3.4 EET Condensers Contents 344 346 INTRODUCTION, 4. C. Mueller 341-1 | HEATTRANSFER, A.C. Mueller 3.4.6-1 342 A. General : SELECTION OF CONDENSER 2B. _Histde tabes TYPES, A.C. Musil 3.424 | ©. Outside horizontal tubes D. Finned tubes E. Outside vertical tubes 3.43 F, Heat transfer: mixtures DISCUSSION OF CONDENSER G. Subcooling TYPES, A. C. Muell 3434 3.47 ‘A. Inside tubes—verticdl downslow 3431 | PRESSURE DROP, A. C. Mueller 3474 B. Inside tubes—verticdlupflow 3.432 C. Inside horizontal tubes 3433 | 3.48 D. Outside horizontal tubes 343-4 | MEAN TEMPERATURE E, Outside vertical tubs 3436 | DIFFERENCE, A. C. Mueller 34.81 9 aa 349 A Pl 4.9: Rect he 3444 | DESIGN PROCEDURE, A.C. Mueller 3.4.9:1 A. Overall design procedure 3491 Ane B. Inside vertical tubes—downflow 3.492 OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS, C._Inside vertical tubes—upflow 3.493 eas 3.4.5.1 | D. Inside horizontal tubes 3493 °C E. Outside horizontal tubes 3.493 fe sasa | F Outside vertical tubes 349-4 B. Venting 34.52 | Nomenclature for Sections 3.4.1-3.4.9 349-4 C. Fogsing 34.52 | References for Sections 3.4.1-3.4.9 349-4 © 1983 Hemisphere Publishing Corporation3.4 CONDENSERS 341-1 A condenser is a d ice in which the heat removed in the process of convefting a vapor to liquid is tans- r ferred to 2 coolant, hhas a thin wall separati and its condensate; the In a direct contact cor are mixed together and the coolant. indirect or surface condenser ig the coolant from the vapor heat passes through this wall. jdenser, the vapor and coolant the heat transfers directly into ‘The surfaces used in indirect condensers may be plates or tubes, and thes with fins, enhanced by special surface treatmen| the surfaces can take phase flow patterns of and the flow patter of heat transfer rates. In ‘are many ways in whi into contact, which affe The apparatus in wi also heat or vaporize the is called a condenser, depends on the prim: In this discussion, the pi surfaces can be plain, extended luting or corrugating, or given . The physical arrangement of ¥y forms and affects the two- the vapor-condensate mixture .¢ coolant, thus influencing the ject contact condensers, there the two streams are brought the rate of condensation. ich vapors are condensed may ‘oolant. Whether this apparatus vaporizer, reboiler, or heater purpose of the heat transfer imary purpose is the condensa- 4.4 Introduction A.C. Mueller tion of vapors. The type of coolant used will influence the physical configuration and the operation of the condenser. ‘This section of the handbook is concemed primarily with the design of shell-and-tube condensers; however, condensers of the special plate type can be designed by the same methods, but use 2 hydraulic equivalent diameter. Aircooled condensers present special prob: lems in the control of air flow, physical location effect on air recirculation, and variations in ambient conditions ‘and are discussed in Sec. 3.8. The plate and plate-fin compact exchangers are occasionally used as condensers for special applications, such as cryogenic service. The dimensions of these plates are specific to the manufac- turer; generalized predictive and design methods are discussed in Sees. 3.7 and 3.9. The low-finned tubes are widely used afd manufactured and are discussed in Sec. 3.4.6D. Other tube enhancements of grooves or flutes are specific to the manufacturer, who should be consulted conceming their application and rating (Gee also Sec. 2.6.6). Another form of enhancement is ropwise condensation, but this has not yet been suc- cessful in commercial applications. © 1983 Hemisphere Publishing Corporation