Dynamic Heat Exchanger Transient Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat exchangers experience performance degradation and efficiency losses during transient changes in flow rates or stream properties, leading to temperature deviations and potential safety or environmental hazards, limiting process agility and responsiveness.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of dynamic heat exchange methods and systems that manage heat transfer between streams by identifying changes in conditions and adjusting the addition or removal of material from upstream portions to maintain design temperatures, using storage tanks and control systems to balance heat transfer and reduce temperature deviations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional heat exchangers are used during transient changes in flow rates, then heat transfer occurs between streams, but temperature deviations occur and efficiency is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by adding or removing material from upstream portions of streams before transient changes fully affect the heat exchanger. This proactive material adjustment prepares the system to maintain design temperatures during flow rate changes, preventing temperature deviations before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary balancing stream that acts as a mediator between the hot and cold streams. This independent stream absorbs or supplies heat as needed, decoupling the direct heat transfer relationship between the primary streams and allowing independent optimization of each stream's temperature profile during transients.
2Productivity
If heat exchanger flow rates are changed rapidly to improve process agility, then process responsiveness increases, but temperature control stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring stream conditions and adjusting material addition/removal in upstream portions accordingly. This closed-loop control allows rapid flow rate changes while automatically correcting any temperature deviations, maintaining stability even during aggressive transients.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary material adjustments upstream before transient changes propagate through the heat exchanger. This advance preparation allows the system to anticipate and counteract temperature deviations, enabling rapid flow rate changes without sacrificing temperature control stability.
3Temperature
If material is added or removed from upstream portions to maintain design temperatures, then temperature control improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an independent balancing stream as an intermediary that simplifies the overall control architecture. Rather than complex multi-variable control of the primary hot and cold streams, the balancing stream acts as a dedicated temperature regulation mechanism, reducing control complexity while improving temperature maintenance.
4Ease of operation
If conventional heat exchanger operation is used, then simple operation is maintained, but temperature deviations create safety or environmental hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary material adjustments upstream to prevent temperature deviations before they occur. This proactive approach maintains simple heat exchanger operation while eliminating the safety and environmental hazards that would result from temperature excursions, as the preventive action occurs outside the main heat transfer path.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces temperature deviations to less than 1% of the potential deviation, maintaining heat exchanger efficiency and allowing for rapid process changes without compromising safety or environmental standards, thereby enhancing process agility and reducing the risk of hazards.
Implementation Method 1
exchanging heat between a first stream and a second stream
Implementation Method 2
heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between at least a first stream and a second stream
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
Methods of dynamically exchanging heat between two or more streams are disclosed herein, including methods for rapidly changing upstream conditions while reducing downstream temperature deviations. Systems for dynamically exchanging heat and methods of using the systems are disclosed herein, including systems for retrofitting an existing heat exchanger system and systems. Dynamic heat exchangers that may replace an existing heat exchanger are also disclosed herein.