StoneCold
Chemical
- Mar 11, 2003
- 992
I am in a quandry about wether or not to buy a direct steam injection unit (Pick heater)or go with a Plate and Frame heat exchanger package. The service is for a hot water loop on a reactor. The water in the jacket is maintained near 65C as a gentle heat source for a vacuum distillation that is going on in the reactor.
I have estimated the load to be about 125,000 Btu/hr.
The 125,000 Btu/hr is the design load for the exhanger and the Pick heater is an off the shelf size and it will do about 700,000 Btu/hr.
Neither unit is very expensive. The Pick heater is about $8500 and the Plate and Frame unit is about $17000. The units are very similar except one is direct injection and one is a heat exchanger using steam. Both unit have a control valve and controller and a small centrifical pump that delivers about 30 GPM.
I have never seen or owned a direct injection unit. I like the concept, cost, and extra capacity, but I am worried about turn down. The load on both units will drop significantly as the material in the reactor aproaches 65C. The Plate and frame unit is has a condensate pump/trap to help with the turn down the pick heater does not.
I also would have to send my loop expansion water back to my cooling tower which messes up my cooling water chemistry some.
Opinions?
Experience?
Thanks
StoneCold
I have estimated the load to be about 125,000 Btu/hr.
The 125,000 Btu/hr is the design load for the exhanger and the Pick heater is an off the shelf size and it will do about 700,000 Btu/hr.
Neither unit is very expensive. The Pick heater is about $8500 and the Plate and Frame unit is about $17000. The units are very similar except one is direct injection and one is a heat exchanger using steam. Both unit have a control valve and controller and a small centrifical pump that delivers about 30 GPM.
I have never seen or owned a direct injection unit. I like the concept, cost, and extra capacity, but I am worried about turn down. The load on both units will drop significantly as the material in the reactor aproaches 65C. The Plate and frame unit is has a condensate pump/trap to help with the turn down the pick heater does not.
I also would have to send my loop expansion water back to my cooling tower which messes up my cooling water chemistry some.
Opinions?
Experience?
Thanks
StoneCold