Regarding the issue of condenser freezing and blockage
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Our facility has 2 distillation units, both mounted on the exterior wall of the factory building; the condensers are about 15 meters tall. All are cooled by circulating water. Since the water pressure in the main pipeline is not very high, a pipeline pump is installed on the inlet pipe of the condenser. Before the New Year, one of the condensers became frozen due to problems with the pipeline pump; when work resumed after the holidays, it was found that another condenser had also frozen. A preliminary inspection showed that there were no issues with the pipeline pump. Dear sea friends, have you encountered similar problems? (Our facility is located in Daqing; the lowest temperature at night is -28 degrees. The pipes for water inlet and outlet of the condenser have a diameter of 50 mm.) This post was last edited by pcren2008 on 2009-2-19 at 20:56.]
No, for situations like this, we implement thorough preventive measures, such as improving water pressure to ensure an adequate flow rate, installing pressure gauges for better monitoring, and quickly draining the water remaining in the condenser when it is shut down.
It’s not clear whether it refers to the cooling water in the condenser freezing or the material inside the condenser freezing. If the cooling water in the condenser freezes, it is recommended to (1) apply insulation around the outside of the condenser； (2) Increase pipeline pressure: The melting point of ice is inversely proportional to pressure; higher pressure results in a lower melting point ； (3) Antifreeze is added to circulating water; there are companies that specialize in producing antifreeze for circulating water ； (4) Add heat tracing pipes to the condenser. If the material inside the condenser freezes, it is recommended to reduce the flow rate at the inlet valve for the circulating water, or add steam heating pipes to the condenser.
Adding antifreeze to the circulating water is one solution; it is also necessary to insulate the pumps and pipes properly. When the system is shut down, the water inside the pumps and pipes must be drained, otherwise freezing could cause the pumps and pipes to burst.
If it’s too cold in winter, consider insulation to prevent freezing.
Any pipes/equipment that are not in use need to be emptied. A high flow rate of water is required; if the flow rate starts to decrease, a rubber steam hose can be used to wrap around the pipes/equipment. If it’s already frozen, there’s nothing that can be done. Thank you all for your hard work! Start the segmentation from the lowest point, and gradually melt the ice to allow water to drain.