Alfa Laval just published a brand new edition of the company’s renowned Pump Handbook. The 375-page handbook is free and contains scholarly information on basic pump functionality and in-depth guidelines for sizing and selecting the right pump type for optimum efficiency. The handbook is packed with real-life examples to increase its user-friendliness.

The first edition of the Alfa Laval Pump Handbook was published 25 years ago and soon became part of the syllabus at engineering schools around the world. The book also found its way into manufacturing sites, serving as a reference work to technicians in the daily operation of fluid handling processes.

Up-to-date on pump technology

Over the years, the handbook has gone through minor revisions, and in 2023, a major overhaul was undertaken to make the handbook up-to-date on the most recent technologies.

“We have worked hard to provide the global pump community with the most recent knowledge about pump functionality and leading-edge technologies that enhance pump efficiency to meet the sustainability agenda of societies and industries. Pumps are among the most power consuming devices in fluid handling processes, and the potential for energy savings is big, when you select the right pump from the start and maintain it along the way,” says Lars Sørensen, Manager, Product Management at Alfa Laval.

The authors of the book are all experienced pump engineers with extensive theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience from pump installations and training of technical staff in fluid handling industries.

Available online

The handbook is free and available online. It can be downloaded from www.alfalaval/PumpHandbook and contains a series of videos on for instance pump functionality, troubleshooting and maintenance guidelines.

The main chapters of the handbook comprise:

• Basic theory on pumping applications
• Pump types for different applications
• Pump sizing for maximum efficiency
• Pump specification
• Pump motors
• Troubleshooting
• Technical data and formulas

Building upon the successful partnership established in 2022 (with the aim to produce the first heat exchanger made with fossil-free steel) Alfa Laval will now incorporate SSAB’s unique fossil carbon emission free and recycled steel (SSAB Zero™), into its heat exchangers. This represents an important milestone towards achieving a global carbon neutral supply chain.

Key highlights:

• Tackling global carbon emissions: Steel production accounts for 7 percent of the world’s carbon emissions, making it a critical industry in the fight against climate change. The collaboration between Alfa Laval and SSAB aims to address this challenge, with emissions being predominantly generated from a limited number of locations.
• Reducing carbon footprint: By integrating SSAB’s fossil carbon emission free, recycled steel, produced through renewable-based processes, into Alfa Laval’s heat exchangers, the collaboration takes an important step towards achieving a global carbon neutral supply chain.
• Double impact on global emissions: Initially more than 100 heat exchangers will be delivered this year – and significantly more the coming years. These heat exchangers will be deployed to improve energy efficiency in numerous areas such as HVAC, marine, process and food industries.

“Alfa Laval’s commitment to sustainability is further strengthened through our collaboration with SSAB,” says Thomas Møller, President of the Energy Division at Alfa Laval. “By incorporating their recycled steel in our heat exchangers, we are not only reducing our own carbon footprint but also driving the entire value chain towards a cleaner and more sustainable future.”

”SSAB is really accelerating the roll-out of zero-emission steel with our newest product SSAB Zero,” says Thomas Hörnfeldt, Head of Sustainable Business at SSAB. “We are now expanding our partnership with Alfa Laval to include SSAB Zero, and can look forward to visible results already this year. This is great news, and also allows us to help mitigate climate change even faster.”

Alfa Laval has signed a partner agreement with Wayout International, a Swedish innovation company, to develop micro-factories for local and sustainable production of water and other beverages. The micro-factories will use Alfa Laval technology and be built at the company’s site in Copenhagen, Denmark. The agreement covers the production of up to 100 micro-factories, and the partnership starts in 2022.

Today more than 2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Wayout’s micro-factories can treat all types of water and remineralize it to produce high quality drinking water. The fully automated plug-and-play system is powered by solar panels. Producing water locally addresses the challenges of bottling, logistics, and distribution, and reduces the generation of plastic waste.

The partner agreement includes the production of two different micro-factory concepts: one for drinking water and another for brewed beverages.

“This partnership combines Alfa Laval’s technological expertise with Wayout’s innovative processes to accelerate sustainable solutions,” says Nish Patel, President of the Food & Water Division. “It addresses a globally important issue – access to safe drinking water – and we are very pleased our technology is part of the solution.”

Did you know … One micro-factory can produce 70,000 litres of drinking water each month, preventing up to 200,000 plastic bottles and 8 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the eco system.

About Wayout
Wayout was founded in Stockholm in 2018 by a group of entrepreneurs within process engineering, IT/IoT, and tech innovation. Their micro-factories are offered to organizations and entrepreneurs that see the opportunities in locally producing beverages with a minimal eco-footprint.