Discussion on the issue of the condenser not performing heat exchange
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This post was last edited by Catalyzing a Grain on 2018-4-25 at 22:49. I work in a chemical plant; my knowledge is limited, and there’s a problem I’ve been struggling to understand. I hope to get some clarification. This process unit is equipped with a condenser; circulating water flows through the tubes of the condenser, with an inlet temperature of 25°C and an outlet temperature of 28°C. However, the inlet temperature of the shell side is 92°C, while the outlet temperature is 85°C.
1. The new possible heat exchange area may not be sufficient； 2. After being in use for some time, scaling or a short circuit in the cooling water may occur.
What exactly is unclear? Is it because the equipment does not meet the requirements and lacks sufficient condensing capacity? As long as the condensation volume meets the operational requirements, there will be no problems. The heat exchange area of this condenser model you have chosen has a large margin, resulting in strong heat exchange capacity.
For the condenser, it still depends on whether the amount of condensation is sufficient? Temperature is not a key indicator; sufficient condensation volume indicates that there is no issue with heat exchange.
Based on the temperature you provided, it should be fine. Is there any other information?
If the heat exchange area is insufficient, shouldn’t the return temperature of my circulating water rise significantly?
Why hasn’t my return water temperature increased significantly? The heat exchange area is around 120 square meters
It’s because the hot material hasn’t been cooled to the desired temperature; it seems as though there is no heat exchange taking place. If the heat exchange area of the heat exchanger is small, shouldn’t the temperature of the circulating water be very high?
It depends on the type of heat exchanger; if it’s a shell-and-tube type, one must also consider whether the circulating water is flowing along a short circuit. Also, there is the issue mentioned above regarding whether the water circulation volume and heat exchange area are sufficient.
Generally, circulating water is used in the shell side. The pipeline transports materials