Heavy oil heat exchanger
Thread Content
For the backup heavy oil heat exchanger, its tube side should be filled with light oil; the inlet valve should be fully closed while the outlet valve should be slightly open, to keep it in standby mode. What I want to know is, can it be kept preheated and in standby mode by simply opening the outlet valve?
This post was last edited by wyt1234 on 2010-10-15 09:31. Leaving the outlet valve slightly open and allowing light oil to fill the pipe side will not provide any protection for the heat exchanger； The outlet valve is closed to put it in standby mode, with a bypass for the shell side.
What does it mean to slightly open the outlet valve of the heavy oil heat exchanger as a backup? Is the tube side filled with light oil, and is it preheated through the shell side? What’s the point of leaving it slightly open then, to prevent pressure buildup? Our heavy oil heat exchanger is backed up by steam purging.
Slightly opening the outlet valve is probably to prevent pressure buildup due to temperature changes.
Is the outlet valve left slightly open to prevent hot oil from entering the shell side and causing pressure buildup in the tube side at the moment of startup?
Over time, will the light oil replace the heavy oil at the outlet valve?