The Alfa Laval Filter (ALF) constitutes a range of automatically self cleaning filters/strainers, used mainly to protect heat exchangers from clogging and fouling in various applications.

ALF is a pressure filter designed to maintain the thermal performance of plate heat exchangers and tubular condensers by making sure there is no debris or other undesirable materials in the water used in secondary cooling systems, via a highly effective automatic flushing set-up.

Secondary cooling systems that use inexpensive, low-grade water have become widely accepted in industry, on ships and offshore installations, petrochemical plants and refineries, in power plants and in district heating and cooling systems. However, such water often contains undesirable particles, organisms and debris that can foul and clog the plate heat exchangers or tubular condensers used in such cooling set-ups.

Increase efficiency – protecting against clogging & fouling
Such fouling and clogging can have serious effects, reducing the efficiency of heat transfer and limiting the speed at which water can flow through the heat exchanger. This results in conditions in which biological growths can flourish, and surface fouling caused by diminished flow velocities.

The Alfa Laval Filter (ALF) is a supremely cost-effective way to avoid all these problems and ensure a reliable supply of clean cooling water. The system provides the major advantage of automatic flushing carried out at regular intervals, without interrupting the filtering process or disturbing cooling operations in any way. This provides crucial peace of mind for those responsible for process equipment downstream from the ALF installation.

Reduce energy costs

The ALF also provides high filtering capacity with a low pressure drop, which cuts back on energy costs. By also minimizing the pressure drop across both plate heat exchanger and filter, an ALF installation helps reduce the overall costs of an effective cooling package. Because there are so few moving parts, maintenance costs are also low.