In a fortuitous encounter at Achema exhibition in Germany, Fermion's Maintenance Manager, Kai Hassinen, stumbled upon Vahterus Plate & Shell heat exchangers in 2001. Now, 18 years later, with 43 installations in their processes, these innovative heat exchangers have not only met – but exceeded Fermion's expectations, standing as a testament to the PSHEs reliability and durability in the challenging conditions of pharmaceutical production.

At the end of 2009, technicians at DONG’s combined heat and power plant (acquired by VEKS in May 2012), in Köge, Denmark, contacted one of our distributors about the replacement of an existing heat exchanger.

Vahterus tests its products at a steam laboratory installed in the Naantali power plant of Turun Seudun Energiantuotanto (TSE), an energy production company in the Turku region. The test laboratory, which has exceptionally high capacity, is used to study the qualities of Vahterus steam condensers for product development purposes.

The Vahterus R&D team comprises six people whose goal is to identify potential problems in existing heat-exchanger solutions and find ways to improve products. Successful product development requires perseverance, an understanding of product properties and a curiosity regarding new experiments.

PSHE 12 offers a large heat transfer plate with the traditional round shape and corrugation angles. The diameter of the plate is close to 1200 mm and the portholes are DN250. Size 12 fills the gap between sizes 9 and 14.

Dave Rule, President of IIAR, which advocates for the best refrigerants available to support an efficient and healthy food supply and a clean and safe environment, explains how the industry is adapting to harness new markets and embrace new operational challenges.

The lower cost of renewable fuels such as solar power is impacting positively on the Energy sector, and they may soon be cheaper than fossil fuel. The Chemical and Process industries are focusing on energy integration in cooling and heating. In the Refrigeration industry, Natural refrigerants are the key to tackling environmental issues.

In this issue, we discuss how global challenges drive innovation. We study novel biotech concepts at the largest ethanol plant in Europe and ask Dave Rule, President of IIAR, what he foresees for the future of refrigeration.

Tracy Hakala is our Managing Director for China, Australia and New Zealand. Living and working in different countries and environments has made her an expert on cross-cultural communication.

Read how dedication and excellent cooperation between Vahterus, Kapp Netherlands and Kisuma resulted in a 31 day delivery of customised heat exchanger solutions.