Air-cooling for the gas separation unit installation
Thread Content
In this facility, the entire gas processing unit experiences overpressure during the summer, making it impossible for the circulating water to maintain the cooling effect in each tower; as a result, the facility’s processing capacity cannot reach the annual target. In particular, the pressure in the propylene column usually reaches values close to the set point of the safety valve, the purity of propylene is 99.96%, while the proportion of propylene in propane is as high as 21–22 percent. By utilizing personal ideas, an air cooler is added at the top of the propylene column and fed into the water cooler in a branched manner. I wonder if such an assumption is feasible? Dear colleagues, please help me analyze the following: 1. If air cooling is to be used, what type of air cooling would be most effective? What are the criteria for making such a choice and what are the relevant data analyses? 2. What is the safety factor associated with air cooling operation? 3. Do any of you have other better methods to reduce the temperature at the top of the propylene tower, while still ensuring product quality?
If water cooling cannot achieve the desired temperature, it is more reasonable to use an evaporative air cooling system in series with water cooling.
Why can’t the water be cooled down? Is the amount not enough? ! Can a pipeline pump be installed to increase the flow rate of the circulating water? ! !
There is a vicious cycle between the propylene return flow and the temperature after cooling. The circulating water volume must be low; therefore, the return flow volume is definitely high. What is the scale of the unit, what is the amount of propylene returning, and is there any deviation in flow?/
Thank you all for your suggestions, but later we opted for removing the insulation to lower the temperature after cooling, yet the results were not very satisfactory
If there was no air cooling in the original design, then it indicates a problem with water cooling. Measure the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the water cooling system at the top of the propylene tower ； Measure the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the other water-cooled components in the device; if it is less than 6°, reduce the amount of water circulating. Measure the temperature of the circulating water inlet device; if it is above 25°, there is a problem with the circulating water cooling system.
Measure the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the other water-cooled components in the device; if it is less than 6°, reduce the amount of water circulating. Hello, teacher. Your answer is great, but I’m not quite sure about this sentence. Could you please explain it in detail? Why is it 6 degrees, and whose flow rate needs to be reduced?
That part has insulation properties; its function is to retain heat in some cases and to prevent heat loss in other cases
Generally, the method used to reduce the flow rate of circulating water is by closing the outlet valve for the circulating water