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Alfa Laval Uses Premium Reconditioning to Restore Critical DAC Plant Heat Exchanger
Tailored service restored a leaking heat exchanger, minimizing downtime and supporting the facility’s planned 2026 commissioning schedule.
www.alfalaval.com
Application Area: Direct Air Capture, Industrial Heat Transfer
Industry Sector: Carbon Removal, Clean Technology
Alfa Laval, a global provider of heat transfer and separation technologies, supplied process-loop plate heat exchangers and engineering maintenance services for a commercial-scale direct air capture plant in the United States. The modular facility, configured with four processing trains, is designed to capture ambient carbon dioxide at scale, with two initial units commissioned in 2025 and two additional trains scheduled for start-up in 2026.
Operational Failure in Process Solution Loops
Seven months after initial commissioning, one of the primary process solution heat exchangers developed an internal leak during winter operating conditions. Because the unit operated in a critical fluid loop, the fault required the immediate shutdown of the affected train.
Direct air capture infrastructure operates continuously under stringent process conditions. Prolonged unscheduled downtime or an inaccurate mechanical assessment threatened to delay the commissioning timeline of the remaining two trains. Inspecting the internal assembly required complete unit disassembly during an active shutdown. The operator evaluated two conventional remedies: procuring an entirely new heat exchanger or replacing the complete plate pack. Both approaches entailed extensive procurement lead times and high capital expenses for a recently inaugurated site.
Diagnostic Evaluation and Selection of Reconditioning
Following an initial technical review, an engineering team conducted an on-site evaluation to compare lead times, financial costs, and project milestone risks between full replacement and localized refurbishment.
The selected technical pathway was a premium reconditioning protocol instead of complete hardware replacement. Unlike basic mechanical cleaning, this reconditioning method included 100 percent dye penetrant inspection across every plate in the assembly, enabling full non-destructive evaluation of material micro-cracks and structural integrity. To prevent project interruptions during the repair cycle, an inventory of 100 spare plates was allocated simultaneously to replace any defective components identified during testing without initiating separate procurement cycles.
Root Cause Analysis and System Rehabilitation
Non-destructive testing and physical inspection identified the underlying cause of failure in the pre-commissioning phase: the inlet piping feeding the heat exchanger had not been fully flushed prior to initial start-up. Particulate accumulation caused progressive clogging on the utility side, while flow continued on the process side. The resulting differential pressure across the plates compromised the mechanical seal integrity and led to localized plate damage.
Technical Outcomes and Commissioning Lessons
The reconditioned heat exchanger returned to active service with validated mechanical integrity, maintaining the planned start-up schedule for the facility's subsequent processing trains.
The intervention demonstrated that standard commissioning protocols, such as complete pipeline flushing before fluid introduction, are essential for preventing differential pressure imbalances and premature component degradation in clean technology operations. Implementing comprehensive dye penetrant inspection during servicing allowed the plant operator to resolve mechanical defects without incurring the expense or lead time of complete equipment replacement.
Edited by Natania Lyngdoh, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.
www.alfalaval.com
Industry Sector: Carbon Removal, Clean Technology
Alfa Laval, a global provider of heat transfer and separation technologies, supplied process-loop plate heat exchangers and engineering maintenance services for a commercial-scale direct air capture plant in the United States. The modular facility, configured with four processing trains, is designed to capture ambient carbon dioxide at scale, with two initial units commissioned in 2025 and two additional trains scheduled for start-up in 2026.
Operational Failure in Process Solution Loops
Seven months after initial commissioning, one of the primary process solution heat exchangers developed an internal leak during winter operating conditions. Because the unit operated in a critical fluid loop, the fault required the immediate shutdown of the affected train.
Direct air capture infrastructure operates continuously under stringent process conditions. Prolonged unscheduled downtime or an inaccurate mechanical assessment threatened to delay the commissioning timeline of the remaining two trains. Inspecting the internal assembly required complete unit disassembly during an active shutdown. The operator evaluated two conventional remedies: procuring an entirely new heat exchanger or replacing the complete plate pack. Both approaches entailed extensive procurement lead times and high capital expenses for a recently inaugurated site.
Diagnostic Evaluation and Selection of Reconditioning
Following an initial technical review, an engineering team conducted an on-site evaluation to compare lead times, financial costs, and project milestone risks between full replacement and localized refurbishment.
The selected technical pathway was a premium reconditioning protocol instead of complete hardware replacement. Unlike basic mechanical cleaning, this reconditioning method included 100 percent dye penetrant inspection across every plate in the assembly, enabling full non-destructive evaluation of material micro-cracks and structural integrity. To prevent project interruptions during the repair cycle, an inventory of 100 spare plates was allocated simultaneously to replace any defective components identified during testing without initiating separate procurement cycles.
Root Cause Analysis and System Rehabilitation
Non-destructive testing and physical inspection identified the underlying cause of failure in the pre-commissioning phase: the inlet piping feeding the heat exchanger had not been fully flushed prior to initial start-up. Particulate accumulation caused progressive clogging on the utility side, while flow continued on the process side. The resulting differential pressure across the plates compromised the mechanical seal integrity and led to localized plate damage.
Technical Outcomes and Commissioning Lessons
The reconditioned heat exchanger returned to active service with validated mechanical integrity, maintaining the planned start-up schedule for the facility's subsequent processing trains.
The intervention demonstrated that standard commissioning protocols, such as complete pipeline flushing before fluid introduction, are essential for preventing differential pressure imbalances and premature component degradation in clean technology operations. Implementing comprehensive dye penetrant inspection during servicing allowed the plant operator to resolve mechanical defects without incurring the expense or lead time of complete equipment replacement.
Edited by Natania Lyngdoh, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.
www.alfalaval.com
