Match the plate channels and thermal programme to water, oils and process liquids.
A liquid can be assigned to the plate side or shell side according to the duty. Selection considers heat capacity, viscosity at operating temperature, allowable pressure drop and material compatibility. Supply both the normal operating point and the expected operating range.
Oil viscosity changes with temperature, especially during cold start-up. Include viscosity data at relevant temperatures and state whether the oil contains particles or deposits. The rich-oil project illustrates saturated-steam heating in a coal chemical process.
A hot process stream can heat another stream while being cooled itself. Available temperature difference, flow imbalance and fouling allowance affect the selected surface and pressure drop. Energy recovery should be calculated for the actual process, rather than expressed as a generic percentage.
Product properties, required outlet temperature and possible solidification or crystallisation need to be considered together. For subcooling, state the entering phase and operating pressure.
Explore the process objective and engineering questions for each duty. These are application guidance, rather than customer project references.
Cool export crude with a water circuit, or heat crude before separation and transfer.
Review viscosity at the actual operating temperature, wax appearance temperature, solids and minimum wall temperature. Counter-current flow is not always the best choice: a co-current arrangement may be evaluated to limit local overcooling.
Transfer heat from regenerated lean solvent to the rich stream before regeneration; use a separate cooler where the absorber needs a lower inlet temperature.
Specify solvent concentration, contaminants, approach temperatures, pressure difference between circuits and corrosion conditions. Solvent chemistry and cleaning compatibility govern material selection.
Recover heat from a hot process outlet to preheat incoming feed, reducing the load on the final heater.
For polymerising or temperature-sensitive fluids, examine residence time and wall temperature as well as bulk outlet temperature. Turbulence may help limit deposition, but does not eliminate fouling; cleaning access and filtration remain important.
Define both stream temperature profiles and available pressure drop before setting a recovery target. A close approach can increase the required area and sensitivity to fouling. Review minimum flow, viscosity and wall temperature for crude, solvent or other deposit-forming service; a larger exchanger alone is not a substitute for a sound hydraulic design.
Provide both fluids, flow rates, inlet and outlet temperatures, operating and design pressures, allowable pressure drop and material requirements. For an existing installation, include the nameplate and arrangement drawing.