• • • RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY • • •
heat exchangers. Combine this efficiency with the reduced need for maintenance to address coking, and you have a product that increases productivity even as it contributes to decarbonization efforts. Furthermore, it’s crucial to have fast, reliable
control systems for all larger, modern heat exchangers, especially in petroleum processing, where errors can be extremely costly. Engineers are now beginning to realize two things. Firstly, there are far more opportunities to use electric process heating systems with far fewer size constraints than energy and environmental engineers previously imagined and secondly, the control of these megawatt size heating systems is demonstrated with precise control of process and skin temperatures. The industry must break down barriers towards
energy transition to provide clean, efficient and reliable ways to electrify processes traditionally heated with fossil fuels. Working with a reliable partner to electrify
capabilities. So, naturally, some of the most common questions about larger process heaters have to do with control, including what additional elements are needed to ramp up the heater and how that affects the existing electrical system. Just because larger electric heaters have not
traditionally been used to heat all processes in the petrochemical industry does not mean that the technology is untested. In fact, it’s far from it. Field-proven power switching devices have
been used for low voltage electric process heaters and electric medium voltage motors across industries for years, and the ability to control voltage is well established. Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) bring
heaters online in ways that do not cause problems for other devices connected to the same power source. The heater and controller are part of one closed-loop system, which streamlines integration and yields more control over the entire system. This technology’s tried and true nature in other applications reduces the risk for petrochemical process heating.
New tech driving the
energy transition It’s worth considering some of the technologies that make electric process heaters and heat exchangers promising candidates for replacing traditional heaters. Heaters with Continuous Helical Flow (CHF) technology are playing a critical role in making large electric process heaters more robust and economical. CHF ensures the baffles with the heater do
not exist as discrete elements, but rather as a single continuous spiral winding around the interior of the shell side of the heater. This forces the flow to be rotational and helical, resulting in an even better heat transfer coefficient per unit pressure drop. This means heaters with CHF technology
such as Watlow’s HELIMAX heat exchanger, do not have dead zones or areas with insufficient flow. As there are no disruptions to flow, fewer hotspots can develop, subsequently reducing fouling rates.
A single removable HELIMAX bundle can
supply up to five megawatts of power duty range, even with a smaller footprint, than fuel-based
process heating systems is one of the easiest ways to progress towards climate action goals without interrupting productivity or profitability.
Watlow completes acquisition of Eurotherm
Watlow, a designer and manufacturer of complete industrial thermal systems, has completed its acquisition of Eurotherm from Schneider Electric Company. Eurotherm is a premier provider of temperature, power and process control, measurement and
data management equipment, systems, software and services for global industrial markets. The company employs about 650 people worldwide, with headquarters in Worthing, UK and core manufacturing operations in Ledziny, Poland. Rob Gilmore, Watlow’s
chief executive, said, “We are excited about Watlow and Eurotherm and all we will accomplish together. This acquisition aligns with our vision of providing innovative thermal products and technologies that help increase our customers’ competitive advantage. “The combination of
Watlow and Eurotherm products and technologies will create new global opportunities for our collective customers and allow us to focus our advanced thermal systems in important areas.” Watlow will establish
Eurotherm’s sites in Worthing, UK and Dardilly, France as Advanced Development Centres for its electronics and controls product offering and plans to invest in Eurotherm’s facility in Poland to become Watlow’s Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Europe. This additional capacity and capability also provide a path to growth in other parts of the world including the Americas and Asia.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • DECEMBER 2022/JANUARY 2023 29
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