Chapter 7

Condenser design

Condenser:
One stream a condensing vapors and the other cooling water or air.

Construction:
The construction of a condenser will be similar to other. But with the wider Spacing.
Four condenser configuration are possible:
1. Horizontal, with condensation in the shell, and the cooling medium in the tubes.
2. Horizontal with condensation in the tubes.
3. Vertical, with condensation in the shell
4. Vertical, with condensation in the tube
5. Contact condensers
Horizontal shell side and vertical tube side are the most commonly used types of condensers. A
Horizontal exchanger with condensation in the tubes is rarely used as a process condenser.

Physical Properties
The physical properties of the condensate for use, are evaluated at the average Condensate film
Temperature: the mean of the condensing temperature and tube wall temperature.

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Selection Criterion:

 Material of construction
 Operating temperatures and pressures, temperature program and temperature driving forces
 Flow rates
 Flow arrangements
 Performance parameters ------thermal effectiveness and pressure drops
 Fouling tendencies
 Types and phases of fluid
 Maintenance, inspection, cleaning ,extension and repair possibilities
 Overall economy
 Fabrication techniques

Operating temperature and pressure

Pressure:
The design pressure is important to determine the thickness of pressure retaining components. The
higher the pressure, the greater will be required thickness of pressure retaining membrane.

Temperature:
This parameter is important as it indicate whether a material at design temperature can withstand the
operating pressure and various load imposed on component.

Flow rate
Flow rate determine the flow area: the higher the flow rate the higher will be cross flow area.

Flow arrangement
The choice of typical flow arrangement is dependent of required condenser effectiveness, condenser
construction types.

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Performance Parameter

Thermal effectiveness:
For high performance service requiring high thermal effectiveness, use blazed plate-fin exchanger.

Pressure drop:
Pressure drop is an important parameter in condenser design. The condenser should be design in such a
way that unproductive pressure drop should be avoided to maximum extent in area like inlet and outlet
bends, nozzles and manifolds.

Fouling Tendencies
Fouling is defined as formation on condenser surface of undesirable deposit that decrease the heat
transfer and increase the resistance to fluid flow, resulting in high pressure drop. The growth of those
deposit decrease the performance of condenser with time.

Type and Phases of fluid:

The phase of fluid within the unit is an important consideration in selection of condenser type. Various
combination of fluid dealt in condenser are Liquid-Liquid, Liquid-Gas and Gas-Gas.

Maintenance, inspection, cleaning, extension and repair possibilities:

The suitability of various condenser depend upon it maintenance cleaning and repairing. Maintenance
and repair of some of condenser is possible but repair of expansion joint is difficult

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Double pipe condenser

A typical double pipe condenser basically consists of a tube or pipe fixed concentrically Inside a
Larger pipe or tube.
OR
Condenser which are used when the flow rates of the fluids and the heat duty are small (less
Than 500 kW).

Construction of double pipe:

 Hair pin:
Union of two legs hairpin construction is preferred because it requires less space
 Packing & gland:
The packing and gland provides sealing to the annulus and support the inner pipe.
 Return bend:
The opposite ends are joined by a U-bend through welded joints.
 Support lugs:
Support lugs may be fitted at these ends to hold the inner pipe position.
 Flange:
The outer pipes are joined by flanges at the return ends in order that the assembly may be opened
or dismantled for cleaning and maintenance.
 Union joint:
For joining the inner tube with U-bend.

Fig 1

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

 Nozzles:
Small sections of pipes welded to the shell or to the channel which acts as the inlet or outlet of
the fluids are called nozzles.
 Gaskets:
Gaskets are placed between the two flanges to make the joint leak-free.

Fluid flow passage and configuration:

Basically there are two flow arrangements of double pipe heat exchanger:
 Co-current
 Counter current
Configuration
 Series & parallel
arrangement

Counter current
Max. Heat transfer within minimum area due to more L.M.T.D

Co-current
 Used for viscous fluids & gives lesser value of L.M.T.D
 Co & counter current gives same value of L.M.T.D if one of the
fluid stream is isothermal (e.g. steam)

Series-parallel arrangement
 This configuration is used when value of pressure exceeds its limits (500psig shell side and 500
psig tube side) .pressure drop problem can be solved by:
 Reversing the location of streams
 By-passing one of the fluid streams
 Dividing of stream at higher pressure drop (series-parallel arrange.)

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Design types:

In case of any design equipment, the design of a condenser may be divided into two parts.

Process design Design Mechanical design

Types
(Thermal design)
 Estimation of heat transfer area. Material of construction
 Determination of tube diameter. Thickness of tubes
 Number & length of tubes. Flanges, gaskets, support design
 Tube layout ( series or parallel )
 tubes side pressure drops.(hydraulic design)
Mechanical design:
Double pipe condenser can be made with various materials:
 Carbon steel
 Alloy steels
 Copper alloys

Thermal design:
In thermal design we tabulate physical properties of

 hot stream (gases)

 cold stream

Selection of tube & pipe fluid & flow passage type

Flow rates
Cannot be considered because water side flow rate is not given
Flow areas
Higher mass flow rate stream is passed through greater flow area which cannot be considered
because we don't know which stream is of higher flow rate
Tube side fluid
As we know that water causes a lot of fouling and corrosion hence we will take water in the tube side
in this way it would cause lesser damage to the condenser.
Pipe side/annulus side
Gases will be taken on annulus side.
Flow arrangement
Counter current flow is selected because it reduces the required surface area.

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Steps to design a condenser:

 Step 1: Calculate (∆T) LMTD

 Step 2: Calculate heat duty Q

 Step 3: estimate the overall heat transfer coefficient

 Calculate the area of condenser

 Now chose which type of condenser is being used

 Calculate the Pr, Re, Nu

 Calculate convective heat transfer coefficient for tube side (hi).

 Calculate convective heat transfer coefficient for shell side (ho).

 Outside surface area of tube (Ao)

 Inside surface area of tube (Ai )

 Mean surface area (Am)

 1/Uo=1/ho +(Ao/Am)x(ro-ri/kw)+Ao/Ai(1/hi)

 For actual heat transfer coefficient calculate the actual area and length require:

 Putting all the three values will give us the required heat transmission area of double pipe.

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Design of a condenser

Step 1:

Temperature condition:

• Hot Inlet Temperature 150 oC

• Hot Outlet Temp 40 oC
o
• Cold inlet temperature 30 C
o
• Cold outlet temperature 38 C

Hot side heat duty:

• Hot Inlet Temperature 150 oC

• Hot Outlet Temp 40 oC
• Flow Rate of gases 0.1 kg/s
o
• Mean Cp of gases 4.00 kJ/kg C
As,
Heat load = mCp∆T
Heat Load (Q) = 45100 W = 45.1 KW

Cold side heat duty:

o
• Cold inlet temperature 30 C
o
• Cold outlet temperature 38 C
• Heat capacity 4.18 kj/kg.C
So For the calculation of heat duty on cold side we first have to know the mass floe rate of water.

Q
Mass flow rate of water need = Cp ∆T
m= 1.34 kg/s

Heat duty:

Heat load = mCp∆T

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Heat Load (Q) = 45100 W = 45.1 KW

Step 2:

Calculation of LMTD:

Gases 150 C 40 C

Water 38 C 30 C

∆t1=150 - 38= °C ∆t2=40-30=10°C

L.M.T.D = (T1- t2) – (T2-t1) / Ln (T1- t2 / T2-t1)

LMTD = (112– 10)/ln(112/10)

= 44.22 °C

Step 3:

Provisional area:

Select a value of U rom Literature

U = 300 W/m2 oC
Now calculate Area required for heat transfer

Q= U A ∆Tm
A= 4.04 m2

As the area is less than 150 m2 so double pipe heat exchanger is used.

In side Tube Specifications:

Outside diameter 0.04 m

Inside diameter 0.05 m

Thermal conductivity = k = 0.623W/m.k

Density of water 1000 kg/m3

Viscosity 0.0008 pa.s

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Outside Tube Specifications:

outside diameter 0.08 m

inside diameter 0.094 m

Thermal conductivity = k = 0.154W/m.k

Density of mixture of gases = 1.35 kg/m3

Viscosity 0.00016 pa.s

Step 4

Area calculation:

Flow area of inside tube = Π (di2-do2)/4

= 0.0030 m2

Flow area of outside tube = Π (do2)/4

= 0.001 m2

Heat transfer area of inside tube = Π (do2) L

= 5.91m2

Heat transfer area of outside tube = Π (di2) L

= 4.97m2

Step 5

Outside Tube Side Coefficient:

Reynolds no:

Re = dvp/u
Re = 6121.34
Prandtl number:
Pr = Cpu/k
Pr = 4.25

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Nusset number:
Nu =0.023(Re)0.8(Pr)0.3

Nu=38.00

Use of Dittus-Boelter equation to calculate hi,

0.8 0.3
Nu = hodi/k = 0.023(Re) ( Pr )

2
ho = 195.17 w/m .k

Inner tube Side Coefficient

Reynolds no:

Re = dvp/u
Re = 51107
Prandtl number:
Pr = Cpu/k
Pr = 5.36

Nusset number:
Nu =0.023(Re)0.8(Pr)0.3

Nu=222.59

Use of Dittus-Boelter equation to calculate ho,

0.8 0.3
Nu = hodi/k = 0.023(Re) ( Pr )

2
h o = 3301w/m .k

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Step 6:

Actual Overall Coefficient:

Outside area of tube = A0 =5.91

Inside area of tube = Ai = 4.97

Mean area = Am = (OD-ID) / Ln (OD/ID)

Am = 5.43

A0/Am = 1.08

A0/Ai = 1.21

Overall coefficient:

1/ Uo=1/ho +(Ao /Am)x(ro- ri/kw)+Ao /Ai(1/hi)

Uo = 180.40 W/m2K

Step 7:

Actual area and length:

Now calculate the required area from

Q = Uo Ao∆Tm where,

Q = 45100 w

Uo = 180W/m2K

∆Tm= 37.13 C

Area = Q / Uo∆Tm= 6.72m2

Tube length necessary, L = Ao / ∏ OD1

= 42.m

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Step 8

Pressure drop:

∆P = f G2 L / 2 g p Di Φ
Inner tube pressure drop = 0.22 pa

Outer tube pressure drop = 94 pa

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Specification sheet of double pipe condenser:

XPARAMETERS   outer pipe inner pipe  

Inside Pipe Thermal kp 74 W m-1K-1  

Conductivity
    Hot Fluid Cold Fluid  

Inlet Temperature Tin 150 30 C

Outlet Temperature Tout 40 38 C

Thermal Conductivity k 0.154 0.623 W m-1K-1

Specific Heat Capacity Cp 4100 4180 J kg-1 K-1

Viscosity u 0.00016 0.0008 Pa s

Density ρ 1.35 1000 kg m-3

Mass Flow Rate m 0.1 1.348684211 kg s-1

Inside Diameter di 0.08 0.042 m

Outside Diameter do 0.094 0.05 m

Pressure Loss Coefficient Kp 1.23 1.23  

         

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Sheet 2:XCALCULATIONS   Hot Fluid Cold Fluid  

Heat Transfer Q 45100 45100 W

Prandtl Number Pr 4.25974026 5.367576244  

Flow Area A 0.003063053 0.001385442 m2

Hydraulic Diameter Dh 0.03 0.042 m

Heat Transfer Surface Area As 5.921287484 4.973881487 m2

Fluid Velocity V 24.18308727 0.973468294 m s-1

Reynolds Number Re 6121.343965 51107.08542  

Friction Factor f 0.009075708 0.005213264  

Nusselt Number Nu 38.02070789 222.5595293  

Heat Transfer Coefficient h 195.1729672 3301.299685 W m-2K-1

Pressure Drop Dp 94.51928453 0.226226914 Pa

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 Chapter 7 condenser Design

Sheet 3Xoutside area of tube 5.9182856

inside are of tube Ai 4.9713599
Am 5.4310714
Ao/Am 1.0897087
Ao/Ai 1.1904762
r0 0.025
ri 0.021
ro-ri 0.004
kw 74

Sheet 4:

XHEAT EXCHANGER DESIGN      

CALCULATIONS
Length L 37.6960869 m
Log Mean Temp Diff (countercurrent) DTLMTD 42.22004979 C
heat transfer coefficient U 180.402127 w/m2.k
Heat Transfer Coefficient U 0.005543172 W m-2K-1
Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient UA 1068.212857 W/K
Heat Transfer Overall 45100 W

Sheet 5:

XActual required area 6.7287358 m2

actual length 42.85819 m2

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