The document discusses the assessment of heat exchanger performance, focusing on determining the actual UA value, calculating the required U value (UR), and evaluating pressure drops. It establishes criteria for suitability based on UA exceeding UR and allowable pressure drops. Additionally, it highlights the importance of accurate data access and instrumentation for effective monitoring of exchanger performance.
The document discusses the assessment of heat exchanger performance, focusing on determining the actual UA value, calculating the required U value (UR), and evaluating pressure drops. It establishes criteria for suitability based on UA exceeding UR and allowable pressure drops. Additionally, it highlights the importance of accurate data access and instrumentation for effective monitoring of exchanger performance.
Applications of rating can be for operational performance, for
changes in process conditions, or in process design. There are three fundamental points in determining if a heat exchanger performs well for given operating conditions or for a new service: (1) What actual coefficient UA value can be “performed” by the two fluids as the result of their flow rates, individual film coefficients ht and hs, and fouling resistance? (2) From the heat balance: Q =( ṁ .𝐶𝑝 ) (T1-T2)= ( ṁC .𝐶𝑝 )(t2-t1), for given area A, and actual temperatures, required U value (UR) can be calculated. (3) The operating pressure drops for the two streams passing through the existing heat exchanger. The criteria can be established for the suitability of an existing exchanger for given or new services as two necessary and sufficient conditions: (a) UA must exceed UR to give desired overdesign (%OD) so that the heat exchanger can meet changing process conditions for a reasonable period of service continuously. While UA denotes the capability of the exchanger based on its dimension and geometry, UR indicates the requirement from the process heat transfer. (b) Operating pressure drops on both sides must be less than allowable pressure drops. When these two conditions are fulfilled, an existing exchanger is suitable for the process conditions for which it was rated. When the process conditions undergo significant changes, a rating should be performed to make sure the exchanger can perform the task satisfactorily under the new conditions. You could also check design R f against Rf calculated to check your current fouling resistance. the simple U value analysis is backed up with pressure drop information to confirm that the performance loss is fouling related. Actual heat exchanger Pressure Drop[8] As the tube wall thickness increases with fouling deposits, pressure drop measurement must be conducted and used as the basis for pressure drop rating calculations. In doing so, the tube wall thickness including fouling deposits are assumed and iterated until the calculated pressure drops from the rating software converges with the measured ones. Typical fouled exchanger pressure drops are 1.3–2 times that of clean exchangers (Barletta, 1998). For extreme cases, fouled exchanger pressure drops are much higher than that of clean exchangers. It is recommended that hydraulic calculations should be conducted in an exchanger rating software (e.g., HTRI) as the rating software is more rigorous in pressure drop calculations than flowsheet simulation software. Instrumentation and Data Access[9] Most refineries have sophisticated plant data historians that record detailed plant operating conditions with high resolution. Electronically accessible temperature and flow data are crucial for effective exchanger performance monitoring. Manual temperature data entry for monitoring most exchangers is feasible in principle. However, a great deal of effort is required to collect field temperature readings from local temperature indicators or “temperature guns.” Manual monitoring is very difficult to maintain at any