Energy Balance on heat exchanger

AI Thread Summary
An energy balance is needed for a heat exchanger heating a 90% methanol and 10% water mixture from 21°C to 261°C using high-pressure steam at 31 bar. The steam condenses at the same pressure, making the calculation of steam required straightforward with m = Q/ΔHv. The challenge lies in determining the correct specific heat capacity (Cp) for the mixture during heating, as the typical value for water does not apply at the higher temperature. The heat of vaporization for steam at 31 bar is 1785 kJ/kg, and the boiling point of water at this pressure is 236°C. A proper approach to finding Cp is necessary to accurately calculate the total energy required for the heating process.
thelorax
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
I need to do an energy balance on a heat exchanger where an aziotropic mixture of 90% methanol and 10% water at 21°C is being heated to 261°C. The heat source is high pressure saturated steam at 31 bar and it is assumed that the steam leaves as condensate at the same pressure (31bar).

Calculating the steam required at the end is relatively straightforward using m = Q/ΔHv, as the steam merely goes from saturated vapour to saturated liquid.

However, calculating the actual heat required to raise the temperature of the methanol feed solution from 21°C to 261°C at 2.2 bar is where I get lost.

In this calculation we have to take into account the amount of energy gained m*Cp*dT and the amount of energy required to vaporize the water m*ΔHv. Which isn't too hard, except I don't know which value of Cp to use. Normally I would use Cp = 4.18kJ/kg K and calculate Q = m*(4.18)*(261-21) + m*ΔHv but this Cp value would only apply for water at 21°C, not steam at 261°C, which would have a different Cp.

The other option would be to use Q = m*∫CpdT + m*ΔHv, except I don't have an equation for Cp in terms of T.

I guess my question is:

What value(s) of Cp do I use when calculating the the total energy required to heat a mixture of 90% Methanol/10%water solution from 21°C to 261°C?

There is probably a very straightforward explanation for this and I would very much appreciate it if someone could please explain it to me.

Thank you for your time.

TheLorax
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
You didn't mention the big factor, the heat of vaporization of the steam.

At 31 Bar, the boiling point of water is 236C, and the heat of vaporization is 1785 kJ/kg
 
Posted June 2024 - 15 years after starting this class. I have learned a whole lot. To get to the short course on making your stock car, late model, hobby stock E-mod handle, look at the index below. Read all posts on Roll Center, Jacking effect and Why does car drive straight to the wall when I gas it? Also read You really have two race cars. This will cover 90% of problems you have. Simply put, the car pushes going in and is loose coming out. You do not have enuff downforce on the right...
I'm trying to decide what size and type of galvanized steel I need for 2 cantilever extensions. The cantilever is 5 ft. The space between the two cantilever arms is a 17 ft Gap the center 7 ft of the 17 ft Gap we'll need to Bear approximately 17,000 lb spread evenly from the front of the cantilever to the back of the cantilever over 5 ft. I will put support beams across these cantilever arms to support the load evenly
Thread 'What's the most likely cause for this carbon seal crack?'
We have a molded carbon graphite seal that is used in an inline axial piston, variable displacement hydraulic pump. One of our customers reported that, when using the “A” parts in the past, they only needed to replace them due to normal wear. However, after switching to our parts, the replacement cycle seems to be much shorter due to “broken” or “cracked” failures. This issue was identified after hydraulic fluid leakage was observed. According to their records, the same problem has occurred...

Similar threads

Back
Top