CB.EN.U4CHE19018 M.S.

RATHIKA

PROCESS SIMULATION LAB

Exercise 3: Design of Heat Exchangers

1. Cyclohexane is an important industrial solvent. It is being produced from benzene and

hydrogen given by . The product from a conversion reactor consists of 55
kmol/hr of benzene, 225 kmol/hr of hydrogen and 45kmol/hr of cyclohexane. The product from
the reactor is at 7 bar pressure and 390 oC.

The hot product from the reactor needs to be separated and unreacted benzene and hydrogen
recycled back to the reactor. To achieve this separation, the product will be cooled in a series of
heat exchangers. The cold product is then separated into liquid and vapor in a flash separator.
The liquid from flash separator will be sent to a distillation column (No need to simulate the
distillation column in this exercise). The vapor from the flash column is again cooled using
cooling water in a heat exchanger. The sequence of heat exchangers after the reactor is given in
figure 1.

Additional data

1. The pressure drop in all the heat exchangers (both tube side and shell side) may be taken as
2 psi.
2. The reactor product must be cooled to 130oC immediately after the reactor using Cold
Vapor (Please refer to fig .1)
3. Inlet temperature of cold water is 18oC and the final temperature (temperature of CW out
2) should not exceed 38oC due to problems in handling water in cooling tower

Questions need to be answered

1. Is this cooling sequence possible? Justify your answer

2. If this cooling sequence possible, what type heat exchangers must be used?
3. Give the Design Specifications for Heat Exchangers
4. What is the minimum temperature of reactor product (Cold Product 1) entering the flash
separator?
5. Amount vapor from flash separator, its properties and composition
6. Amount liquid from flash separator, its properties and composition
7. What is the minimum temperature of Cold Vapor (Please refer to fig 1) that could be
achieved?
8. Properties of final recycle stream

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Fig 1: Sequence of Heat Exchangers after the Reactor

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AIM:

To design a series of heat exchangers for cooling a mixture of cyclohexane, benzene and hydrogen
(product from a reactor) before sending it to a flash separator.

INTRODUCTION:

To separate the hot reactor product and recycle the unreacted benzene and hydrogen back to the reactor.
The reactor product will be cooled in a series of heat exchangers. The cold product is then separated into
liquid and vapor in a flash separator. The vapor from the flash column is again cooled and will be sent as
a recycle stream.

DEGREES OF FREEDOM

STREAMS

Reactor product

C= number of components =3

P = number of phases =1

DOF = 3-1+2 = 4

Recycle stream

C= number of components =3

P = number of phases =1

DOF = 3-1+2 = 4

Cold product

C= number of components =3

P = number of phases =1

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 DOF = 3-1+2 = 4

Cold water

C= number of components =1

P = number of phases =1

DOF = 1-1+2 = 2

Cold waterout1

C= number of components =1

P = number of phases =1

DOF = 1-1+2 = 2

Cold product1

C= number of components =3

P = number of phases =2

DOF = 3-2+2 = 3

Liquid

C= number of components =5

P = number of phases =1

DOF = 5-1+2 = 6

Vapor

C= number of components =3

P = number of phases =1

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 DOF = 3-1+2 = 4

Cold waterout2

C= number of components =1

P = number of phases =1

DOF = 1-1+2 = 2

Cold vapor

C= number of components =3

P = number of phases =1

DOF = 3-1+2 = 4

EQUIPMENT

Heat exchanger1

C= number of components =2

P = number of phases =1

DOF = 2-1+2 = 3

Heat exchanger2

C= number of components =2

P = number of phases =1

DOF = 2-1+2 = 3

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Heat exchanger3

C= number of components =2

P = number of phases =2

DOF = 2-2+2 = 2

Separator

C= number of components =2

P = number of phases =2

DOF = 2-2+2 = 2

RESULT

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1) Is this cooling sequence possible? Justify your answer

Yes, this cooling sequence is possible. Because once the vapor is cooled, it will change into liquid
and serve as a feed to separator. And also we are recycling the cooling vapor as a source of utility
to reduce high energy consumption.
2) If this cooling sequence possible, what type heat exchangers must be used?

Shell and tube heat exchanger should be used.

3) Give the Design Specifications for Heat Exchangers

Heat exchanger1

Heat exchanger2

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Heat exchanger3

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4) What is the minimum temperature of reactor product (Cold Product 1) entering the flash
separator?

The minimum temperature of reactor product (Cold Product 1) entering the flash separator is 90 OC

5) Amount vapor from flash separator, its properties and composition

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6) Amount liquid from flash separator, its properties and composition

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 7) What is the minimum temperature of Cold Vapor (Please refer to fig 1) that could be achieved?

The minimum temperature of cold vapor is 65.140C

8) Properties of final recycle stream

Summary:
Hence, the series of heat exchangers are designed.

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