I would like to ask the experts: how can the circulating water pressure in a distillation condenser be controlled in the best, most optimal, and perfect way? ! !
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In less than a year of operation, three condensers in our distillation unit broke down, all due to leaks in the tube bundles. Water flows in the shell side, while the material flows in the tube side. The circulating water supply valve is set to a very low opening, and the control valve assembly regulates the flow rate on the return pipeline. The shell side of all condensers is almost under vacuum, while the tube side pressure is 1.5 kilograms. I just don’t see what the advantage is of controlling things in this way ? ? Please give some advice – how should the pressure in this shell side be controlled to be optimal? It causes minimal damage to the equipment, while achieving optimal condensation results; it is energy-saving, efficient, and safe.
What is your distillation medium? Different media result in different control methods.
Is the water in your condenser in a closed-loop system? Cooling through vacuum flash evaporation? The piping pressure should have been determined during the process design. As for why your condenser broke down so quickly, I think it’s because you didn’t choose the right material at the design stage~
Where does the closed-loop cycle begin? There should be no problem with the material selection! ! ! It is about the control of the shell-side water pressure. Wouldn’t it be better to also control the shell-side pressure at around 1.5 kilograms?
Closed-loop cycle; water is cooled through a flash-like process! The material is fine; what’s the reason for the leakage? If all are designed to 1.5 kilograms, the piping pressure will indeed not be high~
First of all, it should be clear that the pressure in this heat exchanger is not high, and the pressure difference between the tube side and the shell side is also no problem; in other words, there are no issues with strength! Therefore, the cause of the leakage is likely to lie in the chlorosilane gas, which causes chemical corrosion to the equipment; in other words, the appropriate material was not chosen.
So what material would be better to choose?
In this case, it is necessary to analyze the causes and mechanisms of corrosion. Additionally, one can examine the structure of the corrosion-induced perforation to determine whether chemical corrosion is involved! If that’s the case, then ignoring the investment costs, one can choose acid-resistant steel and titanium materials.
The design pressure is not high, so there should be no problems. If corrosion occurs, the material used for the pipes should be changed to one that is resistant to corrosion; it’s advisable to conduct chemical tests as well. If leakage occurs on the side of the pipe box, composite panels can be used there, which can help reduce costs to some extent
Is the 316 material not suitable? 304 and 316 are the most commonly used in the polysilicon industry. The other identical units also use 316; it’s just that the shell-side pressure control is different. Also, will vacuuming the shell side affect the condensation effect?