Liquid drains in core-in-shell heat exchanger
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The single drain configuration in core-in-shell heat exchangers with baffles leads to unequal refrigerant levels, causing inefficient heat exchange and mechanical integrity issues due to excessive liquid stack-up and gas ingestion, particularly in offshore LNG facilities.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a plurality of drains on opposite sides of baffles in a core-in-shell heat exchanger to equalize shell-side liquid levels, reducing hydraulic pressure drop and maintaining slosh suppression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single drain configuration is used in core-in-shell heat exchangers with baffles, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it causes unequal refrigerant levels leading to inefficient heat exchange and mechanical integrity issues
Solution Approach 1:
The single drain is divided into multiple drains positioned at different locations (e.g., opposite sides of baffles) to segment the liquid drainage function. This allows each drain to serve a specific core region, equalizing refrigerant levels across different cores and preventing the harmful effects of unequal liquid distribution while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized drain component replication.
Solution Approach 2:
Drains are positioned at specific locations relative to baffles (e.g., opposite sides) to address local refrigerant level imbalances in different core regions. Each drain location is optimized for its specific positional requirements, ensuring that cores far from the original single drain location receive adequate refrigerant while preventing excessive liquid accumulation in other areas.
2Stability of the object's composition
If baffles are added to reduce sloshing of shell-side liquid, then slosh suppression is improved, but hydraulic pressure drop increases causing unequal refrigerant levels
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage function is segmented into multiple drains positioned on opposite sides of baffles, creating balanced drainage paths that compensate for the pressure drops introduced by baffles. This segmentation allows liquid to drain from both sides of each baffle, equalizing the hydraulic pressure distribution and preventing excessive liquid stack-up on one side while maintaining effective slosh suppression.
Solution Approach 2:
Drains are positioned asymmetrically relative to the heat exchanger centerline but symmetrically relative to each baffle (on opposite sides). This asymmetric placement compensates for the asymmetric pressure distribution created by baffles, ensuring that the liquid level and pressure are equalized across different core regions despite the presence of slosh-suppressing baffles.
3Device complexity
If a single drain is positioned far from certain cores, then the drain location is simplified, but liquid stack-up occurs in distant cores suppressing boiling heat exchange
Solution Approach 1:
The single distant drain is replaced by multiple drains positioned at strategic locations including near cores that were previously far from drainage. This segments the drainage function so that each core has access to a nearby drain, eliminating liquid stack-up in distant cores and restoring efficient boiling heat exchange while keeping the overall system configuration manageable through replicated standard drain components.
Solution Approach 2:
Drains are positioned at specific locations optimized for local heat exchange requirements, particularly near cores that were previously underserved. This local placement ensures that each core region maintains appropriate liquid levels for efficient boiling heat exchange, with drain positions tailored to the specific geometric and thermal requirements of each core location.
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 arrangement enhances the thermal performance and mechanical integrity of the heat exchanger by preventing gas ingestion and maintaining a stable refrigerant inventory, thereby extending the equipment's lifespan and ensuring efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
the plurality of drains on opposite sides of the plurality of baffles in the shell equalizes the shell-side liquid levels, reduces a hydraulic pressure drop across the shell
Implementation Method 2
cooling a natural gas stream through indirect heat exchange with one or more refrigerants
Implementation Method 3
indirect heat exchange
Implementation Method 4
heat exchange with one or more refrigerants
Implementation Method 5
baffles are used between cores of the heat exchanger to address the sloshing of the shell-side liquid (refrigerant)
Data Source
AI summary
A core-in-shell heat exchanger, a method of fabricating the core-in-shell heat exchanger, and a method of exchanging heat in a core-in-shell heat exchanger disposed on a slosh-inducing moving platform are described. The method of exchanging heat includes introducing a shell-side fluid into a shell of the core-in-shell heat exchanger and introducing a fluid to be cooled into each of one or more cores of the core-in-shell heat exchanger, the one or more cores being arranged along an axial length of the shell with a plurality of baffles disposed on either side of the one or more cores along the axial length of the shell to reduce slosh of the shell-side fluid. The method also includes draining excess shell-side fluid using a plurality of drains, at least two of the plurality of drains being disposed on opposite sides of one of the plurality of baffles.