Is a control valve needed for the reboiler condensate?
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Reboilers that use steam or other high-temperature gases for heating are equipped with flow meters and pressure gauges, as well as control valves on the steam or high-temperature gas pipelines, to adjust the amount of steam (gas) based on the temperature of the reactor； When steam flows through the shell side of a vertical reboiler, a control valve can also be installed on the condensate pipeline. A reboiler using liquid heating is employed, with a control valve installed on the pipeline for the heating liquid to regulate its flow rate based on the temperature of the heating liquid and the temperature of the reactor. In the requirements mentioned above, what does it mean to install control valves on the condensate water pipes? Is it necessary?
It’s quite clear: when vertical steam flows through the shell side, the control valve is installed on the condensate pipeline, and there’s no problem with that. It functions like an evaporator, controlling the liquid level of the hot water in the reboiler (or what’s known as the heat exchange area) in order to regulate the amount of heat exchanged.
I just found a document that says the same thing as you, and now things are clear at last. At first, I thought that a control valve was installed for the steam supply, and one was also installed for the condensate water.
Look at the picture in my reply. It’s not a temperature control valve; it’s a level control valve