The issue of cold fluid flow direction in directly steam-heated vertical shell-and-tube vaporizers
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I have some doubts regarding the flow diagram; it shows a vertical shell-and-tube steam vaporizer. The issue is that steam enters from above while condensed water exits from below. Similarly, the cold fluid in the condenser also enters from above and exits from below. The problem is that a large amount of gas is generated during vaporization, and this gas moves upward. I think this arrangement of flow directions isn’t good, as the interaction between gas and liquid could cause significant vibrations. Why can’t the cold fluid flow from below? In that case, the vaporized gas would exit directly from above. What’s the design like for vaporizers in general?
There is also the issue regarding the vaporizer: is it better for steam to flow through the tube side, or for the fluid that has been vaporized to flow through the shell side? Personally, I think it’s better for steam to flow through the tube side while the vaporized fluid flows through the shell side. It would be great if someone could send me the equipment diagram of the vaporizer so I can take a closer look
Is yours 100% vaporization?
I encountered this once in a car’s air-conditioning compressor cooling system: after the refrigerant vaporizes, it enters the compressor. To prevent liquid refrigerant from entering the compressor, the refrigerant flows in from below and out from above the plate heat exchanger (which is called the evaporator).
There’s no 100%, because there’s a superheater behind it
I checked later, and in several vaporizer designs, the liquid to be vaporized enters from below while the vaporized gas exits from above. Of course, this is just a matter of preference, not right or wrong