How to determine if a heat exchanger is leaking.
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The pressure at the bottom of the distillation tower is 0.63 MPa, while the pressure of the heat exchange steam is 0.7–0.8 MPa. May I ask the teachers, if there is a leak in the heat exchanger, will it leak into the condensate system? Then why is the conductivity of the steam return water greater than that of the steam?
It can be viewed through various parameters~~ such as pressure and temperature~~; the composition of the product can also be analyzed, and any excess moisture content can be detected~~
When the steam control valve is located at the inlet of the heat exchanger, the pressure of the condensate water inside the heat exchanger is often much lower than the pressure of the steam.
What you say reflects the actual situation. Theoretically, when discussing such issues, the source of the pipeline is still taken into consideration to determine whether there are any leaks… Generally, it depends on which side has lower pressure; the fluid with the lower pressure will flow into the other side. In the case mentioned, steam would likely flow into the tower. At that point, it’s necessary to check whether the overall pressure and temperature levels in the distillation tower differ from those under normal operating conditions, as well as whether there are any abnormalities in the purity or water content of the product. In practice, after the steam passes through the control valve, its pressure tends to be lower, and it’s possible that the steam pressure at the bottom of the tower and in the heat exchanger is not very different. This could lead to one stream flowing into the other. It’s possible to check the quality of the water on the condensate side. As for what Ban Da said regarding the conductivity of condensate being higher than that of steam… Generally, condensate pipelines are made of carbon steel, and since they have many pathways through which fluid flows, there’s a higher likelihood of iron ions being present. So, this isn’t necessarily an accurate indicator. PS: Your conductivity measurement is taken using an online instrument, right? Perhaps what seems to be a “high” value actually falls within the instrument’s acceptable error range. To be sure, it’s better to take samples for comparison, as this makes it easier to determine the actual situation
If the material leaks into the condensate water, the COD level will definitely rise significantly; measuring conductivity is not as reliable as measuring COD.
The steam pressure in the pipeline system does not represent the pressure of the steam as it enters the heat exchanger; often, the pressure drops significantly after the steam enters the heat exchanger and condenses, and in some cases it even approaches atmospheric pressure after cooling. Therefore, it is normal for materials to leak into the condensate.
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After the heat exchanger is the gas-liquid separation tank; there is no pressure valve to control it, and a pressure gauge is installed on it, showing a pressure that is roughly the same as that of the steam entering the heat exchanger. Normally, it should be high voltage followed by low voltage. The possibility of inaccurate instrument readings was also considered; calibration checks showed that the errors were within normal limits. It’s quite strange. Could there be some substances that are not easily soluble in saturated steam, and that are released when the temperature drops? This situation is not continuous; we use the low-pressure steam generated by the secondary flash evaporation of the synthetic waste boiler.