GEA PHE Systems is exhibiting plate heat exchanger models to reduce NOx and SOx emissions at the SMM

At this year's SMM in Hamburg the emphasis is very much on environmental protection and sustainability. The topic is predicated by the international provisions of the IMO to reduce pollutant emissions from shipping in stages by 80% by the year 2016. In Hall 3/Stand 240 at this leading trade fair (7th – 10th September) GEA PHE Systems is exhibiting innovative plate heat exchangers designed to provide sustainable reductions in NOx and SOx emissions. For example, the NT Series for efficient cooling of light fuel oils for residue-free combustion and also the GEAShell as both heater and cooler in LNG operation. With these developments the international technology leader in plate heat exchanger construction is opening up new perspectives for shipping.

Even in the first stage stricter environmental provisions have applied since July 2010 for the pollutant emission of sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides in the high-traffic emission control areas, where sulphur content has to be reduced to 1.5 %. New limit values for the fuels were stipulated as binding, meaning that international shipping had been forced since then to increasingly use light fuel oil instead of heavy oil. The light fuel oils require a minimum viscosity in compliance with the recommendations of the engine manufacturers.

With the NT Series GEA PHE Systems is offering a flexibly scalable and space-saving system for the required cooling of light fuel oil. Due to the targeted cooling the light fuel oil has a viscosity below the level of 3cST recommended by leading engine manufacturers and reduces combustion residues. And this helps to reduce emission levels even further. The PHE cooler is installed externally so that no changes are necessary to the engine itself, making retrofitting easy.

The NT Series has been specially developed to meet the conditions prevailing at sea. The gasketed plate heat exchangers are convincing with their efficient OptiWave plate design: The heat transfer surface area was kept smaller with a simultaneous increase in performance and the investment and maintenance costs for the customer reduced. These compact units are simple to install and handle and are fitted with innovative EcoLoc gasket technology. Thanks to the PosLoc system the plates fit perfectly to one another so that the plate pack is stable and perfectly aligned in every situation and the gaskets remain functioning for longer.

The NT range of coolers is available in various nominal connection diameters and pressure ratings, can be designed for use with seawater or freshwater and also fitted optionally with thermostats, valves and pressure gauges.

In order to be in a position even today to meet the long-term demands of IMO to reduce the sulphur content from the current level of 4.5% to 0.5 % in steps by the year 2020, and to be on the safe side, LNG is becoming of increasing importance as a fuel. The first steps were made by the large LNG tankers that are used to transport the liquefied gas over the oceans and where, so to speak, they have their own fuel supply already on board.

Gas for combustion in ship's engines has to be firstly heated up on board. With the fully-welded GEAShell GEA PHE Systems is offering a high-performance plate heat exchanger that is a reliable gas re-condenser for use both as heater and as cooler, offering even today the future for the next  engine generation. As gas combusts more or less without pollutants and therefore releases no emissions, the trend in view of the more restrictive environmental regulations is moving towards engines fitted with re-condensers.

GEA PHE Systems is exhibiting at the SMM 2010 at a common stand together with GEA Westfalia Separator, GEA Grenco, GEA Maschinenkühltechnik and GEA Bloksma as system partners for the marine industry.

Cooly thought-out - GEA Refrigeration Technologies and GEA Heat Exchangers at Chillventa 2010 in Nuremberg - 13 to 15 October 2010, Hall 4, Stand 4-318

Bochum, Germany, 24. August 2010 – At the Chillventa trade fair in October, GEA Refrigeration Technologies and GEA Heat Exchangers, both Segments of GEA Group, will show technical innovations for cooling, climate control, and heat exchange – well as the ways that synergism develops in the Group.

GEA Refrigeration Technologies specializes in industrial refrigeration systems for the food and beverage industry, maritime applications, the oil and gas industries, building services, and leisure facilities. Thanks to their increasing use of natural refrigerants such as NH₃ and CO₂, as well as enhanced energy efficiency, these systems contribute to greater climate protection in industrial processes.

One example is the ACR Compressor from GEA Grasso (see illustration), with up to 130 bar of operating pressure for transcritical CO₂ systems. This product opens new possibilities for refrigeration technology and for heat pumps, and has already proven satisfactory in practice. This new compressor is employed in the HHS 1000 heat pump from the thermea company – a solution that, on the basis of its energy efficiency, received the 2009 Refrigeration Prize of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment.

One example for maximum efficiency with a minimum of operating expense is provided by the reciprocating compressors in the V Range. These compressors were optimized for low life-cycle costs:  made possible by lowered energy consumption and halving of oil usage with respect to predecessor models, as well as by optimization of maintenance intervals and cost with the aid of their Maintenance Monitor. Because of the great demand for models V700 and V1100, the V Range is being expanded by adding two further models with greater compression duty. These models, the V1400 and V1800, will be available beginning in 2011. Planning is also for rounding off the GEA Grasso V Range toward lower duty levels. In addition, preparations are being made to place dual-stage models on the market within the coming years.

With its latest range of AWP Safety Valves (see illustration), GEA contributes to the trend toward environmentally benign refrigerants. These valves offer response pressures of up to 63 bar, compared to a maximum of 28 bar for their predecessor range. As a result, these new valve fittings are optimally suited for CO₂ refrigeration systems, since compressors with the natural refrigerant CO₂ operate at pressures substantially greater than with compressors using conventional refrigerants. With respect to selection of materials and effectiveness of seal, GEA developers have also taken into account the medium CO₂ in order to achieve greater efficiency and long service life. The new valve fittings are available in the version AWP SVA as backpressure-dependent valves, and as version AWP SVU as backpressure-independent models.

The GEA Heat Exchangers Segment will show selected product models to demonstrate how environmental friendliness can go hand in hand with an increased process profitability.

In accordance with trends in its sister Segment, GEA Heat Exchangers offers new brazed plate heat exchangers. Produced by GEA PHE Systems the GML Range (see illustration) is designed for high pressure applications and therefore suitable for CO₂ refrigeration systems.

The GEA Goedhart heat-exchanger solutions are directed to other applications. The AU Range (see illustration) was developed for slaughterhouses. These coolers are designed to be suspended from ceiling rails, and their cooling stream of air is directly guided to the product hanging below. This assures great cooling effects with low energy consumption and contributes to meat production with a minimum of pathogens.

For application in fruit storage facilities, GEA has developed slender Goedhart Air Coolers. They offer optimal air circulation at low temperature differences, and act against dehydrating effects in fruit and the rooms in which it is stored. Electronically commutated motors assure power-economical operation.

In the area of climate control of computer centers, GE offers with its Denco Range solutions for the particular requirements in this field. Denco systems ensure constant temperatures and humidity in climate-controlled rooms:  e.g., in IT facilities. In the new Denco models being presented at Chillventa, developers have minimized internal pressure drop on the water and air sides. The result is reduction of fan energy consumption by approximately 50 %. When employed in high-performance service environments, the combination of climate-control facilities with an automatic pressure-controlled system provides exact regulation and optimization of the pressure prevailing under raised floors. This solution enables further reduction of power consumption and effectively prevents the dreaded hot spots in a server suite.

Heat exchangers are used in many areas of a sugar factory, from the raw-juice through to sugar drying and from flume water to the oil cooler. Plate heat exchangers (PHE) are used in most cases nowadays.

1.  Shell-and-tube, spiral-, or plate heat exchangers for unfiltered media.

Up to 20 years ago the sugar industry used almost exclusively shell-and-tube type heat exchangers that were good for heating with vapours, but less suited for heating with condensate or falling water. Spiral heat exchangers were therefore more suited due to the precise counterflow. The plate heat exchangers (PHEs, Fig. 1) used in the first applications in the sugar industry were the classic version with very narrow gaps between the plates and with many supporting points. The later generation of PHEs, the so-called free flow heat exchangers, have wider gaps between the plates and are therefore less susceptible to scaling and deposits (Fig. 2). In 1984 the first large-size Free Flow plate heat exchanger, the FA 184, was developed by GEA Ecoflex for the sugar industry, and in 1992 the well established FA 192 model followed that was finished just in time for the new sugar factories in Könnern, Zeitz and Klein Wanzleben.

The main advantage of PHEs was that plates with different design features (e.g. corrugations) were developed so that with the relevant experience the suitable plate can be selected for just about every heating and evaporation process. Optimum plate profiling and plate gaps tailored to suit the specific application and the correct design resulted in the highest heat transfer coefficients (K-values) with plate heat exchangers and plate evaporators and therefore in the smallest specific heating areas with resulting reduction in investment costs. This is also due to the compact design with low operating weight, i.e. lower installation costs and lower juice volume.

Thanks to the compact design with small external surfaces made up only of the frame plate and the gaskets, there is generally no need for any thermal insulation. The low juice volume is also of advantage in emptying and chemical cleaning of the unit, as only a correspondingly smaller amount of flushing and cleaning solution is needed. Furthermore heating surfaces of the PHEs can be increased easily by installing a greater number of plates, so that changes can be made to suit just about any operating conditions.

Heat exchangers K-values also depend on flow velocity, turbulence and self-cleaning effect. Increasing K-values also naturally cause increasing pressure drop. This is why it is of great advantage that the PHE can be adapted to suit the changed conditions not only in respect of the heating surface but also with regard to pressure drop and K-value. All other heat exchanger types are less flexible and allow optimum design for only one specific application and flow rate.

Elements of a GEA PHE Systems plate heat exchanger: (Fig.1)

1. Support beam
2. Guiding bar
3. Loose plate
4. Tightening bolt
5. Carrying beam
6. Heat exchanger plates
7. Fixed plate

When heating using vapours from evaporation crystallization however, Free Flow heat exchangers with their maximum steam connection of DN 350 reach their limits. Factories with a high daily capacity, where you don’t want to have two or more free flow heat exchangers installed in parallel, they need a specially designed shell-and-tube heat exchanger for raw juice. But this type is however very large and very expensive. The heat exchanger heated with the vapours from evaporation crystallization for heating the raw juice also has the disadvantage that it is installed at the height level of the evaporation crystallization and the raw juice has to be pumped to that level. The length of the juice line is also unfavourable from a microbiological viewpoint especially with its low temperature level. This is why for raw juice heating the heat exchanger is heated using falling water instead of the vapours from evaporation crystallization and this has proved to be a good solution as there is then no need to pump the raw juice up to a heat exchanger at the height level of the vacuum pans. The falling water temperature can be increased using spray nozzles or with a two-stage condenser. Either two condensers arranged in series (Fig. 4) or a vertically arranged condenser tower can be used for this.

Like raw juice, or juices and waste liquids containing solids cannot be heated up in the classic PHE version, but Free Flow heat exchangers have to be used as the solids block up the more effective narrower plate gaps more or less quickly. This also applies to filtrate or thin juice 1 after the 1^st filtration stage: Firstly this juice is mostly not as clearly filtrated as the thin juice before the evaporation plant. Secondly the formation of deposits is often quite considerable especially in this PHE. However free flow heat exchangers are considerably more expensive than the PHEs described above due to their greater plate thickness and the lower K-value caused by the wider free flow gap. This is what makes the decision with thin juice 1 particularly difficult – depending on the quality of the 1^st filtration stage and the deposit thickness – whether you should install a free flow heat exchanger or a classic plate heat exchanger with a second stand-by heat exchanger (for cleaning).

(Fig.2 + Fig 3.)

2.  The NT series for clear filtrated media (Fig. 4)

The thin juice before the evaporation plant is clearly filtrated and should not contain any rust or other solids. So the NT series of GEA PHE Systems are the right solution for its heating. The heating medium can be either normal vapours or calandria vapours. When using calandria vapours the evaporation units are best degassed and the heat of the degassing vapours is best used exergetically step-by-step. On the other hand the condensation temperature of the calandria vapours is somewhat lower so that the temperature difference between juice and vapours is around 2 K lower. Therefore the realistic and economic difference is not 1–2 K, but 3–4 K. The same applies for the heat exchanger where the heat from all degassed vapours is utilised in one unit. However in this case the condensation temperature of the mixture corresponds to that of the coldest vapour.

If the water evaporation rate in the evaporation unit is not adequate, or the waste steam pressure is too high, then the obvious choice is a low temperature difference in the heat exchangers and a waste-steam-heated thin-juice heat exchanger as the most cost-favourable option to improve the evaporation performance. This waste-steam-heated heat exchanger can also be used as a pre-evaporation unit to improve downstream evaporator performance and therefore increase the corresponding vapour temperature. To extend the life time of the gaskets in the turbine exhaust steam heated thin-juice heater the turbine exhaust steam should always be used as vapours from the 1^st calandria . This is the only way to ensure that the steam is no longer overheated and the 1^st effect is degassed in an optimum way.

"Normal" PHEs are generally used In the sugar house with the exception of the heat exchangers for remelt, because the run-offs have already passed through the centrifugal screen. However, crystals and other solids caused by overfilling the centrifuge or by "bottom run-offs" or so-called "sweepings" in the run-off can therefore reach the heat exchanger. In this case to be on the safe side you should always use a free flow heat exchanger (e.g. with a 5 mm free flow gap). This type has also proved its value as a heat exchanger for remelt and to improve the performance of the sugar melting station as a circulation heater. If there is no guarantee that the fine crystals have all been dissolved in the run-off, then two heat exchangers are used for run-off, with the second heat exchanger heating up the run-off using vapours to around 90° C, and the first heat exchanger setting the desired temperature using run-off against run-off.

3.  Cleaning the GEA PHE Systems heat exchangers

It is still often the case, especially with Free Flow heat exchangers, that these are opened up and cleaned using high-pressure cleaners, although there are experienced companies that can examine the deposits and recommend relevant cleaning chemicals. It is often sufficient to add a small amount of Kebosol or Lithsolvent to the alkaline or acidic solution to achieve the desired cleaning effect with adequate circulation and reverse flushing, as with the juice, even if the unit has to be opened later for emptying. With clarified juice or thin juice 1 and thin juice 2 on the other hand hard deposits are formed similar to those in the evaporation plant. As in the evaporator unit these often have to be firstly disintegrated using an alkaline solution so that they can then be removed using formic acid or amidosulfonic acid. It is often sufficient for the corresponding cleaning solvent to be pumped through the heat exchangers into the evaporator units just as the thin juice.

In selecting the suitable heat exchanger attention should be paid not only to the performance data alone. Often environmental conditions and legal regulations are also of importance. This is why all boundary conditions should be considered in designing and selecting the right heat exchanger.

Case Study: Helping to quench the world's thirst

Clean drinking water is a valuable asset. More than a billion people have no access to this primary staple commodity. And global water consumption will continue to increase. Estimates predict by up to 40 percent by 2025. Solutions are called for. This is also what Dr. Ulrich Plantikow thought 10 years ago, when he built a regenerative seawater desalination plant on the German island of Rügen. The mobile pilot plant uses the power of the wind to produce fresh water from seawater. Plantikow's approach was met with great interest throughout the world. Particularly in tourist regions and in countries where water is scarce, fresh water obtained by desalinating seawater can solve acute shortage problems. And this is why in previous years there has been a certain expectancy from the small research plant run by WME GmbH on the Baltic island of Rügen.

The pilot phase was completed some months ago. WME GmbH, based in Dranke on Ruegen, erected the first commercial-scale plant on the Greek island of Symi, 23 kilometres to the north of Rhodes. Up until now the island was supplied with drinking water by ships. GEA PHE Systems supplied the plate heat exchangers for this pioneering plant. A 350 kilowatt wind turbine produces electricity for a vacuum evaporator that can supply up to 20 cubic metres of desalinated water per hour at maximum wind speeds. This is sufficient to supply around 3000 people per day. The seawater desalination plant works on the principle of mechanical vapour compression (MVC) using a falling film evaporator. The seawater flows through two plate heat exchangers arranged in parallel and is preheated.

GEA PHE Systems installed two NT 150 plate heat exchangers fitted with titanium plates. The gasketed heat exchangers are distinguished by optimised plate profiling that requires less heat transfer surface to achieve the same performance. This means that the units can be kept small in size, which is an essential prerequisite considering the restricted space conditions available in the containers. These plate heat exchangers were developed using the latest hydro- and thermodynamic know-how in cooperation with the University of Hannover.

A degassing unit and a vacuum pump extract all non-condensable gases from the water so that a temperature of between 40 and 85 degrees Celsius and a steam pressure of between 100 and 550 millibars are sufficient to evaporate the water. A heat recovery system ensures that the efficiency of the plant remains attractive. The power consumption is between 6 and 15 kilowatt hours per cubic metre of drinking water. There are certain special aspects to be considered when operating plants using regenerative energy and in particular with wind power. As the wind does not blow at a constant rate the whole time, the electrical power generated also fluctuates severely. The desalination plants cannot be operated at a constant performance as with conventional systems and have to be adapted to suit the severe fluctuations in the power available. The WME GmbH system operates using modified steam compression - a modified heat pump process.

This method makes it possible to take up the complete generator output even under blustery wind conditions and to use this at high efficiency for desalination. Instead of surplus electrical energy the surplus drinking water produced during strong wind periods is stored in water reservoirs. During light wind periods the stored water can be used to offset any deficits. A restart after a period of wind calm is possible in seconds. Of particular interest in this development is that besides the exclusive use of regenerative wind power no eco-unfriendly chemicals have to be used in the desalination process. These chemicals could cause widespread ocean pollution where the concentrated seawater from the desalination plant is discharged into the sea.

The WME seawater desalination plant is a mobile and compact plant concept in a container design. Each container contains a complete unit. This design allows simple transportation and installation logistics throughout the world and guarantees optimum protection of the plant against any effects of the weather.

Trust is a fine thing, but testing is safer – that's obviously what a customer from the United Arab Emirates thought when ordering three NX 150 models from GEA PHE Systems. Prior to delivery the smaller version of the NX 250 was to be subjected to external performance testing on an independent third-party test bench. GEA PHE Systems contracted DMT GmbH & Co. KG in Essen to carry out a performance test in accordance with DIN 1216, i.e. under real conditions. DMT is an internationally active, independent engineering and consulting company and a member of the TÜV NORD Group which operates various testing laboratories for refrigeration and air conditioning engineering for up to 2 MW of refrigeration performance. The NX 150 was developed for efficient district cooling - for high-performance long-distance cooling systems requiring minimum temperature differences and maximum pressure resistance.

40 percent of energy saved

In addition to power, heat and water, district cooling is one of the most modern forms of utility services. Whole buildings and districts can be supplied with centrally generated cold water for air conditioning. One refrigeration unit provides sufficient performance for a large number of buildings or even for a complete neighbourhood. This means that a large number of conventional air conditioning units and cooling systems can be replaced, saving up to 40 percent energy in comparison with conventional concepts. District cooling engineering is particularly popular in the Gulf Region where it is used to provide centralised air conditioning for residential areas, shopping malls and industrial estates.

One central system saves space and costs

The strength of the NX Series comes to the fore particularly in high buildings as a pressure breaker and in extreme climate zones. Numerous separate systems can be replaced by one single central unit, meaning space can be saved with resulting reductions in the costs for investments, operation and maintenance. The NX is also convincing with its performance, energy efficiency and reliability. The OptiWave plate design and the EcoLoc gasket guarantee the highest heat transfer rates and extreme pressure stability with above-average safety reserves.

All expectations were exceeded

In the performance measurement according to DIN, the NX 150 exceeded all expectations on the test bench in Essen. It safely passed the performance test and even had capacity in reserve. This was good news both for the client in the United Arab Emirates and for the development team at GEA PHE Systems.

Small, compact, powerful: VX plate heat exchangers from GEA PHE Systems cool the new yacht engine generation from MAN

More power with simultaneous weight minimisation - that is the formula for success of the new V12 yacht engine, the most powerful unit in the MAN range of ship engine design. With a consistent programme of weight reduction measures the engineers of this traditional Nuremberg-based company have achieved a top rating of 1.78 kg per kW. The 1325 kW diesel engine is cooled by a modified VX plate heat exchanger (PHE) from GEA PHE Systems. The gasketed seawater cooler is a component in the closed cooling circuit, fixed firmly to the engine, which meant that it also had to undergo weight optimisation.

Only titanium plates guarantee corrosion protection on the high seas

The VX plate heat exchanger is installed on the front side of the engine block directly in front of the expansion tank of the fresh water circuit. The cooling water flows through the cylinder heads, charge air cooler and oil cooler at an operating pressure of around 4 bars. Here the fresh water takes up the complete waste heat from the engine and transfers it to the seawater in the PHE in counterflow. As the salt concentration of the seawater would quickly damage stainless steel grades, GEA PHE Systems always uses titanium plates in seawater coolers. Only this high-quality material guarantees the necessary corrosion protection and ensures process reliability on the ocean waves.

VX plate pressed in titanium for the first time
And this was the challenge faced by the GEA engineers this time. Up until now the VX plate had never been pressed in titanium. For a good three months at the Canadian subsidiary GEA ViEX they worked on how to achieve the required weight reduction of the VX plate without losing any of the pressure resistance as the second elementary parameter.

As the raw material titanium cannot be easily deformed, it was necessary to optimise the pressing process. This was successfully achieved by specific modifications to the pressing tool.

Reduced plate thickness with simultaneous increase in heat transfer

Up until now plate thicknesses of a minimum of 0.5 mm had been the lower limit, but now the engineers achieved a VX plate thickness of 0.4 mm and at the same time it was also possible to increase the heat transfer rate by a good 4%, representing a further optimisation of the engine cooling performance. The new MAN V12 unit has a cooling performance of 1060 kW, dissipated via 42 VX plates. VX-13 plates are fitted in the plate pack as their dimensions fit ideally to the engine geometry. The heat transfer surface per plate is 0.13 m². NBR is used as the gasket material.

A further challenge for the GEA engineers was the transverse installation of the seawater cooler required by MAN, because standard VX plates have parallel flow. A simple rotation through 90°C to achieve vertical installation couldn’t be the answer if emptying and venting the unit was also to be possible.

New gasket allows diagonal flow of the plates

The solution here was a special gasket that meant that the flow across the plates could be deflected diagonally without much trouble. Only a new gasket tool was necessary as GEA ViEX hadn’t previously had a corresponding gasket for diagonal flow.

VX plate heat exchangers cool high-performance V12 yacht engine

The MAN V12 with two-stage turbocharger and 1325 kW was launched at the end of last year and is currently the top-of-the-range model from this traditional Nuremberg-based company. The completely new engine range, specially tailored for maritime applications, comprises four models, two V8 and two V12 models, each available with single-stage and two-stage charging, and all of which are cooled using a VX plate heat exchanger from GEA PHE Systems.

As a result of a company-wide restructuring process in 2001 MAN set up a separate business sector “Engines”, based at the main Nuremberg facility. Here the engine specialists produce diesel and gas engines, of which 85 % are installed in commercial vehicles. In the past small series of engines were modified for maritime applications.

Optimum combustion process with exemplary emission values

With its series based around the new V12 yacht engine for the very first time MAN is presenting high-performance models specially designed for pleasure craft and motor yachts, with the special feature being the bedplate concept. The bedplate replaces the individual crankshaft main bearing caps and makes a considerable contribution to the rigidity of the crankcase and to minimizing sound radiation. The result of the combination of second-generation common rail injection and an optimally designed combustion process is high performance combined with exemplary emission levels.

Info:
The MAN V12 yacht engine is the top-of-the-range model from this traditional Nuremberg-based  company. The high-performance units are cooled using VX plate heat exchangers from GEA PHE Systems. In order to meet the customer’s product specifications the VX plate was pressed using titanium for the first time and fitted with a newly developed gasket to enable diagonal flow.  

Universal was yesterday: Specialization benefits the customer

GEA PHE Systems has revamped its copper brazed range of plate heat exchangers and is now pursuing a clear segmentation strategy for its product lines. This is being initiated with the GBH range, designed for pressures of up to 45 bars at 150 °C and intended specifically for use in high-performance refrigeration engineering. In addition to the top model GEA PHE Systems is now augmenting the successful GB Series with two further model ranges: The GBS range as standard version (for applications of up to 30 bars at +/-200 °C) and the economy model GBE (up to 16 bars) for heating engineering applications. This means that GEA PHE Systems can now offer the largest range of brazed plate heat exchanger models in the world.

At the same time the number of finely staged design sizes was considerably expanded to 32 variants. As technological market leader GEA PHE Systems offers the largest product range of PHEs for just about every application on an international basis.

The new plate heat exchangers (PHEs) are certified to PED (CE) and feature improved circuit design to increase the scope of possible applications. The heat exchanger segmentation by GEA PHE Systems implements the demands of its customers placed on the various PHE model ranges. This targeted optimisation results in a noticeable reduction in costs.

The new GBH series is available in eleven, and the GBS series in 21 design sizes, with a maximum flow rate of 160 m3/h with the top-of-the-range model GBS 1000. The GBE economy range can be supplied in four design sizes. The number of plates varies between 50 and 360 depending on the model. Optimised plate embossing means that heat transfer efficiency has been increased even further. Special steel grade AISI 316/1.4401 is used in the manufacture of the plates.

As in all larger brazed PHEs from GEA PHE Systems the new GB models are also fitted with the patented Safety Chamber™. This absorbs any overloading caused by fluctuations in pressure and temperature exerted on the first brazing points in the nozzle area, thus preventing any internal leakage. When PHEs are used as evaporators GEA PHE Systems' own Full-Flow-System™ guarantees an optimum continuous flow around the nozzles to prevent any freezing of the flow channels. This guarantees operational reliability in your processes.

The technical specifications together with the high pressure and temperature limits allow the GBE, GBS and GBH Series to be used for a wide range of applications in refrigeration plants, in heat pumps in process cooling, and in domestic and solar engineering.


The Company
Within the GEA Heat Exchangers segment of the international GEA Group, GEA PHE Systems is responsible for plate heat exchanger technology. Strong individual companies: GEA Ecoflex, GEA ViEX, GEA WTT, GEA Ecoflex India and GEA PHE Systems NA with production facilities in Germany, the USA, Canada and India manufacture gasketed, fully welded and brazed plate heat exchangers for just about every industrial application for worldwide distribution. GEA EcoServe – the service organisation of GEA PHE Systems – with its customer service centres in many countries provides a rapid and reliable maintenance and spare parts service. With around 1,000 employees GEA PHE Systems achieves a group annual turnover with plate heat exchangers of several hundred million euros.

GEA WTT GmbH: German specialist for brazed plate heat exchangers certified to DIN 14001

GEA WTT, one of the world's leading manufacturers of brazed plate heat exchangers, takes its self-commitment to protecting the environment very seriously. The company's own ecological contribution is not restricted to just resource-saving production and responsible recycling. In order to anchor the concept of protecting the environment firmly into its entrepreneurial philosophy, the Wilchwitz-based company initiated the process for certification to ISO EN DIN 14001 at the beginning of last year. This globally accepted standard regulates voluntary self-commitment and the introduction of environment management systems in companies. In October GEA WTT successfully passed the certification audit and was awarded the Environmental Certificate.

"Acting with ecological responsibility to achieve an economic advantage is a natural part of our self-conception. Brazed plate heat exchangers, used for example in heat recovery, represent active and reliable environmental protection. So it was a logical step for us to install an environment management system using the certification audit, involving all of our employees to ensure that the effect is sustainable.“, says Uwe Gottschalk, Head of Quality and Environment Management at GEA WTT .

In addition to its resource-saving production GEA WTT will be placing the complete economic chain in the focus of ecological sustainability in future. The aim is to improve operational environmental prevention with total employee involvement in order to achieve savings in both costs and resources to the benefit of the environment. Existing quality management measures as well as measures relating to work safety and accident prevention were linked with the environment management system to form a so-called integrated management system. This stipulates that the company must in future test itself at regular intervals and continuously analyse the environmental aspects of operational procedures.  "This is why we record every step systematically and purposefully", says Mr. Gottschalk.

In parallel with certification to ISO EN DIN 14001 the quality management system was also re-certified to ISO DIN 9001:2008. GEA WTT has been certified since 1994 and has continued to develop in accordance with the changing demands on the world market. GEA WTT is a part of GEA PHE Systems, the centre of competence for plate heat exchangers within the international GEA Group and has manufacturing facilities on three continents. GEA WTT sets standards as the technological leader in brazed plate heat exchanger manufacture.

The Company
Within the GEA Heat Exchangers segment of the international GEA Group, GEA PHE Systems is responsible for plate heat exchanger technology. Strong individual companies: GEA Ecoflex, GEA ViEX, GEA WTT, GEA Ecoflex India and GEA PHE Systems NA with production facilities in Germany, the USA, Canada and India manufacture gasketed, fully welded and brazed plate heat exchangers for just about every industrial application for worldwide distribution. GEA EcoServe – the service organisation of GEA PHE Systems – with its customer service centres in many countries provides a rapid and reliable maintenance and spare parts service. With around 1,000 employees GEA PHE Systems achieves a group annual turnover with plate heat exchangers of several hundred million euros.

Volker Brock, up to now head of the commercial department at GEA Ecoflex GmbH, has moved up into the business management of the Sarstedt-based company. The 40-year-old Diploma Industrial Engineer succeeds Ulrich Fehlauer. For seven years, Mr Fehlauer has been the CEO of the international technology leader in and manufacturer of plate heat exchangers and now takes over a new position with the division in Duisburg. In the new business management, Mr Brock teams up with Klaus Peter Glöckner and will be responsible for production and administration. Mr Glöckner is promoted to be spokesman of the business management.

Volker Brock had taken over the position of head of the commercial department of GEA Ecoflex in April 2008 and is therefore optimally familiar with the company and its internal structures as well as with its product range. He will continue the successful work of Mr Fehlauer and expand the operative business. Before joining GEA Ecoflex, Mr Brock worked for a leading German mechanical engineering company, the last position being a managerial post.

Klaus Peter Glöckner who has been in the business management of GEA Ecoflex since 2004 has taken over the tasks of the „President of GEA PHE Systems“ and has moved up to be CEO after Mr Fehlauer left the company. The 42-year-old Diploma Industrial Engineer is now responsible for the entire plate heat exchanger business of the GEA Group. Before Glöckner took over the managerial post in Sarstedt five years ago, he was the managing director of a mechanical engineering company in the paper industry.

Another in-house move up to a managerial post is Jan M. Jensen who will be the European Sales Manager. Mr Jensen who up to now has been the managing director of GEA Ecoflex Scandinavia will in the future coordinate the European sales activities with a focus on the East European market. For seven years, Mr Jensen has built up the Scandinavian plate heat exchanger business from Denmark.

The company
Within the GEA Process Equipment Division of the international GEA Group, GEA PHE Systems is responsible for plate heat exchanger technology. Strong individual companies – GEA Ecoflex, GEA ViEX, GEA WTT and GEA PHE Systems NA with manufacturing facilities in Germany, USA, Canada and India produce gasketed, fully welded and brazed plate heat exchangers for just about every industrial application for worldwide distribution. GEA EcoServe, the service organisation of GEA PHE Systems, provides fast and efficient maintenance and spare parts service with customer service centres in a wide range of countries.

Two international leaders in heat exchanger technology join forces.

GEA PHE Systems has agreed to a strategic partnership with Vahterus Oy of Finland. Vahterus, founded in 1990, is one of the internationally leading manufacturers of fully welded plate heat exchangers. In future the joint strengths of both companies are to be focussed in the development and global sales. The powerful, gastight Finnish heat exchangers round off GEA PHE Systems’ product portfolio as technological market leader for plate heat exchangers.

The compact Vahterus plate heat exchangers form the perfect addition to the fully welded high-performance plate heat exchangers from GEA PHE Systems. The units are mainly used in the chemical industry, in power stations and in refrigeration engineering.

These gastight heat exchangers are designed for extreme pressure and temperature ranges. Process reliability is guaranteed, especially under extreme operating conditions. The units stand out with their high heat recovery rates, extremely low space requirements and a price that is clearly lower than conventional shell-and-tube heat exchangers.

Vahterus Oy employs a staff of over 140 at its location in Vahterus/Kalanti. The company is represented in over 50 countries and is the technological market leader for fully welded units.

The Company
Within the GEA Process Equipment Division of the international GEA Group, GEA PHE Systems is responsible for plate heat exchanger technology. Strong individual companies: GEA Ecoflex, GEA ViEX, GEA WTT, GEA Ecobraze and  GEA PHE Systems NA  with production facilities in Germany, Sweden, the USA, Canada and India manufacture gasketed, fully welded and brazed plate heat exchangers for just about every industrial application for worldwide distribution. GEA EcoServe – the service organisation of GEA PHE Systems – with its customer service centres in many countries provides a rapid and reliable maintenance and spare parts service.

With around 1,000 employees GEA PHE Systems achieves a group annual turnover with plate heat exchangers of several hundred million euros.

Achema highlight: GEA PHE Systems is exhibiting its new high-performance plate heat exchanger with a volume flow of 4,500 m³/h

Size matters. Whether in chemical engineering, power station construction or in the oil and gas industry, increased efficiency can be best achieved using larger plants. And size of the plant components has to keep pace. With its new NT 500 GEA PHE Systems as the technology leader in plate heat exchanger manufacture is introducing a new model from the successful NT Series that sets new performance standards with a volume flow of up to 4,500 m³/h and was specially developed for the petrochemical and power station industry. GEA PHE Systems will be presenting the NT 500 as an exhibition highlight at the Achema in Frankfurt in May.

The NT 500 is in a class of its own. The steel frame can hold up to a thousand plates. The biggest version stands an imposing 4.7 metres high, has a width of 1.6 metres and hits the scales at up to 35 tonnes. The unit is available in three different plate lengths. The plate types can also be supplied in three different embossing patterns. In total this results in nine different thermodynamic characteristics allowing an exact configuration to suit the customer's specific case of application – which is a first, as is the measurable true nominal size of 500 mm.

Depending on requirements the plate thickness is between 0.5 and 0.6 cm. Maximum operating pressure is 16 bars and OptiWave technology guarantees the best flow behaviour across the full plate width, resulting in maximum heat transfer rates.

Specially designed for large volume flows the NT 500 demonstrates its strengths particularly where until now a large number of smaller units had to be combined using expensive pipework to process the same product volumes.

The heat exchanger plates for the NT 500 are embossed fully automatically at the state-of-the-art 25,000 t press in York / PA, which started production in 2008. The automation processes allow constantly high quality standards, guaranteeing unrivalled operational safety. The plate materials include stainless steels and special materials such as titanium.

The NT 500 is fitted with glueless EcoLoc gaskets, which can be replaced quickly and easily. Production downtimes are reduced to a minimum during maintenance. Thanks to the PosLoc system the plate heat exchanger has a self-centring plate pack, guaranteeing perfect fit of the plates to ensure safe process reliability.

The Company
Within the GEA Process Equipment Division of the international GEA Group, GEA PHE Systems is responsible for plate heat exchanger technology. Strong individual companies: GEA Ecoflex, GEA ViEX, GEA WTT, GEA Ecobraze and  GEA PHE Systems NA  with production facilities in Germany, Sweden, the USA, Canada and India manufacture gasketed, fully welded and brazed plate heat exchangers for just about every industrial application for worldwide distribution. GEA EcoServe – the service organisation of GEA PHE Systems – with its customer service centres in many countries provides a rapid and reliable maintenance and spare parts service.

With around 1,000 employees. GEA PHE Systems achieves a group annual turnover with plate heat exchangers of several hundred million euros.

GEA PHE Systems is exhibiting new series of plate heat exchangers at the ISH/Frankfurt

GEA PHE Systems, one of the leading manufacturers in plate heat exchanger technology, is exhibiting no less than three innovations at this year's ISH in Frankfurt from 10th to 14th March, Stand 5.0/B95. The exhibition highlight is the new fast-assembly line which has reduced the delivery time for certain gasketed plate heat exchanger ranges for the HVAC sector to 7 days – and that is certainly a first. GEA PHE Systems is also presenting three new model ranges in its successful copper-brazed GB Series for heating engineering applications: The GBH, GBS and GBE ranges all feature improved heat transfer thanks to optimised plate corrugation.

The new GBH and GBS ranges are available in eleven model sizes up to a maximum flow rate of 160 m³/h in the large-scale units GBH 1000 and GBS 1000. The economy series GBE can be supplied in four model sizes. Depending on the unit size the number of plates varies between 10 and 360 (in the GBH/GBS 1000). The optimised plate corrugation results in a further increase in heat transfer rates. The plate material used is the special steel grade AISI 316/1.4401.

Like all larger-sized brazed plate heat exchangers by GEA PHE Systems the new GB ranges are also fitted with the patented Safety Chamber. This chamber absorbs any overloading caused by fluctuations in pressure and temperature exerted on the first brazing points in the nozzle area, thus preventing any internal leakage. When used as evaporators GEA PHE Systems' own Full-Flow-System guarantees optimum flow around the nozzles to prevent any freezing of the flow channels. This guarantees operational reliability in your processes.

The technical specifications together with the high pressure and temperature limits allow the GBE, GBS and GBH ranges to be used for a wide field of applications: As evaporators in refrigeration plants, as economizers or supercoolers in process cooling, in heat pumps, district heating transfer stations and in domestic engineering and solar technology.

Now even faster
The new fast-assembly line at GEA PHE Systems sets completely new standards in logistics, as normal delivery times for gasketed plate heat exchangers of similar size vary between four and six weeks. The fast delivery provides plant engineering companies with the necessary planning security to be able to reliably implement projects even at short notice. With the VT 04 from the Varitherm range and the NT 50 and NT 100 from the successful NT range the new express line offers two model ranges that are mostly standardised and specially developed for use in the expanding HVAC sector.

The success of the fast-assembly line is based on an independent manufacturing process, combined with a modular product concept. The components are prefabricated in specific batches independent of customer orders. After the customer has placed the order the required components are assembled in the desired configuration, subjected to a final pressure test and dispatched within a matter of days (maximum seven).

The NT Series gasketed plate heat exchangers also feature the OptiWave plate design to achieve the customer's wish for reduced heat exchanger surface areas. This means lower investment costs for the customer. The compact units are simple to install from a handling aspect and are fitted with innovative EcoLoc gasket technology.

Palm paper factory in Eltmann: Free Flow plate heat exchangers by GEA Ecoflex provide reliable process water cooling

Papermaking is a very water-intensive process. At the Palm paper factory in Eltmann the waste water from the production process is biologically treated in the company's own treatment works and then partially recycled to the process. This reduces the daily requirements for fresh water at the Eltmann location by a good 40 percent. The fluctuating temperatures and waste water flow volumes can however be problematical. To be on the safe side the Eltmann facility installed three FA 192 Free Flow plate heat exchangers by GEA Ecoflex in its treatment plant in 2007. These units are fitted upstream of the treatment works and cool the process waste water reliably to 35 °C so that the biological treatment can work steadily and dependably.

Eltmann is a town on the river Main with direct motorway access. The infrastructure arguments convinced Palm to invest here. The facility in Eltmann was opened in 1994 with one paper machine. In 1999 a second, more powerful paper machine with a net width of 8.12 metres was built. Palm relies exclusively on recycled paper as raw material for its manufacturing.

"Organic contamination of the waste water is high in narrow water circuits and particularly when processing recycled paper. Optimised plant operation is necessary to reduce the volume of emitted residual impurities to a minimum", says diploma engineer Roland Schirm, Head of Waste Water Treatment and Disposal in the Eltmann mill.

Palm is a paper manufacturer that recycles treated waste water back into the process – as a business  responsibility for the environment. The waste water temperature must be kept constant below 38°C to enable aerobic biological cleaning of the waste water. In the original cooling concept treated waste water was cooled using an evaporative cooling tower, directly mixed with the process waste water and fed to the activation basin.

"The problem was the fluctuation in volume flows and temperatures of the process waste water and of the cooling water so that different hydraulic conditions prevailed", says Mr. Schirm. As a result the additional hydraulic loading of the system by the cooling water had a negative effect on sedimentation behaviour in the secondary settling stage and on the degradation efficiency of the plant.

Palm contracted Siemens with the basic overhaul of the waste water cooling concept. The experts planned an indirect cooling system, where process waste water is cooled in counterflow against a cooling water stream using plate heat exchangers. The existing evaporation cooling tower continues to be used for secondary cooling of the cooling water. Production waste water is cooled down to the ideal temperature of 35°C before entering the biological stage. To do this Palm installed three FA 192 Free Flow plate heat exchangers by GEA Ecoflex GmbH. These Free Flow units were specially designed for large volume flows of viscous and abrasive media. The outstanding features of these units are the innovative flow geometry and blockage-free operation thanks to the constantly wide flow gaps, meaning that deposits are reliably prevented.

The flow gap on the waste water side is 12 millimetres. Long fibres, an unavoidable component in paper industry waste water, flow unhindered through the plate heat exchanger at a gap speed of 0.5 metres per second. These Free Flow units guarantee absolute process reliability up to a solids content of 2000 mg (ppm).

The units operate using the counterflow principle. Incoming waste water is cooled down from 43°C to 35 °C. The stainless steel plates transfer the heat to the cooling water, which is heated up in this way from 28°C to 38°C. When outside temperatures are high, up to 800 m³/h of cooling water are required to cool the 700 m³/h of process waste water.

The plant engineers included an additional water circuit to compensate the fluctuations in waste water volume flow from the production. A pump recirculates cooled waste water upstream of the plate heat exchangers, thus ensuring a constant overflow of the units.

A decisive advantage of the FA 192 is that it can be switched from counterflow to parallel flow at short notice and can therefore be flushed when the process is underway. "I switch the flow direction over every two hours for a short time. This is a purely precautionary measure to flush out any surplus material before any deposits are formed", says Mr. Schirm.

At the beginning of 2008 the plate heat exchangers were completely dismantled and cleaned. "We had been having problems on the cooling water side caused by old deposits from the evaporator cooler which were clogging up the intake gap. There were absolutely no deposits on the waste water side", says Mr. Schirm, who is very satisfied with plate heat exchangers by GEA Ecoflex. "The plant runs without any interruptions, and there have been no more blockages to date. Cooling performance is constant, and this is essential for biology do its job. And this gives us that bit of extra process reliability that we were looking for", says Mr. Schirm.

That is also the reason why Palm decided on Free Flow by GEA Ecoflex from the outset when designing the new mill in King’s Lynn/England, where the tried-and-tested cooling concept is also being adopted. Europe's most advanced paper mill for newsprint is currently under construction 150 km to the north of London, on the site of a former sugar factory. The PM 7 paper machine has a net working width of 10.6 metres and a capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year.

Production is based completely on recycled paper. The paper machine under construction is scheduled to go online in the 3^rd quarter of 2009 and will essentially serve clients on the domestic market. The King’s Lynn mill will be using the NF 350, the latest generation of plate heat exchanges by GEA Ecoflex.

The NF 350 demonstrates its strengths in cellulose production and in heat recovery in the waste water treatment section. Constant-width gaps prevent deposits, and the 10 mm wide flow channels on both sides guarantee free throughput for media loaded with fibres and solids, ensuring reliable process safety. The special plate design causes highly turbulent flow behaviour to guarantee optimum heat transfer, which reduces the energy requirements noticeably. The heat transfer surface area of 2 m² per stainless steel heat exchanger plate minimizes the energy costs.

In its three German mills at Aalen-Neukochen, Eltmann and Wörth, Palm produces around 1.4 million tonnes of paper per year. The company, founded in 1872, is specialised in the manufacture of newsprint and corrugated paper. This medium-sized company has been in family ownership for four generations now.

Sugar production is a highly energy-consuming and cost-intensive process. Right on time for the start of the sugar beet campaign GEA Ecoflex, one of the leading manufacturers of plate heat exchangers (PHEs), has revamped its GEAFlex model and installed it for the first time as a juice preheater in the Agrana sugar factory near Vienna. Installed upstream of the actual evaporation process this fully-welded plate heat exchanger reduces overall steam consumption by up to 10 percent. And that means an enormous cut in production costs. At the same time the preheater lessens the load on the first evaporation stage and reduces the heating steam volume required in the overall process.

The GEAFlex is a compact high-performance PHE designed for extreme applications with a temperature range of between -200°C to 900°C at a maximum of 60 bars. The asymmetrical plate design guarantees maximum heat transfer efficiency.

As a juice preheater the GEAFlex heats up the sugar beet juice to 130°C before it enters the first evaporation stage at 3.5 bars. The raw juice here still has a sugar content of 15 percent. During the course of the multistage evaporation process it is thickened to a dry substance proportion of up to 70 percent – a process requiring high energy input.

The preheating to 130°C causes a deliberate overheating of the beet juice. Part of the liquid evaporates by flashing immediately after entry into the evaporator. Thanks to the additional transfer surface and the controlled flashing the first evaporator stage can be operated at a smaller temperature difference. This increases the temperature level of the steam quality in the following process stages. The plant's energy efficiency is optimised, resulting in a considerable reduction in total energy consumption.

In the Agrana sugar factory near Vienna the upstream GEAFlex condenser preheats 460 tonnes of beet juice per hour. The heating surface is only 112 m². Thanks to its compact design the GEAFlex unit measures only a space-saving 2.4 x 2.6 x 0.7 metres.

GEA PHE Systems is exhibiting at the Anuga FoodTec in Cologne from 10th to 13th March. In Hall 4.1, Stand G010/H029 one of the international leading manufacturers of high-performance plate heat exchangers (PHEs) is exhibiting its tried-and-tested VT 20, a three-stage pasteurizer for milk and juice-containing beverages that has been specially designed for high pressures. The exhibition highlight is the NT 50 M pasteurizer. The outstanding features of this PHE of the latest generation are optimum heat transfer rates and low investment costs. Setting standards in the beverage industry.

The gasketed NT Series plate heat exchangers are convincing with the efficient OptiWave plate design: The heat transfer surface area was reduced with a simultaneous increase in performance, resulting in lower investment and maintenance costs for the customer. These compact units are easy to handle and install, and use the innovative EcoLoc gasket technology.

The three-stage NT 50 M pasteurizer is fitted with the new glueless EcoLoc gaskets, which can be replaced quickly and easily. Production downtimes are reduced to a minimum during maintenance. Thanks to the PosLoc system the PHE has a self-centering plate pack that guarantees perfect fit of the plates to ensure safe reliability in the brewing process.

As a service specialist for PHEs in the beverage industry GEA EcoServe, the after-sales & service company of GEA PHE Systems, guarantees fast and competent on-site service around the clock for all plate heat exchangers of whatever make that are installed in a facility. Their technicians service and repair PHEs of all makes, accompany production processes and offer an all-round service from a single source. And in all parts of the world thanks to the global network of service locations.

At the Anuga FoodTec the Service Team will be presenting correct maintenance procedures as a live show to provide in-depth insight into the assembly of a pasteurizer.

GEA PHE Systems has expanded its copper-brazed plate heat exchanger range with the GBH Series. Designed for pressures of up to 45 bars at 150°C, this series has been specially designed for use in refrigeration engineering. The units are intended for environment-friendly and efficient refrigerants such as R410A and C0₂, of course they are certified to PED (CE) and are convincing with their improved circuit design, which increases the scope of applications. The new GBH Series was exhibited for the first time at the Chillventa, the international trade fair for refrigeration engineering in Nuremberg.

The GBH Series is a further development of the successful GB Series and is available in eleven sizes up to a maximum volume flow of 160 m³/h in the top-of-the-range model GBH 1000. The maximum number of plates varies depending on the model size between 50 (GBH 100) and 360 (GBH 1000). The heat transfer rate has been increased yet again with the optimised plate corrugation. Special steel grade AISI 316/1.4401 is used in the manufacture of the plates.

As with all larger brazed PHEs by GEA PHE Systems the GBH Series is fitted with the patented Safety Chamber^TM. The safety chamber absorbs any overloading caused by fluctuations in pressure and temperature exerted on the first brazing points in the nozzle area, thus preventing any internal leakage. When PHEs are used as evaporators GEA PHE Systems' own Full-Flow-System^TM guarantees an optimum continuous flow around the nozzles to prevent any freezing of the flow channels. This guarantees operational reliability in your processes.

The technical specifications together with the high pressure and temperature limits allow the GBH Series to be used for a wide range of applications: As evaporators in refrigeration plants, as economizers or supercoolers in process cooling, and in heat pumps and in domestic engineering.

Technology partner in shipbuilding
The recovery of waste gas and heat will be a central topic. At the leading maritime trade fair SMM in Hamburg from 23^rd to 26^th September GEA PHE Systems is presenting gasketed high-performance plate heat exchangers from its NT range that offer the customer optimum benefits.

Even in spite of the severest storms GEA PHE Systems plate heat exchangers cool ship engines and machinery, heat fuels and air condition cabins. As one of the leading international manufacturers of plate heat exchangers GEA PHE Systems is your technology partner in shipbuilding – from feeder vessels through post-Panamax 12,600 TEU container ships right up to luxury cruise liners.

The NT Series of plate heat exchangers has been specially developed for requirements on the high seas. The OptiWave technology ensures ideal flow across the whole plate width thus guaranteeing maximum heat transfer rates. Thanks to PosLoc technology the plates are positioned precisely, resulting in a stable, perfectly aligned plate pack in every situation with gaskets remaining functional for longer. GEA plate heat exchangers provide you with protection on stormy markets.

As the service provider of GEA PHE Systems GEA EcoServe is presenting its fast and competent maintenance and spare parts service for all makes of plate heat exchangers.

Together with its affiliate companies GEA Renzmann & Grünewald, GEA Maschinenkühltechnik and cooperation partner Schünemann Filter, GEA PHE Systems invites you to visit us at Stand 650 in Hall 1: GEA – your  technology partner for shipbuilding.

The Company
GEA PHE Systems is responsible for plate heat exchanger technology within the GEA Process Equipment Division of the international GEA Group. Strong individual companies: GEA Ecoflex, GEA ViEX, GEA WTT,  GEA Ecobraze and GEA PHE Systems NA with manufacturing locations in Germany, Sweden, USA, Canada and India produce gasketed, fully welded and brazed PHEs for just about every industrial application for worldwide distribution. GEA EcoServe – the service organisation of GEA PHE Systems – with customer service centres in a wide range of countries provides a fast and competent maintenance and spare parts service.  With around 1,000 employees GEA PHE Systems achieves a group annual turnover with plate heat exchangers of well over a hundred million euros.