What’s wrong with the condenser? !
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Our company installed two set of interstage fractionation towers for fatty acid methyl esters last year. However, for some reason, the condensers in both sets keep leaking – at the lower part of the condensers, the welds at the tube sheet are the main points of leakage. Our methyl ester is methyl cocoate. I would like to ask the experts: what is the reason for this? (It always leaks after producing a dozen or so batches, and the condenser has a 304 stainless steel shell with tube bundles.)
Here are a few suggestions: 1. To determine whether the material will corrode 304 steel, it is recommended to conduct coupon testing; several different materials can be used for this purpose. 2. Contact the manufacturer to find out the manufacturing process used for the condenser tubes – some processes involve pressing first and then welding, while others involve welding first and then pressing; each process has its own disadvantages. 3. Is your distillation tower of the internal recirculation type or external recirculation type? Is there a possibility of erosion corrosion?