Up to 100 percent of the metals in old heat exchangers can be recycled in a new collaboration between Alfa Laval and Stena Recycling. Here, companies in Norway get the opportunity to upgrade their heat exchanger to a more energy-efficient version and at the same time get a refund for the old one, which is then recycled. It is a win-win for both customers, society and the environment.

Expensive electricity in Norway is a problem in fluctuating climate conditions where it can get really cold, yet many old heat exchangers which are not saving as much energy and reducing CO2 emissions as new ones can.

Up to 100 percent of the metals a heat exchanger is made of, such as stainless steel, copper or carbon steel, can be melted down and recycled as ingredients in new products.

The process:

1) Company informs Alfa about their current heat exchanger. Based on brand and model, Alfa calculates a refund.

2) Company upgrades to a new heat exchanger provided by Alfa

3) Company receives sustainability report and refund immediately

4) Company receives info on how and where to return old device for recycling

5) Stena Recycling recycles the old heat exchanger

- With an upgrade of heat exchangers companies can document the improvements in their own CO2 accounts.

- Savings potential with the new exchange program: Alfa Laval's innovative heat exchanger technology will significantly increase the energy efficiency. This means drastically lower power consumption and carbon emissions, along with a significant reduction in long-term operating costs.

- It is therefore a win-win for both customers, society and the environment.

Hence, Peter Borgnaes, Division Manager at Alfa Laval Nordic says, “with reimbursement for old heat exchangers, we give our customers an obvious incentive to upgrade to new and more energy efficient heat exchangers, so that their energy consumption is significantly reduced. The exact saving depends on many factors, but in one example we calculated that replacing a 20- year heat exchanger can lead to total annual energy savings of up to 83,000 kWh”.

Why not improve existing heat exchangers instead of switching it(stretch lifetime)? It is of course critical to extend the life of the equipment. But with the availability of modern, high-efficiency heat exchangers, you get an opportunity to maximize your sustainability potential by saving a lot of energy and reducing CO2 emissions when you replace old models. This is the most sensible choice from both an environmental perspective and an economic point of view.