Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger Outlet Closure for Corrosion Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shell-and-tube heat exchangers face issues with corrosion due to excessively hot media temperatures, particularly in synthesis gases, which can damage valves and components during cooling processes.
Innovation Solution
A shell-and-tube heat exchanger design featuring an adjustable closure mechanism that allows for selective closure of subsets of outlet openings, eliminating the need for a bypass channel and preventing excessively hot media from reaching sensitive components, by controlling the flow through multiple subsets of channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a bypass channel is used to adjust the temperature after cooling, then the temperature control flexibility is improved, but the medium temperature in the bypass channel becomes excessively hot causing corrosion damage to valves
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the outlet chamber into multiple outlet openings corresponding to different tube bundles, allowing selective closure of individual bundles. This segmentation enables temperature control without requiring a bypass channel, as each bundle can be independently controlled to prevent excessively hot media from reaching valves
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses adjustable closure means that can dynamically control the number of open outlet openings based on temperature requirements. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt temperature control flexibility while preventing corrosion by closing bundles that would otherwise create excessively hot bypass flows
2Ease of operation
If a valve is used to regulate the medium flow in the bypass, then the temperature adjustment capability is improved, but the valve is exposed to excessively hot media causing corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the temperature control function from a valve-based bypass system and relocates it to the outlet chamber closure means. By controlling which tube bundle outlets are open or closed, the system achieves temperature adjustment capability without exposing any valve components to excessively hot media, thereby preserving valve durability
Solution Approach 2:
The closure means in the outlet chamber acts as an intermediary control element that regulates flow distribution to different tube bundles. This intermediary mechanism enables temperature control while keeping the actual flow regulation away from sensitive valve components, preventing corrosion damage
3Productivity
If all tube channels are opened for medium flow, then the cooling efficiency is improved, but the outlet temperature becomes too low requiring additional heating or bypass
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable closure means enables dynamic control of the number of open outlet openings, allowing the system to optimize cooling efficiency by opening all channels when high cooling is needed, while also providing the option to close some channels to raise the outlet temperature when required, eliminating the need for additional heating or bypass systems
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 design ensures uniform cooling of the medium without exposing components to excessively hot temperatures, preventing corrosion and eliminating the need for sensitive valves, while allowing precise temperature control through adjustable channel subsets.
Implementation Method 1
the medium whose temperature must be changed can be cooled or heated by indirect heat transfer to the cooling or heating medium
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a shell-and-tube heat exchanger for changing the temperature of a medium, having a plurality of channels of the tubes, an inlet chamber, an outlet chamber, and at least one channel of the shell for a further medium, wherein the medium can be conveyed into the inlet chamber and, from there, through at least a portion of the channels of the tubes into the outlet chamber, and having a closure means arranged on the outlet chamber and designed and adjustable in such a way that outlet openings of each subset of a plurality of different subsets of the channels of the tubes can be closed off. The invention also relates to a method for changing the temperature of a medium by means of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger.