2 replies to this topic

[rsk]

i have been assigned to validate the design of existing intercooler, please suggest me the approach.
what is more imporatant in intercooler design whether it is dew point below which air to be cooled or percetage of moisture to be removed.
regards

[Art Montemayor]

rsk:

You haven’t stated what gas it is that you are compressing; I have to assume it is air since you mention air in your second sentence.

The way you structure your query is not logical. You have inferred that there actually exist two means in checking out the design of a multi-stage compressor’s intercoolers. That is wrong. There is one method to check the design of intercoolers.

• You have to know the quantity and composition of the gas in question being compressed; You have to know the pressure and temperature conditions as well;
• You assume that the gas is saturated (at its actual conditions) as it exits the intercooler;
• You calculate a dewpoint content on the gas exiting the intercooler;
• The difference between the water content in the entering gas and the dewpoint content in the exiting gas is the amount of liquid water dropped out in the interstage phase separator.

Calculating the accurate water content of the gas using Dalton' Law of Partial Pressure is not easy because of the deviation away from ideality of the gas as the pressure increases. For air, there are water content charts that are commonly used to determine the water content of saturated air. Another way of doing it today that is more practical is that simulation programs can be used to do the actual calculations. This is probably the most used method today – if a simulation program is available.

[rkgupta]

Dear RSK,
Thank for Jedi given very good answer, by the way you can refer to KERN in this a very good example is solved for intercooler design.