Collective solar thermal
Transferring heat from solar collectors is an ideal way of using the sun’s energy. The sun’s heat is absorbed on a flat surface and then transferred to a fluid. The fluid can be used for heating domestic tap water and for radiator heating. In addition, it can be used for large-scale operations, like district heating, heating of process fluid in industries, or solar thermal power plants.
Choose the right solar thermal partner
- With a century of experience in heat transfer and energy efficiency, Alfa Laval has the products to ensure your system is as efficient as possible.
- The safe and reliable sealing of the gasketed plate heat exchanger means there is no risk of contamination of potable water in tap water heating.
- With an Alfa Laval heat exchanger, you maximize uptime with a reduced risk of fouling due to scaling.
- Our heat exchangers are AHRI third-party performance certified, so you can rest easily that the thermal performance is as good as we say it is.
- Alfa Laval’s global service network means we have the outreach and influence to ensure the continuous functionality of your equipment.
Trend in the solar thermal industry
The heating sector is currently dominated by fossil fuels for energy, with less than 20% of the global heating demand being met by renewable sources. This means there is huge potential for the growth of solar thermal energy as a source of heat.
The interest in solar thermal heating has increased steadily over the past decade, and so has the cumulated solar thermal capacity. With this increasing interest, large-scale solar heating systems are becoming more popular, with district heating being the largest sub-sector. At the end of 2022, 325 large-scale solar district heating systems were in operation, with an installed capacity of 1,795 MWth.
The main challenges associated with solar thermal heating are fouling and the build-up of sediment. With Alfa Laval’s heat exchangers, this risk is substantially reduced with durable materials and turbulent flow. Our global service network can also ensure that your equipment runs optimally with minimum downtime.
A reliable partner, Alfa Laval shares our commitment to the global transition to renewable energy and has delivered superior heat transfer technology and expertise at our Carwarp power plant.
Richard Payne, CEO, RayGen
Solar thermal solutions from Alfa Laval
Tap water heating
In a solar water heating system, the main source of heat generation is solar panels that act as solar collectors. Since the amount of solar energy will vary throughout the day and year, a conventional boiler is often used as a backup. The collectors use the sun’s rays to heat a transfer fluid, which is usually a mixture of glycol and water. Adding glycol to the transfer fluid prevents it from freezing during the winter season. The transfer fluid flows in a closed-loop circuit that is separated from the water supply by a gasketed plate heat exchanger. After heating the tap water, the transfer fluid will circulate back to the solar collectors. With a gasketed plate heat exchanger from Alfa Laval, you ensure maximum heat efficiency and can rest easy that there is no risk of potable water contamination.
Space heating
Solar collectors in the form of solar panels can also be used for space heating. The collectors will heat a transfer fluid using the sun’s rays. The heat from the transfer fluid will then be transferred to the heating fluid in the secondary circuit using a gasketed plate heat exchanger. The hot fluid can be used to provide space heating through heated flooring, radiators, or forced hot air systems. Regardless of which, with an Alfa Laval heat exchanger you recover the maximum amount of heat, saving both energy and money in the process.
Large-scale solar thermal applications
Solar thermal power plants use the sun's energy to heat a transfer fluid to a high temperature. In order to extract maximum heat, they use mirrors to reflect and concentrate the solar radiation. This heat then needs to be transferred to water to produce superheated steam. The most efficient way to achieve this is by using a gasketed plate heat exchanger. The superheated steam is then used to turn turbines, converting mechanical energy into electricity.
ガスケット・プレート式熱交換器
- 高い熱効率を確保しながら、任務に適応できる柔軟なソリューション
- コンパクトな設計はスペースを節約し、サービスやメンテナンスが容易
- ファウリング、ストレス、腐食を軽減し、最大限の稼働時間を実現するソリューション
ろう付けプレート熱交換器
- コンパクトなフットプリントを持つ軽量の銅ろう付け構造
- 同等のシェルアンドチューブよりも高い熱効率
- さまざまなアプリケーションに適合する柔軟なオプションで、すべての異なるタイプの媒体/流体に対応
- 天然および低GWP（地球温暖化係数が低い）冷媒に理想的
AlfaNova フュージョンボンデッド熱交換器
- 真の100%ステンレス鋼構造
- 攻撃的な媒体に対する強い耐食性
- 飲料水やその他の衛生的な用途での金属汚染を防ぐ
- 高い熱効率とコンパクトなフットプリント
数十年にわたる効率性の維持
機能不全の熱交換器は、安全性、製品品質、およびエネルギーコストに影響を与える可能性があります。故障は、コストのかかるダウンタイムや生産の大幅な損失につながる可能性があります。ガスケット式プレート熱交換器を定期的かつ積極的にメンテナンスすることで、性能が維持され、運用はトラブルフリーで予測可能に保たれます。
現在問題を経験している場合でも、将来の問題を予防したい場合でも、またはオンライントラブルシューターを使用して自分で問題を解決したい場合でも、私たちはお手伝いできる専門知識を持っています。
持続可能な都市におけるHVAC
世界のエネルギーの3分の2以上を消費する都市は、気候危機に対処する上で重要な役割を果たしています。都市のエネルギー消費の大きな部分が暖房と冷房に充てられているため、エネルギー効率の向上は非常に重要です。アルファ・ラバルは熱交換と回収の分野で約1世紀の経験を持ち、2030年までに炭素中立を目指しています。持続可能な明日への変革において、私たちをパートナーとしてお選びください。
