2 replies to this topic

Hello,

I am working with a shell and tube heat exchanger and am looking for a way to reduce fouling. It has hydrocarbon vapours going on the shell side and cooling water on the tube side, condensing the vapours. What has been proposed to me is to install wash oil nozzles on the exchanger to essentially wash the foulant off of the tubes (while the heat exchanger is online). We use this wash oil in other applications in the plant (upstream of this heat exchanger is one place) , I was just curious if anyone on here has ever come across anything like this before, and could maybe give me some pointers in the design of the nozzles, etc...

Thanks.

[process equipment]

Hi there.

What type of STHE you are using ..is HC vapour more fouled than CW ..
I was wandering if you can increase the Shell inlet velocity to reduce fouling effect taken the pressure drop into account. I'm surprised about the wash off nozzle ..never heard of that.

I'm also fresh graduate process engineer dealing with heat exchangers design and is not that easy..

Cheers

Hi there.

What type of STHE you are using ..is HC vapour more fouled than CW ..
I was wandering if you can increase the Shell inlet velocity to reduce fouling effect taken the pressure drop into account. I'm surprised about the wash off nozzle ..never heard of that.

I'm also fresh graduate process engineer dealing with heat exchangers design and is not that easy..

Cheers

Thanks for replying. They're TEMA type heat exchangers. The HC side is much more fouled than the CW side. About increasing the shell inlet velocity...I have thought of that, but the heat transfer side of things would hurt quite a bit from the velocity it would take to dislodge the foulant off the tubes. Good suggestion though, I may revisit it. I have an idea what I'm going to do with my wash oil nozzles, I know it's not something that's very common I was just wondering if there was anyone out there who had come across them before.

I'm fairly new into the industry as well, and have done a little work with STHE's I can definitely back up your statement that their design is not trivial (at least for those of us who haven't been around them for 30 years and know them inside out).