stearyl coil fouling factor

[lindazuo]

1. I am trying to find fouling factor inside the coil for fatty fatty ester to do some heat transfer calculation. Does anyone know what figure I should use and where I can find such information.
2. where I can find information about how to check if the vessel diameter and vapor space is enough. The vessel use condensate to cool down three coils to produce 25 psi steam.

Thank you in advance

 

[dredrpeterson]

Dear Lindazuo,

Answer to question 1:

Large chain molecules behave similarly no matter what their chemical functionality, be they esters, alcohols, or alkanes. Be sure to get an idea of the viscosity. Brannan's book on Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers is a good place to get rough heat transfer coefficients for general process steps. Note that this will get you a start and a very general idea of what area you will need. Once you get the data on your materials, you can go to a number of designers of heat transfer equipment to get a refined answer.

That you coil will fit inside another piece of process equipment where a two pahse fluid will contact the coils makes the problem much more difficult. Is your flow forced or induced? Are your tubes going to be finned to maximize heat transfer area or will they be smooth wall to reduce fouling? There are more factors to condider, but a good vendor can talk you through the process.