IMB, now integrated within Chart Industries, is an Italian company recognised for its experience in special heat exchangers for refining, petrochemical, fertilisers and chemical processes, with a particularly solid position in high-pressure, high-temperature, critical welding and special metallurgy services. Chart highlights IMB precisely for its ability to respond to complex heat exchange requirements in applications where thermal performance, maintainability and mechanical integrity must be resolved simultaneously.
IMB’s offering is structured around several clearly differentiated solutions. Firstly, hairpin heat exchangers represent one of its most characteristic technologies and are positioned as the most efficient option when the process demands a temperature cross, owing to their true counter-current flow operation. This geometry is particularly suitable for services with high temperature differentials, thermal cycling, complete vaporisation, presence of solids or very unbalanced shell-to-tube flow ratios.
Secondly, IMB manufactures LABLEX® equipment (Lummus Advanced Breech-Lock Exchanger®), a solution aimed at very high pressure and temperature applications, such as hydrocracking, hydrotreating, gas compression, ammonia/urea or methanol synthesis with hydrogen-rich streams. IMB’s advanced design eliminates the large front flange and part of the bolting typical of conventional high-pressure designs, allowing reduction in size and weight while simultaneously improving maintenance behaviour and sealing under transient conditions.
Another differentiating solution is SPINTUBE™, designed for revamping shell & tube TEMA heat exchangers via high-performance replacement bundles. According to Chart, this technology can deliver improvements of up to 40% in thermal performance, along with lower pressure drop and elimination of flow-induced vibration problems, making it a particularly valuable tool for debottlenecking and capacity increase without replacing the existing shell.
The offering is completed by bolt-in shell & tube heat exchangers and other special heat transfer and process equipment, as well as thermal and mechanical optimisation services, installation, commissioning and full life-cycle support. Overall, IMB provides the value of a manufacturer capable of combining new solutions, retrofit and specialised technical support in the most critical process services.