G.L.

TIMM
Kadant Johnson Inc.,
Three Rivers, MI
M. SOUCY
Kadant Canada Corp.,
Summerstown, ON
MOTIVE STEAM T73
34 PULP & PAPER CANADA September/October 2010 pulpandpapercanada.com
Thermocompressor Design
and Operation for
High-Efficiency
8v M. Soucv ~xu G.L. Ti::
ol prcssurcs thc throat can bc ovcrsizcd lor high
prcssurc opcration whilc thc nozzlc is ovcrsizcd
lor lowprcssurc opcration. This compromisc is
ncccssary to satisly thc opcrating stcam prcssurc
rangc ol thc drycrs. For thc most cllicicnt opcra
tion, carclul dcsign ol thc thcrmocomprcssor and
syphons must bc lollowcd.
ach thcrmocomprcssor is custom dcsigncd lor
a spccilic application. Thc throat and nozzlc sizc
arc cnginccrcd to match thc syphon charactcristics
and opcrating prcssurc rangc. This mcans a 6"
unit on onc machinc will not ncccssarily pcrlorm
adcquatcly in anothcr 6" application.
A thcrmocomprcssor is controllcd cithcr by a
dillcrcntial prcssurc sct point, by a blowthrough
llow sct point, or by algorithms dctcrmining dil
lcrcntial sct points lor a givcn sct ol opcrating
conditions. All thrcc control mcthods havc bccn
provcn to bc succcsslul. A typical thcrmocomprcs
sor stcam scction is shown in Fig.2.
Motivc stcam (i.c., highprcssurc stcam) is usu
ally morc costly to producc than lowcrprcssurc,
makcup stcam. Stcam routcd to thc thcrmocom
prcssor bypasscs thc powcr gcncrating turbinc and
lcss clcctricity is produccd. !t is not uncommon lor
thcrc to bc 82 to 84 pcr 1,000 kg ol stcam dillcr
cncc in cost bctwccn thc two stcam sourccs. Thc
actual cost dillcrcncc will vary dcpcnding on thc
boilcr opcrating prcssurc, turbinc cxtraction prcs
surcs, and thc purchascd powcr cost. A typical mill
stcam systcm is shown in Fig. 3.
RECENT ADVANCES
Rcccnt advanccs in thcrmocomprcssor dcsign
and a dccpcr undcrstanding ol thc impact ol
thcrmocomprcssor lluid dynamics on sizing cri
tcria havc allowcd lor optimizcd intcrnal gcom
ctry and improvcd cllicicncy. Advanccd computcr
modcling tcchniqucs havc allowcd lor a much
x :ou~vs v~vvv :~cnixv ovvv~:
ing cnvironmcnt, cncrgy cllicicncy is
rccciving intcnsc locus. Historically
thc application ol thcrmocomprcssors
was much lcss cvolvcd than it is today. vcrzcal
ous salcty lactors, incllicicnt dcsigns, and old drycr
cvacuation tcchnology rcsult in ovcrsizcd thcrmo
comprcssors that usc cxccssivc amounts ol highcr
cost motivc stcam. !n thc past, thcrmocomprcssor
sizing was as much an art as a scicncc.
A thcrmocomprcssor is a stcam control dcvicc
that uscs highprcssurc stcam, rclcrrcd to as
motivc stcam, to inducc llow lrom a lowcr prcs
surc stcam sourcc and dischargc thc mixturc at an
intcrmcdiatc prcssurc. A typical thcrmocomprcs
sor is shown in Fig. 1.
!n a typical papcr machinc installation, thc
thcrmocomprcssor is uscd to rccomprcss thc
blowthrough stcam that is cvacuatcd lrom thc
drycrs and scparatcd lrom thc condcnsatc in thc
condcnsatc rcccivcr station. 8lowthrough stcam is
stcam that is not condcnscd in thc drycrs. 8low
through llow is typically bctwccn 8 and 40 or
morc ol thc condcnsing load in a givcn drycr. Thc
actual amount ol blowthrough is dcpcndcnt on
thc syphon dcsign, syphon sizc, drycr condcnsing
load, drycr prcssurc, dillcrcntial prcssurc, machinc
spccd, and cxtcrnal linc sizc. Thc blowthrough can
vary substantially within a givcn drycr scction ovcr
various opcrating conditions.
!n papcr machinc opcrations, thcrmocomprcs
sors arc rcquircd to opcratc ovcr a widc rangc ol
opcrating conditions. !n many machincs, not only
do drycr prcssurc sct points vary, but so do con
dcnsing loads and machinc spccds. Vhcn sizing
a thcrmocomprcssor, thc lowprcssurc opcrating
point dctcrmincs thc throat sizc, and thc high
prcssurc opcrating point dctcrmincs thc nozzlc
sizc. Sincc many mills opcratc ovcr a widc rangc
I
Abstract: Thcrmocomprcssor sizing and opcration arc oltcn misundcrstood. Thcrmocomprcssors that do
not match thc syphon dcsign is a common industry problcm. vcrsizcd thcrmocomprcssors opcrating at
dillcrcntial prcssurcs highcr than rcquircd arc common. !t is not unusual lor thcrmocomprcssors to consumc
twicc as much motivc stcam as is rcquircd. This is common on machincs that havc convcrtcd to stationary
syphons without optimizing thc thcrmocomprcssor sizc. This papcr cxplorcs thc latcst dcvclopmcnts with
highcllicicncy thcrmocomprcssor dcsign and its intcgration with syphons and drycr drainagc componcnts.
pulpandpapercanada.com September/October 2010 PULP & PAPER CANADA 35
PEER REVIEWED T74
mizcd using computational lluid dynamic modcling soltwarc.
Figurc 4 shows how thc computcr modcling soltwarc rcvcals
llows within thc thcrmocomprcssor body. Figurc 5 illustratcs thc
thcrmocomprcssor pcrlormancc ol a machinc with misapplicd
thcrmocomprcssors. Rcplacing thc ovcrsizcd thcrmocomprcssors
with a highcllicicncy dcsign rcsultcd in a 50 savings in motivc
stcam. Propcrly sizing thc thcrmocomprcssors rcsultcd in anothcr
50 savings in motivc stcam. !n this cxamplc, thc 1,900 tpd
southcrn lincrboard mill uscd 60 bar stcam that was scnt through
a 17 bar prcssurc rcducing valvc rathcr than through thc powcr
gcncrating turbinc. Thc cost dillcrcncc bctwccn motivc and
makcup stcam was 83.75 pcr 1,000 kg ol stcam.
Thc drycrs on this machinc consumcd 125,000 kg/hr ol stcam,
with 44,000 kg/hr bcing motivc stcam to thc thcrmocomprcs
sors. Thc mill had prcviously changcd lrom rotary to stationary
syphons, but did not cvaluatc thc sizing and pcrlormancc ol thc
thcrmocomprcssors. Sincc thc thcrmocomprcssors wcrc ovcrsizcd,
it was dillicult to opcratc at thc low dillcrcntial prcssurcs and
blowthrough stcam llows thc ncw stationary syphons allowcd.
Vith thc corrcct thcrmocomprcssor dcsign, thc machinc was
ablc to opcratc at lowcr dillcrcntial prcssurcs. Thc mill would bc
ablc to rcducc thc motivc stcam by 35,000 kg/hr lor thc cight
thcrmocomprcssors uscd on this machinc. This was worth morc
than 81,000,000 pcr ycar in savings to this mill, as stcam cncrgy
was uscd to gcncratc clcctricity instcad ol crcatc dillcrcntial lor
thc drycrs.
nc mcasurc ol thcrmocomprcssor cllicicncy is thc cntrain
mcnt ratio. This is thc ratio ol suction stcam to motivc stcam.
Sincc it is cconomically bcnclicial to minimizc motivc stcam
usagc, wc would likc to maximizc thc cntrainmcnt ratio. Propcr
sizing and optimizing thc gcomctry ol thc thcrmocomprcssor has
rcsultcd in improving thc cntrainmcnt ratio by 25 to 50. This
corrcsponds to as much as 75 rcduction in motivc usc whcn
comparcd to currcnt opcrations.
Vith advanccd modcling tcchniqucs thc ncw intcrnal gcom
ctrics can oltcn bc lit into cxisting thcrmocomprcssor cnvclopcs,
minimizing thc piping changcs ncccssary to install a bcttcr dcsign.
HIGH-EFFICIENCY THERMOCOMPRESSOR DESIGN
AND OPERATION
!n ordcr to achicvc highcllicicncy opcration ol a thcrmocomprcs
sor scction, thc thcrmocomprcssor dcsign must bc drivcn by thc
actual syphon charactcristics and drying constraints ol thc stcam
scction. Rcquircd dillcrcntial prcssurcs, blowthrough stcam llows,
drycr prcssurcs, condcnsing loads, and machinc spccds must bc
takcn into account ovcr thc rangc ol gradcs produccd.
Minimize the load on the thermocompressor
ncc thc drying paramctcrs arc undcrstood, thc amount ol
blowthrough stcam to bc rccomprcsscd should bc minimizcd.
illcrcntial prcssurcs should bc minimizcd, accuratcly moni
torcd, and controllcd. !n many cascs dillcrcntial prcssurcs arc not
minimizcd duc to poor transmittcr installation and uncalibratcd
cquipmcnt. illcrcntial prcssurc sct points arc run at thc worst
casc sccnario oltcn with additional salcty lactors addcd. Accuratc
dillcrcntial prcssurc indication is thc lirst rcquircmcnt lor propcr
syphon opcration and optimization ol thcrmocomprcssor motivc
stcam usc.
bcttcr undcrstanding ol thc intricacics ol llow dynamics within
thc thcrmocomprcssors and havc rcsultcd in improvcd intcrnal
gcomctrics. Motivc nozzlc position, nozzlc shapc, throat cntrancc
gcomctry, and throat lcngth all inllucncc thc cllicicncy ol thc
thcrmocomprcssor. Thcsc variablcs can bc modclcd and opti
Fig. 1. Typical thermocompressor.
Fig. 2. Typical thermocompressor steam section.
Fig. 3. Typical mill steam system.
36 PULP & PAPER CANADA September/October 2010 pulpandpapercanada.com
MOTIVE STEAM T75
8 to 12 ol condcnsing load rangc with stationary syphons.
This is comparcd to 0.7 bar and 20 to 40 blowthrough ratcs
with rotary syphons. Stationary syphons inhcrcntly rcquirc lcss
motivc stcam providcd thc thcrmocomprcssors arc propcrly sizcd.
Modcrn stationary syphons havc provcn to bc highly rcliablc,
and whcn matchcd with drycr bars, drying capacity incrcascs and
surlacc tcmpcraturc unilormity is maximizcd.
!n somc cascs condcnsatc and blowthrough stcam piping is
undcrsizcd. This crcatcs additional prcssurc drop rcquiring cxccs
sivc dillcrcntial prcssurcs. Lowcring blowthrough llows with
propcr syphon sizing and dcsign lowcrs vclocity in thcsc lincs.
Thc sizing is lcss critical and crosion is rcduccd. !n onc mill,
morc than 8100,000 in annual piping rcplaccmcnt cost was duc
to cxccssivc linc vclocity causcd by poor thcrmocomprcssor sizing
and opcration.
!n somc cascs thc condcnsatc scparator tanks arc too small to
providc cllicicnt condcnsatc/blowthrough scparation. Condcn
satc carryovcr with thc blowthrough stcam can rcsult. rosion
ol thc thcrmocomprcssors and inaccuratc mcasurcmcnt ol thc
blowthrough stcam llow is thc rcsult. ltcn thc tank intcrnals arc
worn and may cvcn bc missing, lurthcr allowing lor condcnsatc
carryovcr.
Properly size thermocompressors
Thcrmocomprcssors should bc sizcd bascd on actual opcrat
ing conditions with appropriatc salcty lactors lor suction llows.
Actual motivc llow prcssurcs at thc thcrmocomprcssor rathcr
than hcadcr prcssurc valucs should bc uscd whcn sizing thc
thcrmocomprcssor. !n somc cascs motivc stcam prcssurc varia
tions arc not wcll undcrstood and poor thcrmocomprcssor sizing
and opcration rcsult.
Thc motivc stcam prcssurc should bc at lcast 1.2 timcs thc
suction prcssurc (absolutc prcssurc) to achicvc good pcrlormancc.
Sincc carc should bc takcn to minimizc thc load on thc thcrmo
comprcssor, accuratc prcssurcs lor suction prcssurc (i.c., dischargc
prcssurc lcss dillcrcntial prcssurc and linc losscs) should bc uti
lizcd.
Optimize thermocompressor geometry
Spccilic gcomctry variations within thc thcrmocomprcssor grcatly
allcct pcrlormancc and cllicicncy. Using computational modcl
ing shows that two dillcrcnt dcsigns ol thcrmocomprcssors usc
dillcring amounts ol motivc stcam. !n this casc thc motivc stcam
prcssurc (Pm) was 27 bar, thc drycr scction prcssurc (Pd) was 8.3
bar, and thc suction prcssurc (Ps) 7.5 bar. 8lowthrough llow was
5,800 kg/hr. Figurc 6 shows how lor thc givcn sct ol opcrating
conditions a highcllicicncy thcrmocomprcssor can bc installcd
which will usc lcss motivc stcam. !n this casc thc motivc stcam
was rcduccd lrom 4,045 kg/hr to 3,136 kg/hr, a 22 savings. This
was rcalizcd by optimizing gcomctry ol thc thcrmocomprcssor
asscmbly. This is typical ol thc savings in motivc stcam that can
bc gaincd by using a highcllicicncy thcrmocomprcssor gcomctry
vcrsus thc convcntional dcsigns lound in thc industry.
Properly manage differential pressure and blowthrough set
points
illcrcntial prcssurc control is onc ol thc morc common mcth
ods to control a thcrmocomprcssor loop. illcrcntial prcssurc
Thcrc is oltcn justilication lor changing lrom rotary to station
ary syphons bascd on thc rcduction in thcrmocomprcssor motivc
stcam. Sincc stationary syphons arc not subjcctcd to thc ccntrilu
gal lorccs lound with rotary syphons, thc dillcrcntial rcquircmcnt
whcn using stationary syphons is much lowcr. Many machincs
run dillcrcntials as low as 0.20 bar with blowthrough ratcs in thc
Fig. 4. Advanced computerized flow modeling.
Fig. 5. Motive and suction flows.
Fig. 6. Comparison of two different thermocompressor
geometries.
pulpandpapercanada.com September/October 2010 PULP & PAPER CANADA 37
PEER REVIEWED T76
opcrating point lor thc systcm. vcr thc top opcration must bc
prcvcntcd.
vcr thc top opcration can bc climinatcd with propcr thcr
mocomprcssor sizing, utilizing thc corrcct dillcrcntial prcssurc
sct point, and through CS logic. Managcd dillcrcntial prcssurc
control cnsurcs that thc opcrators do not usc cxccssivc dillcrcntial
sct points that will lorcc ovcr thc top opcration. Knowing thc
thcrmocomprcssor sizing and opcrating charactcristics, thc ovcr
thc top point can bc calculatcd using algorithms programmcd
into thc CS. Thc logic prcvcnts thc thcrmocomprcssor lrom
going into thc ovcr thc top position bascd on thc opcrating
conditions lor thc thcrmocomprcssor. This logic must bc installcd
with lull undcrstanding ol individual thcrmocomprcssor curvcs.
SUMMARY
Many mills will bc ablc rcducc motivc stcam rcquircmcnts by
optimizing thcrmocomprcssor opcration. Rcductions in motivc
stcam havc thc potcntial to substantially improvc thc cncrgy
cllicicncy ol thc mill and thc opcration ol thc drycr drainagc
systcm. !t is important to match thc thcrmocomprcssors to thc
syphons. Propcrly dcsigncd syphons will minimizc thc load on thc
thcrmocomprcssor. 8y taking advantagc ol ncw undcrstanding ol
llow dynamics within thc thcrmocomprcssor, thc gcomctry can
bc optimizcd to minimizc thc amount ol motivc stcam rcquircd.
Propcr opcration ol thc drycr drainagc systcm is nccdcd to achicvc
continuous bcnclit. This can bc accomplishcd by using an undcr
standing ol thcrmocomprcssor opcration to improvc thc control
logic within thc CS.
rcquircmcnts to cvacuatc a givcn drycr can vary grcatly. Machinc
spccd, drycr prcssurc and condcnsing load dictatc thc dillcrcntial
rcquircmcnt. pcrators will typically sct dillcrcntial prcssurcs to
thc lcvcl that will prcvcnt drycr llooding lor all opcrating condi
tions. Thc worst casc dillcrcntial prcssurc is cxccssivc lor most
opcrating conditions, rcsulting in highcr motivc stcam llows and
wastcd cncrgy.
Anothcr mcthod that is uscd to control a thcrmocomprcs
sor loop is to mcasurc thc blowthrough llow coming oll ol thc
scparator tank and vary thc thcrmocomprcssor opcning to control
thc amount ol blowthrough stcam llow. illcrcntial prcssurc var
ics as thc opcrating prcssurc and condcnsing load changcs. Thc
blowthrough llow is controllcd to a constant pcrccntagc ol thc
condcnsing load in thc drycrs. Controlling blowthrough stcam
llow simulatcs thc syphon rcquircmcnt but it docs not takc into
account thc minimal dillcrcntial rcquircmcnts ol syphons. 8low
through llow control rcquircs vcry good condcnsatc scparation in
thc scparator tanks or thc mcasurcmcnt will bc inaccuratc. Ncw
highcllicicncy scparator tanks arc oltcn rcquircd to implcmcnt
blowthrough llow control.
Thc bcst practicc lor controlling drycr cvacuation and mini
mizing blowthrough is through managcd dillcrcntial control.
Algorithms arc uscd to continuously calculatc thc rcquircd dil
lcrcntial prcssurc bascd on thc syphon curvcs, opcrating prcssurc,
machinc spccd, and shccton status. pcrators arc not rcquircd to
cstablish thc sct points. Thc corrcct dillcrcntial prcssurc is always
prcscnt and thc amount ol motivc stcam uscd is hcld to thc mini
mum ncccssary. illcrcntial prcssurc is automatically rcduccd on
shcct brcaks to prcvcnt vcnting and stcam wastc.
Prevent over the top operation
Thc thcrmocomprcssor dcsign must accommodatc thc opcrating
prcssurc rangc ol thc drying systcm. Thc throat diamctcr is bascd
on thc lowprcssurc opcrating point and thc nozzlc diamctcr is
bascd on thc highprcssurc opcrating condition. This can lcad to
thc condition whcrc thcrc can bc too much motivc stcam llow
whcn opcrating at low dischargc prcssurcs. xccssivc motivc
stcam llow can lcad to ovcr thc top opcration. This condition is
also commonly rclcrrcd to as chokcd llow, although this tcrm
is mislcading. vcr thc top occurs whcn thc thcrmocomprcs
sor no longcr incrcascs suction llow with incrcasing motivc llow.
Vith traditional mcthods ol control, opcration in thc ovcr thc
top rcgion will rcsult in thc thcrmocomprcssor going widc opcn,
consuming maximum ol motivc stcam. Thc control action will
opcn thc vcnt valvc oncc thc thcrmocomprcssor has rcachcd maxi
mum. This will rcsult in stcam wastc and is thc most incllicicnt
Keywords: THRMCMPRSSR, H!GHFF!C!NCY, PT!
M!Z GMTRY, SYPHNS, RYR RA!NAG SYSTMS,
NRGY FF!C!NCY, MT!\ STAM AN CF ANALYS!S
Reference: SUCY, M., T!MM, G.L. Thcrmocomprcssor csign and
pcration lor High llicicncy, Pulp & Paper Canada, 111(5): T73T76
(Scpt/ct 2010). Papcr prcscntcd at thc PAPTAC 94th Annual Mccting
in Montrcal, Fcbruary 57, 2008. Not to bc rcproduccd without pcrmission
ol PAPTAC. Manuscript rcccivcd Novcmbcr 29, 2007. Rcviscd manuscript
approvcd lor publication by thc Rcvicw Pancl Junc10, 2010.
Rsum: Le choix de thermocompresseurs de dimensions et caractristiques
adquates est souvent mal compris. Un thermocompresseur qui ne correspond
pas la conception du siphon est un problme courant dans lindustrie. Souvent,
des thermocompresseurs trop grands fonctionnent des pressions diffrenti-
elles plus leves que ce qui est requis. Cela explique que de nombreux thermo-
compresseurs consomment deux fois la quantit de vapeur motrice requise. On
observe ce phnomne sur les machines converties aux siphons stationnaires
sans optimisation du gabarit du thermocompresseur. Cet expos explore les
derniers dveloppements concernant la conception de thermocompresseurs
haute efficacit et leur intgration aux siphons et composantes dvacuation
de scheurs.