Is Vaporizer Configuration Critical in Reboiler Heat Transfer Calculations?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the critical role of vaporizer configuration in reboiler heat transfer calculations. It establishes that for a reboiler, the vaporizer acts as the "shell" where heat transfer occurs. The correct method for calculating heat duty involves using Q = m*Hv for phase changes, with Hv being the latent heat of steam, which was identified as approximately 1900 kJ/kg. The participant encountered a significant discrepancy in duty calculations between the reboiler and the process side, highlighting the necessity of accurate flow data and enthalpy calculations for all streams involved.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of heat transfer principles in chemical engineering.
  • Familiarity with phase change calculations, specifically latent heat.
  • Knowledge of reboiler operation and distillation processes.
  • Ability to calculate enthalpy based on stream composition and conditions.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the principles of heat transfer in reboilers and condensers.
  • Learn how to calculate enthalpy for various mixtures using software like Aspen Plus.
  • Investigate the impact of flow rates on heat transfer efficiency in reboilers.
  • Explore advanced methods for calculating heat duty in distillation columns.
USEFUL FOR

Chemical engineers, process engineers, and anyone involved in the design and optimization of heat exchangers and distillation processes will benefit from this discussion.

pxp004
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For a general cooler or heater, the calculations for heat transfer are based on the tube side and shell side. So

1) For a reboiler would the vaporizer be the "shell" since that's where the heat transfer occurs?

2) How do you account for the phase change? I used Q = m*cP*dT to calculate duty. Since steam is condensing in the tubes, I was told to use Q = m*Hv instead, where "Hv" is the latent heat of steam and "m" is the flow (kg/s) I have from operating data. I looked up Hv at the given temperature and it was around 1900 kJ/kg. So I calculated the duty to be 200 kW.
I have cP and dT data for my process acid (which is being vaporized). So in order to check myself, I used Q = m*cP*dT for my process acid. I don't have operating data for flow on the process side, so I used the flow specified on the datasheet for the exchanger since they should reasonably be the same. The thing is, when I calculated the duty on the process side, I got 900 W. Thats no where near 200 kW.
So I don't understand where I'm going wrong. If someone can explain what's wrong with my method above and how to make calculations for a reboiler, that would be wonderful.
 
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You need to provide more information. Is this a reboiler for a distillation column? If so, there is one stream entering the reboiler, and two streams exiting. Do you know the properties of any of these streams, like composition? Do you know how to calculate the enthalpy of any of these streams, given its composition, and the temperature and pressure of the reboiler? What is the identification (e.g., liquid from tray above) of the one stream entering and the two streams exiting?

Chet
 

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