solids in the heat exchanger

[bragamor]

Dear All,

One of our exchanger builds solids every 1-2 months and we have to clean it regularly. Does anybody know what is the best way to prevent the formation of these solids?

The exchanger is a shell and tube heat exchanger

Best regards

 

[ash9144]

You'll need to provide a lot more information if you want a useful answer. Or you can just go with useless answers.
Like this, just make the solid stuff stay in solution until it leaves the exchanger.

 

[Latexman]

Start with - what is the application, chemistry, and temperatures! The more detail the better.

Good luck,
Latexman

 

[bragamor]

you are correct...

This exchanger is in 180,000 gallon reactor where we normally run petroleum based products at temperatures of 400-450F. As mentioned before the exchanger is a shell a tube exchager of 3000square feet and we are using hot oil (exxon caloria at 500F) to heat the product.

The flow at the shell side is aproximately 600gpm and I do not know for sure the flow at the product side.

 

[rmw]

You still need to give more details. What kind of "petroleum products"? Crude oil, bottoms, gear oil, huh?

What is the Hx shell size and connection sizes?

Are we to assume that the plugging is happening on the shell side, or is it the hot oil side?

rmw

 

[ione]

Take a look at the link below

http://www.aiche-chicago.org/symposium06/appendix/krueger.pdf

 

[jmw]

Are you heating?
If heating, are you getting local hotspots? Carbonising/cracking the oil on the surface?
What is different about this heat exchanger?
Is it getting the same service fluids at the same conditions as the others? Or is it closer to the hot fluid source so that the same heat transfer occurs from lower flow-rates of hotter fluids?

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[Rocco8]

Take a look at this self cleaning heat exchanger.

http://www.rccostello.com/Costello-Klaren-web.html

Fill out the questionnaire and email in.

They must be mounted in a vertical position and they circulate chopped wire that is the same metallurgy as the tubes. This wire scours the tubes clean. Thus particulates are minute and go out with the product.

There are many case studies and applications around the world.