Hexxcell Sponsors the 4th Topical Conference on Heat Exchangers at the AIChE Spring Meeting
Hexxcell was delighted to take part in the 4th Topical Conference on Heat Exchangers, held during the AIChE Spring Meeting in Houston in April 2026. The conference was chaired by our CEO, Dr Francesco Coletti, and Hexxcell was proud to contribute to the programme with six technical papers, while also supporting the event as a sponsor.
The Topical Conference on Heat Exchangers has become an important forum for the heat transfer community, bringing together experts from industry, academia, technology providers, and operating companies to discuss the latest developments in heat exchanger design, monitoring, operation, fouling mitigation, and performance optimisation. This year’s edition was the largest to date, reflecting the growing importance of efficient thermal systems in improving reliability, reducing energy consumption, and supporting industrial decarbonisation.
Across the conference, our team and collaborators presented work covering several key areas of Hexxcell’s expertise, including hybrid-AI digital twins, industrial fouling monitoring, predictive analytics, multiscale heat transfer modelling, and operational support for thermal assets.
Dr Monica Tirapelle, Applications Engineer at Hexxcell, presented on Hybrid-AI Digital Twins for Fouling Monitoring and Energy Management in Bioethanol Distillation, highlighting how advanced digital tools can support improved energy performance and asset management in complex separation systems.
Dr José Loyola Fuentes, Senior Data Scientist at Hexxcell, presented on Hybrid Modelling of Industrial Heat Transfer Systems across the Scales, addressing the role of physics-informed and data-driven approaches in understanding and predicting the behaviour of industrial heat transfer equipment.
Dr Emilio Diaz Bejarano, Head of R&D and Consulting at Hexxcell, contributed two presentations: From Challenges to Opportunities with Predictive Monitoring of Heat Exchanger-Distillation Units in Petrochemical Plants and Operational Support and Performance Assessment of Heat Exchangers across Turnaround Cycles. These papers focused on the practical application of predictive monitoring and performance assessment methods to support better operational decisions in process plants.
Dr C. B. Panchal of E3Tec Service presented a paper in collaboration with Dr Francesco Coletti, in honour of the late Professor Bott: To Foul or Not to Foul, That Is Still the Question. The contribution reflected on the enduring importance of fouling research and its continued relevance to the design, operation, and optimisation of heat transfer systems.
Lorenzo Ruzza, the Hexxcell-sponsored PhD student at the Università degli Studi di Padova under the supervision of Prof. Simone Mancin, presented on Calibrations of a Novel Setup for Water Fouling Measurements, contributing to the development of improved experimental methods for studying fouling phenomena.
The conference featured excellent technical content, strong participation, and lively discussion across the sessions. It was particularly encouraging to see such broad engagement around topics that are central to Hexxcell’s mission: helping industrial operators improve the performance, reliability, and energy efficiency of their heat transfer systems through rigorous engineering, advanced modelling, and practical digital solutions.
We were very pleased to contribute to the programme and to engage with so many colleagues from across industry and academia. Events such as the AIChE Spring Meeting provide an important opportunity to exchange ideas, share lessons from industrial applications, and strengthen collaboration across the heat transfer community.
A sincere thank you to all participants, speakers, organisers, sponsors, and session chairs for making this such a valuable and enjoyable event.