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: {655 mn The feaures othe thermal de ae detailed in Table 10, Three fans. 1524 im in dliameter. were emploved (0 dive the total air low of 188.530 kg/h across the three tube bundles. It should be zhted here that the overall heat-transfer coefficients of 133, 207, and 261 keal/hem?°C_ob- tained with wire-fin tube inserts are that changes considerably from inlet to outlet, With the increase in viscosity. the tubeside heat-transter coefficient de creases as the Mid lows From top 10 botom. As mentioned previously. a higher finning density is favorable When the aside heat-trunsfer coetficient is controlling and a lower finning density is favorable when the tubeside heat-trans: fer coefficient is controlling. Thus. as the tubeside heatransfer coefficient de- creases. the tubeside resistance becomes more and more controling and a lower finning density becomes more favorable. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PROGRESS © FEBRUARY 1997 + 45AIR-COOLED HEAT EXCHANGERS Consequently. when cooling a viscous liquid, it is often advanta- geous to have a higher finning densi- ly im the upper rows and a lower finning density in the lower rows, ‘The degree of overdesign may be slightly less. bur there will be an ap- preciable savings in power consump- tion. Furthermore. the greater the variation in viscosity of the tubeside liquid. the greater is the potential for this type of variable finning, The vacuum-column bottoms cooler discussed in Example 6 earlier had wo sections. each having two tube bun- des. and each bundle having 50 tubes per row. eight rows, and ten tube pass- es, The fin density was 276 finy’m. The effect of altemative finning can be evaluated by Keeping the fin density at 276 fins/m in the top six tube rows and hanging it to 197 finsim in the lower two tube rows. The fan power require- ment drops from 18.92 KW to 18.4 kW, NT Literature Cited 1. American Petroleum Institute, Ait- cooled Heat Exchangers for General Refin- ley Services” API Standard 661. 3rd ed, American Petroleum lasitute, Washington, DC (Ape. 1992). 2 Rhoades, M. E. and L. D. Pal, “Coro- sion Resistance of Aluminum and Galva nized Fins on Air-Cooled Exchanger Tub- ing” in “Heat Transfer — Adana 1993, AICHE Symposium Series, 89 (295), pp. 268-273 1999), 3 Taborek J. "Bond Resisance and Design “Temperatures for High Fined Tubes — A, Reappraisal.” eur Fransfer Engincering. 8 2) pp. 20-3 11987, 4. Monroe. R. C., “Consider Vanable Pish Fans." Hsdrcarbon Processing, $9121 pp. £22-128 Dec. 1980), 'S American Petroleum Insitute, “General Purpose Steam Turbines for Refinery Ser ‘oe’" API Standard 61 | ded, American Petoleum Insti, Washington, DC (Aus ust 1984, eatimed May 1991), 6 MeKetta. J Ju ede "Heat Taner Design Methods.” Marcel Dekker. New York (290, 7. Lokauskas, changer” in “Heat Exchangers: Thermal Hydraulic Fundamentals and Design” S Kalk, eu. eds. Hemisphere Publishing [New York, pp. 9-83 (1981) Briggs, D.E, and EH. Young, “Conse: tion Heat Tranter and Pressure Drop of [Ar Flowing Across Taangula Pitch Banks Houston” AICHE Symposium Series. 59 (4D, pp 1-10 19631. 9. Robinson, KK. and D.E. Briggs, “Pres: sure Drop of Air owing Acros Trangu: Mpcooled Hest Ex lar Pitch Banks of Fianed Tubes” in “Heat “Transfer — Los Angeles” AICKE Sompo- Sim Series. 62 (64) p. 177-188 (1966) 10, Webb, RL "Ainide Heat Transfer in Finned Tube Exchangers” Heat Exchange Engineering, 1 (3), pp. 34-49 Uan.—Mar 1980), 11, Tubular Exchanger Manufactorers As- sociation, “Standards of the Tubular Es changer Manufacturers Association.” Tth (ed, TEMA, New York (1988), 12, Kern, D.Q. and A.D. Kraus, “Extended Surface Heat Transfer” McGraw-Hill New York (19 13, Farrant PE. "Nove an its fauence on Air Cooled Heat Exchanger Design in Heat Eschangers — Theory and Prac te" J Taborek eles. Hemisphere Publishing, New York. pp. 383-396 983) 1M, Paikert P, and K. Ruff, “Site of te Art {for Design of Ait Cooled Heat Exchangers vith Nowe Level Limitation,” in Heat Ex changers — Theory snd Practice” 3. Tae bore, ct al. eds. Hemisphere Publishins New York. pp. 383-396 1983), 1S, Sallenbach, H. G.. "Save Energy — Use Natural Comsoction Ai-Cooled Eschang em? Hyducarton Processing. pp. 79-86 ialy 1983) 16, Rozenman, J etal, “The Esect of Un ‘equal Heat Loads on the Performance of Ax-cooled Condens.” n “Heat Tranter = Reseach and Design.” AICE Sompo: sum Sere, 10188) pp. L888 (198, 17, Larinoff, M.W, et al, “Design and Spec ‘cation of Air-cooled Steam Condensers (Chem, Eng. 85 (12), pp. 86-94 (May nvm) 46 + FEBRUARY 1997 © CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PROGRESS whereas the degree of overdesign falls from 8.85% t0 8.25%. Switching 10 276 fins/m in the upper four rows and 197 fins/m in the lower four rows re- duces the fan power requirement fur- ther 10 1788 kW and reduces the overdesign to 7.56%. Thus. for a 1.2% reduction in overdesign, the power ‘consumption is cut by 5.87% Natural convection In cases where the heat duty is very ‘small and the tubeside heat-transfer co- efficient is rather low, no fans need be used, so that power consumption is saved (15). This is illustrated by the following example. Example 12. A vacuum residue cooler fora refinery was to be designed based on the following data: heat duty 476.400 keal/h, flow rate = 17,604 kg/h, inlet temperature = 267°C. outlet temperature = 720°C, inlet viscosity 18 cP. outlet viscosity = 25.3 cP. foul- ing resistance = 0,002. hem’+*Chke; and allowable pressure drop = 1.0 elem! Carbon steel tubes. 25mm OD. 2.5 mm thick < 6.0 m long, were to he used A naturaldratt ACHE was de: ed ay follows. 1 had one section fone tube bundle. 40 tubes/row: four tube rows, and eight tube passes. Fin height was 12,5 mm, transverse tube piteh was 60 mm. and fin density was 433 finvim, A J-m-high stack was incorporated, “The tubesiee and ainsi heattranster coefficients were 61.83. healhhens ¢ and 2398 Kealfhem’* C. representin Os und 18.1% pf the overall resis tance, respectively. The airside pressure drop was only 0.376 mm Ww... whereas the wbeside pressure drop. was. (174 kyfem®. The total huare-tube area was only 66,0 me, Since the a flow rate w: only 24,267 hovh, the air outlet tempers Ture Was rather high, at 118°C. Louvers ‘were provided to cut off the air How (even though it was small) when the unit ‘was not in use, so as to prevent congeal- ing of the vacuum residue, It should be noted that since the tubeside heat-transfer coefficient was extremely low. the use of fans wouldy vs vot Ry sa ‘\ XIN WASH E71 aw IN Figure 13, Wire-in tube inserts improve heat transfer by increasing turbulence. (Photo courtesy of Cal Gavin, Lid.) have resulted in a negligible increase in the overall heat-tansfer coefficient, However, the cost would have been sig nificantly higher because of the costs for the fans, drives. plenums, and so on. Air-cooled vacuum steam condensers ‘Steam turbines are very widely used in the chemical process industries for driving not only electric generators. but also. various types of pumps, fans. compressors. and other equipment Steam condensers are required 10 con- dense the exhaust of these turbines and retum the condensate to the boiler. This condenser can either cooled of air-cooled. (The advan and disadvantages of each are the same aas elaborated at the bx article.) Atypical A-trame aie vacuum steam condenser (ACVSC) is shown in Figure 9. The main problem with the ACVSC iy not the condensation of the steam. but the evacuation of the noneondens ables, (The noncondensibles are the gases that enter the vacuum section of the power cycle from the atmosphere as well as from the chemicals used for the treatment of boiler feedwater.) be waters Acknowledgment ‘The authori grateful 10 the management of Engineers India Lid. for permission to pub: lish this aricle and acknowledges the we of Heat Transfer Research, Inc.'s ACE. com puter program forthe worked out examples. ure to eliminate the noncondensables ccan cause freezing of condensate in winter. loss of performance due to blanketing of the heat-iransfer surface. and absorption of noncondensables by condensate and subsequent corrosion fof tube metal, Thus. a successful ACVSC must continuously and totally collect and eliminate all noncondens- ables from the system, The wapping of noncondensables Inside the condenser tubes is a direct ‘consequence ofthe variation of coolant air temperature across the tube bundle. ‘Consider a single-pass condenser hav four tube rows. The tubes of the lowest row are exposed to the coldest sir while the tubes oF the upper rows are expowed to progressively hotter ait Theretore. the tubes in the lowest row condense more steam (due fo the high et MTD), while those inthe upper rows condense less und less. steam: Consequently. the pressure drop will be the highest in the tubes in the lowest row and progressively lower in the tubes of the upper rows, This will cause a backHlow of noncondensables from the tubes of the upper rows 10 the tubes of the lowest row, which can eventually lead to gas blanketing of a substantial fraction o the heat-transfer surface, This problem will be less acute in, but not absent from, a 2 paswi-tow coutruction, In order to address this situation. a correction factor has been proposed by Rozenman et al. (16), wherein extra heat-iransfer area is incorporated as per the penalty factor evaluated, Further Reading “Aircooled Heat Exchangers” in “Heat Ex- changer Design Handbook.” Vol 3, Sec- tion 3.8, Hemisphere Publishing, New York (1987). American Instiante of Chemical Engi ‘eers, “Ait Cooled Heat Exchangers: A Guide to Performance Evalsic,” Equipment Testing Procedure EI, AIC, New York (1978) ‘American Petroleum Institute, “Measure ‘ment of Noise from Air-cooled Heat Ex: changers” API Recommended Practice 631M, Ist od. American Peroleum last tute, Washington. DC (June 1981, raf firmed Oct. 1985) Baker, W. J, “Selecting and Specifying Air cooled Heat Exchangers.” Hydrocarbon Processing, pp. 173-177 (May 1980). Bel, K. Ju "Some Comments on Con denser” Chem. Eng. Progress, 6 (4). pp. 78-80 (Ape 1970) Berryman, B. and C. Russell, “Asessing ‘Airside Performance of Air-cooled Heat Exchangers.” Process Engineering. pp 60-62 Ape. 1986), Gardner, K. A. “Fin Eiiency of Several Trans, ASME. ‘Types of Straight Fins” 67. pp. 621-631 (1985), Special. patented d developed by some A For u detailed presentation of the prob Jem caused by: incomplete evacuation ‘of noncondensables. the reader should weonsult (16, 171 fe A. MUXHERIEE assur nt const nthe Heat apa Mass Taster Dopt of Epes Ing ie, New Oat 01-91-1037 5, ax 1191-1137 559, where ne Ns been fang shal-andute hen exchangers ieudng ‘race cencensets an eeguater het) dale as conscrableaxponencs nent Stehangr net eythane 998 onianon loumal and mi presente 99 92960 De Ingots! Sasson atte 1h memazens ‘Angst 90H an hones rial engieering om Jadavpur Un. (Caleta, ra 2 memba of he nian Inet of Cranial Engineer note Ian Soar Heat ane Mass Taster CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PROGRESS FEBRUARY 1997 © 47