Ensuring Uninterrupted Quality with Alfa Laval Contherm® Scraped-Surface Heat Exchangers

A Message from Your Product Manager at Nelson-Jameson: For our partners in food manufacturing, dairy processing, and cheesemaking, process continuity is everything. When you are handling viscous, sticky, or heat-sensitive ingredients—like specialty sauces, cream cheeses, or fruit preparations—equipment fouling or unexpected downtime is simple.

That is why I am thrilled to announce Nelson-Jameson’s expanded partnership with Alfa Laval. We are now an Authorized Service Provider and Distributor of the industry-leading Alfa Laval Contherm line of scraped-surface heat exchangers (SSHEs). This means we are your local resource for everything from initial sizing and new unit pricing to essential spare parts and expert preventative maintenance.

The Contherm advantage: Handling your most challenging products

The Contherm range of scraped-surface heat exchangers is designed to ensure the removal of the fouling layer normally associated with viscous and sticky products, while optimizing the integrity of particulates. Contherm units are fully capable of meeting production demands and dealing with products where other types of heat exchangers are known to clog or foul.

This technology is vital because it ensures continuous production and uniform heat transfer, playing a critical role in profitability.

Contherm is ideally suited for difficult applications common in the food and dairy sectors, including:

• Viscous products: Ketchup, mayonnaise, hummus, fruit pie fillings, gravies and sauces, sandwich spreads, baby food, and puddings.
• Sticky products: Caramel, cheese sauces, processed cheese, confectionery, and starch.
• Heat sensitive products: Egg products, meat emulsions, fruit preparations and purées, cream cheeses, and whey proteins.
• Particulate products: Jams and preserves, yogurt fruits, rice pudding, and vegetable pieces.

Furthermore, the design of the Contherm range is based on aseptic technology that complies with stringent international hygiene standards, including USDA and 3A.

Customized solutions: Sizing and distribution

Alfa Laval offers a complete range of both single- and double-wall scraped-surface heat exchangers. Because customers’ processes are not identical, the Contherm portfolio offers several models tailored to specific needs:

• Contherm core: An economical solution for low to medium-viscosity and/or fouling products, offering a simplified design.
• Traditional Contherm: Made for medium- to extremely high-viscosity and/or fouling products, ideal for applications requiring mixing and shear, and customizable with various materials and features.
• Contherm max: A unique double-wall SSHE offering significantly more surface area and production throughput—the thermal equivalent of three traditional single-wall units—and particularly suited for processing shear-sensitive products or those with large particulates.

As an authorized distributor, Nelson-Jameson can assist with the initial sizing and pricing of new units. We provide access to the expertise needed to customize each unit by selecting the appropriate materials, features, and options to meet your exact requirements.

Securing your uptime: Service and preventative maintenance

In high-volume processing environments, the cost of unplanned downtime is staggering. That’s why our role as an authorized service provider is so critical. Preventative maintenance (PM) is the safest, most cost-effective way to care for your equipment, helping you to plan your operating budget and your downtime. By following a regular PM schedule, the risk of breakdowns due to component failure is virtually eliminated, and operating costs are lower in the long term.

We offer comprehensive support for your existing or new Contherm equipment:

1. Genuine OEM spare parts: We supply spare parts for the complete Contherm range.
2. Service kits: We can supply Alfa Laval Service Kits, which bundle all necessary spare parts for a specific operation under one part number, simplifying stock management and reducing costs compared to ordering individual items. These kits include components like standard and aseptic seal assemblies, O-rings, and bearing assemblies.
3. Preventative maintenance support: We can assist you in establishing periodic maintenance schedules, such as inspecting and lubricating O-rings each time the unit is opened, or replacing product seals and blades at six-month intervals. Regular lower bearing inspection and replacement is noted as essential to avoid costly damage to the rotor, cylinder, and blades.

The Contherm line is known for its reliability and capability, ensuring that as long as a product can be pumped, a Contherm scraped-surface heat exchanger can handle it. Now, with Nelson-Jameson’s dedicated support for distribution, sizing, parts, and service, you have a local partner ready to help you maintain that robust performance.

Ready to secure your asset health, prevent costly breakdowns, and optimize your production lines?

Nelson-Jameson: Your partner in preventative maintenance

Get in touch with us today to discuss initial sizing and pricing for new Contherm units, or to set up a comprehensive preventative maintenance program supported by genuine Alfa Laval spare parts.