dcasto
Chemical
- Jul 7, 2001
- 3,570
I first came across some old (circa 1950's) distillation columns that had the water exchangers on top of the column. Water was pumped up to them and the condensed (iso-pentanes) just gravity flowed back to the column.
I then came across a similar deethanizer column with a intergal chiller. The tower was in a yard laying down. The attached drawing deplicts how I decided it must be installed.
The chiller bundle was a u-tube type. Propane (flashed) liquid enters one side and vaporized C3 vapors the other. The tube bundle was bolted to a top flange on the tower. The tower had a ID od 24 inches and the bundle had a 23" OD.
My theory is that by setting the pressure of the propane to be 30 psia, i knew that at a 10 degreeF product overhead temp, all the propane would be heated above its dew point of -20F.
I didn't show the reboiler or dump system on the propane outlet seperator in the diagram. I had the level controler set to override the Pressure Controller an close the valve that allowed C3 to enter the chiller.
AM I way off base? Has anyone else run this type tower?
I then came across a similar deethanizer column with a intergal chiller. The tower was in a yard laying down. The attached drawing deplicts how I decided it must be installed.
The chiller bundle was a u-tube type. Propane (flashed) liquid enters one side and vaporized C3 vapors the other. The tube bundle was bolted to a top flange on the tower. The tower had a ID od 24 inches and the bundle had a 23" OD.
My theory is that by setting the pressure of the propane to be 30 psia, i knew that at a 10 degreeF product overhead temp, all the propane would be heated above its dew point of -20F.
I didn't show the reboiler or dump system on the propane outlet seperator in the diagram. I had the level controler set to override the Pressure Controller an close the valve that allowed C3 to enter the chiller.
AM I way off base? Has anyone else run this type tower?