Top of tower condenser baffle
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I have a question for everyone. In the distillation tower of my company, there is no reflux at the top of the tower; the reflux pipelines and other operational elements are all functioning normally. However, there is a high pressure drop in the area between the tower top and the vacuum pump. After checking the pipelines, no problems were found. Eventually, it was discovered that the gas flow in the heat exchanger’s baffle plates moves vertically rather than horizontally as it should. Is it possible that the excessive condensation creates liquid, which is then blocked by the baffle plates, resulting in liquid resistance and thus a high pressure drop? The openings at the bottom of the baffle plates are of standard design.
For horizontal condensers, it is generally better to arrange them side by side
The baffles in horizontal condensers are usually arranged left and right, with a large spacing between them to facilitate liquid drainage. The impact of baffles arranged vertically on the resistance depends on the proportion of condensate; I guess most of the condensation occurs in your tower, which does have an effect on the pressure drop. Pressure gauges can be installed before and after the condenser; choose ones with a smaller range but higher precision. Conduct actual measurements – generally, there are access ports available before and after cooling equipment, which can be used to determine the appropriate values. Additionally, if the pipeline contains a two-phase mixture of vapor and liquid, this can also affect the resistance!
Cutting the baffle of a two-phase fluid vertically clearly violates the provisions of 151!
For horizontal condensation, it is generally better to arrange them side by side, but the resistance is high due to the rapid flow velocity of gas under vacuum, which results in a large pressure drop.
The arrangement above and below affects the heat exchange efficiency :)
Arranging the baffle plates vertically hinders the flow of the condensate. Additionally, due to steam condensation, the pressure in the condenser is lower than that at the top of the tower and inside the tower, which prevents the liquid from flowing back to the top of the tower. It is recommended to change the arrangement of the baffle plates to a horizontal layout. I agree with the opinion expressed on the third floor; pressure gauges can be used for monitoring. Additionally, a pressure relief valve can be installed in the condenser to regulate its pressure, thereby allowing the condensate to flow back. This approach should be able to resolve the problem mentioned by the original poster temporarily.