Keeping industrial processes running efficiently, consistently, and sustainably
Energy efficiency is one of the most important factors in improving industrial competitiveness and reducing environmental impact. While much of the attention is focused on new technologies, electrification, and alternative energy sources, significant energy-saving opportunities exist within industrial processes already in operation. Maintaining clean equipment, stable process conditions, and efficient heat transfer can substantially improve how effectively energy is utilized.
Altum Technologies addresses these opportunities through its innovative, non-intrusive power ultrasound solution, designed to prevent and reduce fouling and scaling in industrial process equipment. By keeping critical process surfaces cleaner and operations running more efficiently, the technology helps industries reduce avoidable energy consumption, improve productivity, and optimize the performance of existing assets.
The hidden energy cost of fouling and scaling
In many industrial processes, fouling and scaling gradually accumulate on heat-transfer surfaces, inside pipelines, and in other critical equipment. These deposits create thermal resistance, restrict flow, and reduce overall process efficiency. As a result, more energy is required to maintain the same production output.
In heat exchangers and evaporators, even relatively thin deposits can significantly impair heat transfer, increasing the energy needed to achieve the required heating, cooling, or evaporation performance. In pipelines and circulation systems, restrictions caused by deposits can increase pressure losses and pumping requirements.
These inefficiencies often develop gradually and become accepted as part of normal operations. However, their cumulative effect can be substantial, resulting in higher energy consumption, reduced production capacity, increased maintenance requirements, and unnecessary operating costs.
Maintaining efficiency with power ultrasound
Altum’s software-controlled power ultrasound technology provides an alternative approach to managing these challenges. Installed externally on existing equipment, the solution uses precisely controlled ultrasonic energy to prevent or reduce deposit formation without introducing chemicals or requiring changes to the process flow.
By reducing fouling and scaling, Altum helps maintain more efficient heat transfer, stable flow conditions, and consistent equipment performance. Instead of allowing process efficiency to deteriorate between cleaning cycles, the technology aims to maintain favorable operating conditions continuously.
The energy-efficiency benefit comes not only from reducing deposits but from enabling the entire process to operate closer to its intended performance level.
Cleaner heat-transfer surfaces can reduce unnecessary energy demand, while improved flow conditions can lower pumping requirements where deposits have increased hydraulic resistance. More stable operations can also reduce the need for energy-intensive cleaning procedures, repeated shutdowns, and process restarts.
Importantly, improved process efficiency can also increase production capacity without requiring a corresponding increase in energy consumption. This creates opportunities to reduce specific energy consumption — the amount of energy required per unit of production — while making better use of existing infrastructure.
Energy efficiency and sustainability go hand in hand
The benefits extend beyond direct energy savings. Reduced fouling can mean fewer cleaning cycles, lower chemical and water consumption, less maintenance, and longer periods of uninterrupted production. Together, these improvements can reduce operating costs and the environmental footprint of industrial operations.
By improving the efficiency of existing equipment, Altum also supports resource efficiency and can help postpone or reduce the need for additional process equipment investments.
More output from existing resources. Ultimately, industrial energy efficiency is about achieving more with less. Altum’s power ultrasound technology supports this objective by addressing the operational inefficiencies that prevent industrial processes from performing at their best.
By maintaining cleaner processes, more stable operations, and consistently efficient equipment performance, Altum helps industries turn energy efficiency from an occasional improvement into a continuous operational advantage.
We’d be glad to review your process with you and help identify what fouling may be costing your process in energy, chemicals, and emissions and how a prevention-first approach could improve it. Contact us to discuss your operational hurdles.
