Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!

Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!

Register Log in
  • Congratulations cowski on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Flow control of cooling water of heat exchanger 1

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson

Chemical
Joined
Oct 20, 2016
Messages
119
Location
IR
Dear all. Hello.

Why in most industrial plants, cooling water vlave of heat exchabger is manual (non control valve)?

I think we can conserve lots of e energy using regilation of cooling water flow through heat exchanger in different plant load
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Normally the control is on the process side.
Cooling water systems are a utility that is normally better off running at a constant flow.
Yes, the thermal load changes but not the flow.
Lower flows can be difficult, leading to silting and fouling, minimizing distribution of inhibitors, and requiring more sophisticated pump controls.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
If the cooling water is "once through" then you might have a point, but if it's then cooled itself mechanically with a chiller then the chiller won't work as hard when the cooling load is low.

Power costs for cooling water circulation might become significant if the HX works at low load for extended periods.

Then maybe introduce a small recirc pump (low head) to recirc say 50% of cooling flow around the HX to reduce the main cooling water pumps. All depends.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hi,
Pay attention about your statement on economy energy by reducing the cooling water flowrate (control valve) , this is going to increase the precipitation of salt over the tubes of HX . In other words this is the best way to have a plant collapsing .
Please let you study the chemistry of water and you will understand my comments , in particular study the Langelier and Rysnar saturation indexes.

If you want to save some energy you may adjust the RPM of fans on cooling towers but you need to equip them with VSD .

Good luck
Pierre

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

zamakaze
  • Locked
  • Question Question
Heat Exchanger UA value - Query
Replies
4
Views
3K
georgeverghese
georgeverghese
R
  • Question Question
Tubeside Gas Velocity Range on Heat Exchanger
Replies
14
Views
8K
EdStainless
EdStainless
rika kose
  • Locked
  • Question Question
liquid butane flow control
2
Replies
24
Views
6K
hacksaw
hacksaw
Ahmed Elarbagi
  • Locked
  • Question Question
Heat Medium Flow through Expansion Tank
Replies
5
Views
3K
Latexman
Latexman
P
  • Question Question
Control Valve Pressure Survey
Replies
2
Views
7K
TiCl4
TiCl4

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top