Installation issues for inlet and outlet flow meters of the shell-side fluid in vertical heat exchangers?

Thread Content

The fluid flowing in the shell side of the vertical heat exchanger is circulating water, a refrigerant, or heat transfer oil, while the fluid in the tube side is a polysilicon mixture gas. Fluid enters from the bottom side and exits from the top side of the shell; the inlet pipeline is equipped with a gate valve, a safety valve, temperature and pressure controls, as well as a balance valve. The outlet pipeline has a temperature sensor, a rotameter, and a gate valve. Since the equipment is mounted on the floor, the outlet is at a higher height, so it needs to be connected downward. However, the rotameter requires fluid to enter from the bottom and exit from the top. Question: Can the flow meter at the outlet be installed at the inlet instead? In my personal opinion, it’s fine; after all, the flow rates for import and export are the same, and both involve fluids, so there shouldn’t be much impact. Is there anyone who can help answer this question? Thank you! Since it’s a flowchart provided by a foreigner, our colleagues don’t dare to draw any conclusions. We try to make as few changes as possible to what the foreigner has designed. But the problem is that if it’s placed at the exit, I’ll have to make a U-turn to get around it. There are many devices of this kind, and if all of them require such turns, the cost will increase significantly, and it won’t look good either. Problems need to be solved; only by proving that it’s unreasonable to place it at the inlet can I be convinced to change my mind. Otherwise, those people will blame us designers