Brazil is the world's second largest producer of ethanol and the world's largest exporter. Together, Brazil and the United States lead the industrial world in global ethanol production, accounting together for 70% of the world's production.
Because the process for converting raw products such as corn or wheat to ethanol requires numerous heat exchangers it’s only fitting that APV® is a significant supplier of heat exchangers to Brazil’s ethanol industry.
APV is credited with developing the first commercially successful plate-and-frame heat exchanger in the world. It was introduced in 1923 by Dr. Richard Seligman, the founder of the Aluminum Plant and Vessel Company Ltd., known today as APV.
Plate Heat Exchangers Offer Benefits
APV plate heat exchangers offer numerous benefits over traditional shell-and-tube and spiral heat exchangers for the ethanol processing applications. One of the biggest benefits is the expandability of the heat transfer area.
Many ethanol plants have surpassed their production beyond their original design capacity or are planning expansion projects in the near future. With traditionally used shell-and-tube or spiral heat exchangers, additional heat transfer area must be added by purchasing another unit.
Plate heat exchangers, such as those manufactured by APV, can increase heat transfer area by simply adding plates. This flexibility results in less capital investment, both in terms of installation and equipment purchasing.
High U-value
Another benefit is the high heat transfer coefficient or “U value.” The heat transfer coefficient indicates the amount of heat added or removed from a fluid in terms of area and time. A higher heat transfer coefficient allows the unit to have less surface area; less surface area means a lower purchase cost for the units.APV also offers distillation pilot plants for use in ethanol production. A number of components from other SPX brands can be used as well.
To learn more, go to www.apv.com