scores of Vahterus exchangers installed.

Writer: Laurie Leviton, Siricon Engineering Consultants 11

VAHTERUS NEWS 1/2016

Vahterus&CaseStory

Vahterus making refrigeration industry history

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hen the Vahterus Plate & Shell® heat exchangers (PSHE) entered the market in the early 1990s, the refrigeration industry was in the process of slowly taking a new direction.

Previously considered rather conservative by some, the industry started seeing an increasing demand for components compatible with natural refrigerants. The promotion of the use of natural refrigerants was spurred by the need to phase out ozone-depleting freons, which cause climate change.

In the late 1990s, Vahterus was accepted into the C-Dig development group, joining many multinational enterprises in looking for solutions for utilising CO, among other goals. Information produced in the project was freely distributed for refrigeration businesses to use. One of the key goals on the project was to put a stop to the use of the R22 refrigerant, which is very harmful to the ozone layer.

The use of natural refrigerants, such as ammonia and carbon dioxide, created a need for products that can handle higher levels of pressure. Leakproofing was also an important factor to consider, as ammonia and carbon dioxide are hazardous compounds. Due to their safety and ability to tolerate high pressures, Vahterus heat exchangers were perfect for natural refrigerants. Working with the client, Vahterus was able to meet the demand with products that could be used under even higher pressures than before.

“In R&D, the starting point should always be the client’s future needs. It’s not enough for the client to just be happy with the solutions available at the time, and for this reason we have to keep our eyes open for signs of changes in the market and take them seriously. Vahterus was in the right place at the right time when its clients started to need more and more products that could be used under conditions suited to PSHE heat exchangers,” says John Wijbenga, who has worked with Vahterus for over 20 years.

Vahterus heat exchangers are well suited to demanding conditions. In the early 2000s, energy efficiency and heat recovery created 12

Switzerland

From ammonia to CO2

NH/CO cascades are popular solutions

Mr. Hideyo Asano, Mayekawa Mtg Co., Ltd and Mr. Akira Shibata, Inscope Japan Co., Ltd.

fresh demand for heat pump applications.

These applications require high pressures (40 or 60 bar), so manufacturers began to develop new components to meet the increased demand. Thanks to suitable components becoming more widely available, the sales of heat pumps have been on the rise for the past decade or so.

The early 2000s also marked the start of the work to develop the Combined product both within Vahterus and at external laboratories, which sped up the R&D process. In the Combined model, the evaporator and droplet separator are mounted on the same shell. This structure allows for the unit requiring droplet separation to be compact, while also decreasing refrigerant consumption. For this reason, the Combined model is an ideal choice for fluid power unit manufacturers.

Later on, the Combined model was used as a basis for the Vahterus PSHE & VES, the external droplet separator.

Denmark

Japan

PSHE in a cold store Joint R&D efforts by Vahterus and one of their clients have resulted in over 200 PSHE heat exchangers being supplied to numerous cold store applications over a period of more than 10 years.

The Vahterus NH/CO heat exchangers have reduced the volume of the units by approximately 20% and their ammonia loads by 75%. The compressor unit developed by the client and equipped with a PSHE heat exchanger has been met with a very positive response in the market, and the demand for these units is still rising. Most of all, clients appreciate the unit’s low leak risk and the ease of preventive maintenance.

in applications such as ice rink cooling plants. A few years ago in Bern, Switzerland, the owners of a local ice rink complex decided to upgrade the old pump-fed ammonia cooling system to partly run on carbon dioxide. The cooling plant utilises one PSHE9 cascade installed between two circuits. The upgrade was made with Vahterus heat exchangers, bringing the total number of these in the complex to 20. Their key benefit compared to the previous units was their compact size, while the new system also decreased the volume of ammonia used in the plant from 7000 kg to 500 kg.

Switzerland

Green heat

In the early 2000s, Vahterus heat exchangers were installed in the heat pump unit of a busy hotel. The hotel wanted the system to be as green as possible, so the only refrigerant chosen for the system was ammonia, while the system’s heat source was water pumped from a nearby lake.

The key component in a heat pump unit A heat pump solution developed by a Vahterus client has been considered an important factor in meeting the energy saving requirements of industry end users. The pump uses only ammonia as a refrigerant and employs the same heat recovery features that refrigeration unites use. The equipment developed by the client achieves high efficiency, and the heat generated by the condenser can be harnessed to heat water even up to 90 degrees. The heat pump is designed to be used in applications such as processing the waste heat generated in industrial applications, and heating systems based on natural heat sources. The client uses Vahterus heat exchangers in the machinery for subcooling, condensing, superheat removal and oil cooling.

Writer: Elina Seikola, Senior Designer, Vahterus Oy

World’s largest temporary power generation company

aggreko A

ggreko plc is the world’s largest temporary power generation company, and a major supplier of temperature control equipment. It is headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. Aggreko provides power generation and temperature control solutions to customers who need them either very quickly, or for a short length of time.

With increasing ambient temperatures during the summer, the process operation conditions are changing for many industries. The first effects of the high ambient temperatures are seen mainly in the cooling water systems and feed/product tanks, which can affect the production rates significantly.

One of the refineries in Europe is cooling one of the hydrocarbon rundown stream with first feed effluent heat exchanger and after with a water cooled heat exchanger. To remain in safe operating conditions during the hot seasons and not reduce the production capacities, the refiner contacted Aggreko’s Process Services Department (APS) to design and implement a temporary cooling solution system.

Aggreko commissioned in one week a temporary cooling system using heat exchangers, chillers and control system to maintain the required product temperatures. The temperature bottleneck of the production was solved and the refiner could continue their operations with the same operating conditions like in winter. Heat transfer engineering was realised in partnership with KAPP Nederland B.V, official representative of Vahterus in Benelux countries.

On projects with place constrains and/or demanding process conditions, APS-Europe can take the advantage of PSHE type Vahterus heat exchangers when implementing heating/cooling solutions. Aggreko has an experience of using Vahterus Plate & Shell heat exchangers in their solutions for more than ten years.

Writer: Fuat Ayar, Process Design Engineer, Aggreko 13

Vahterus

Vahterus News & Events The office of the President of the Republic of Finland

The Internationalisation Award given by the President of Finland is a prize awarded to globally successful Finnish companies and organisations and their employees. Vahterus is proud to announce that it was chosen as one of the three award winners in 2015

Vahterus won the President of Finland’s Internationalisation Award

Doors are always open to companies that innovate

V

ahterus representatives accepted the prize from Sauli Niinistö, the President of Finland, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki in November 2015. Other victorious companies were the startup event coordinator Slush, and Serres, a medical devices manufacturer.

The President gave a speech in honour of the winners, in which he mentioned the sorry state of Finland’s economy.

“What you do, of course, tells a completely different story. It shows that doors are always open to companies that innovate,” stated the President.

The President awards the prize based on the shortlist proposed by the board of directors of Team Finland, a network helping Finnish companies go global.

“The success of the winners is based on top-tier know-how, the ability to seize chances in the changing markets, and their willingness to take risks. The key thing that all of these companies have in common, however, is their hunger for growth and success,” said Jorma Korhonen, Chairman of the board of directors of Team Finland and member of the Prime Minister’s Office.

In the footsteps of Nokia and Supercell The award is based on the company’s success in foreign markets, profitable growth, development of Finnish know-how and sustainable operations. Previous award winners include mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, game developers Supercell and Rovio, and power source manufacturer Wärtsilä.

Slush, one of last year’s award winners, has developed into one of the leading and best-known startup events in Europe in just a few years. Since 2008, the event has gathered an impressive group of startups, international investors and public organisations to Helsinki every November. Last year Slush expanded its operations to Asia and, according to Mäkelä, Slush Tokyo was a real success in the spring. Slush China, organised in Beijing in October, also sold out.

Hospital technology company Serres, on the other hand, has grown to 14

VAHTERUS NEWS 1/2016

become the second largest company worldwide within its sector while maintaining its profits. The company specialises in suction systems used in operation theatres, combining cost-effectiveness, patient safety and high standards of hygiene. What’s more, the company is also the leading floor drain systems manufacturer in the Nordic countries.

“The success of all of Finland depends more and more on the ability of SMEs to grow internationally and create new jobs. Finland’s exports still rely heavily on 20 large Finnish companies, and for this reason we strongly support the international growth of promising SMEs. The majority of future jobs will be created in these companies,” explains Markus Suomi, the CEO of Finpro.

Finpro is a government-funded organisation founded by Finnish companies, with the aim of helping Finnish SMEs go global.

“We are all very proud of this award.”

Vahterus CEO Mauri Kontu says that, for the entrepreneurs and the companies, the Internationalisation Award is extremely important.

“This award makes me humble and grateful. A big ‘thank you’ is in order for our staff, clients and family members. For me, the help and support of my family has been very important,” says Mauri.

The feelings of the Vahterus employees were relayed by Tuula MäkiArvela, the Chief Union Representative, who believes that a company actively seeking to grow and develop is a secure employer.

“Today, the reliability of an employer is hugely important.” It not only motivates employees to commit to their job, but in this case we were also recognised for our perseverance and tenacity, and we are all very proud of this achievement,” says Tuula.

Vahterus CEO Kontu emphasised the importance of the employees in the continuous development of Vahterus.

“Technologically, our heat exchangers are the market leaders, but holding onto our lead requires hard work. All of our 230 employees are very much involved in the development of our products and production systems, and this is what our success relies on,” says Mauri, thanking his employees.

20 years: Rami Anttila, Production Manager, Mauri Kontu, Managing Director, Olli Sainala, Welder, Heikki Siloranta, Welder. 10 years: Lasse AlaPietilä, Automatic line operator, Daniela Amrhein, Prokurist, Sales, Phil Chesters, Technical Manager, Jan Haapala, Plate maker, Toni Heinonen, Welder, Risto Hirvanen, Machinist, Kaisa Häyrinen, Warehouse worker, Sari Kesälä, Marketing Manager, Juha Kuusinen, Welder, Mikko Lehtola, Principal Designer, Katja Lind, Welding Operator, Tarja Nummi, Welding Operator, Jouni Määttä, Welding Operator, Birgitta Pahikka-Aho, Quality control operator, Jonathan Pascoe, President, Hanna Pellilä, Welding Operator, Sari Ritvonen, Key Account Manager, Yrjö Roininen, Metal worker, Juha Taiminen, Designer, Kalevi Tyni, Mechanic, Jonne Uotila, Welder, Veijo Virtanen, Welder, Sven Wohlgemuth, Key Account Manager, Risto Ylitalo, Automatic line operator.

Vahterus staff gather to celebrate a significant milestone The staff of Vahterus gathered at the Kalanti sports centre on 5th September 2015 to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary. The merry partygoers spent the evening dancing and enjoying good music and good food.

All the Vahterus staff members and their partners were invited to the party, and they were joined by their colleagues from subsidiaries as far afield as the USA and China.

Among the attendees was Timo Ritakallio, the CEO of Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company, who gave a speech congratulating Vahterus. Timo played a key role in the early history of Vahterus as he was the CEO of the Uusikaupunki region OP banking group when Vahterus was getting started. The company’s products and hunger for growth made an impression on the young bank manager, who granted funding for it.

“Vahterus is company led with Finnish integrity”, said Ritakallio in his speech.

In the ceremonies, long-term employees of

Vahterus were presented with medals. A total of 28 staff members were recognised for their service to the company: four for being with the company for 20 years, and the rest for having worked at Vahterus for 10 years.

Vahterus CEO Mauri Kontu was decorated for 20 years’ service, also receiving the golden cross from The Federation of Finnish Enterprises.

Marketing manager Sari Kesälä took to the stage to give a speech on behalf of all those who had won awards.

“Even though I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the significant growth we’ve experienced each year, what’s been even more enjoyable has been witnessing how the company takes care of the Vahterus family even during hard times. The success of the company and the well-being of the employees all stem from a mutual goal. By joining our forces and working hard towards the targets we’ve set, we can achieve things that none of us could achieve on their own”, Sari concluded.

15

Vahterus Oy designs and manufactures fully welded Plate&Shell Heat Exchangers in Kalanti, Southwest Finland.

Over 90% of the production is exported all over the world, mainly to energy technology, process and chemical industry and refrigeration industry.

Vahterus’ turnover is 40 million euros and the number of personnel is 230.

Subsidiaries Vahterus LLC, America Vahterus GmbH Vahterus Heat Exchangers Shanghai Co., Ltd Vahterus UK Ltd www.vahterus.com