C A S E S T U D Y
REDUCING SHELLSIDE
MALDISTRIBUTION IN
A CONDENSER
SUMMARY
An engineering, procurement, and construction company asked HTRI to
investigate methods—constrained by permissible pressure drop—to mitigate
shellside flow maldistribution for an X-shell condenser, using cold seawater
on the tube side to condense an off-gas on the shell side.
THE CHALLENGE
• Determine optimal geometric design modifications that
minimize maldistribution and potential structural damage
• Assess the potential maldistribution in a modified
X-shell condenser
THE RESULTS
From the CFD simulation of the baseline geometry and
conditions, HTRI determined that the central crosspasses of
the X shell had more than twice as much flow as others.
Additional simulations were run using
• a single nozzle with an added distributor plate of various
lengths, as well as different pressure loss coefficients
• two inlet nozzles (fed from a distribution manifold with
a distributor plate)
Centering a 3.0-m long distributor plate with discretely
variable porosity beneath the inlet nozzle improved the
distribution so that the flow rates between the crosspasses
differed by only 16%. Adding a distributor plate along the
entire length of the bundle provided essentially uniform flow Uneven velocity distribution in the original X-shell condenser
to the entire bundle. as the flow passes through the baffles across the exchanger.
Flow enters from a single nozzle at the top and exits at the
Placing two 1.1-m diameter inlet nozzles, with inflow from a bottom. The central crosspasses have more than twice as
1.6-m diameter distribution manifold, indicated a level of
much flow as others.
maldistribution only slightly better than the baseline case with
a single inlet nozzle. Again, adding a distributor plate with
discretely variable porosity along the entire length of the
bundle provided essentially uniform flow to the bundle.
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REDUCING SHELLSIDE MALDISTRIBUTION IN A CONDENSER
THE IMPLEMENTATION Baseline geometry and conditions for X-shell condenser
Length 9.1 m
To determine the optimal geometric design
Diameter 2.4 m
modifications, HTRI used ANSYS FLUENT® to
develop CFD simulations to Crosspasses 12
• determine the vapor flow distribution Support plates 11
above the bundle of the X shell prior Tubeside fluid Cold seawater
to condensation
Shellside fluid Off-gas
• quantify the uniformity of flow through the
12 crosspasses of the client’s exchanger Total shellside inlet mass flow rate 12.6 kg/s
• evaluate the effect of adding different Inlet temperature 61.7 °C
numbers and sizes of nozzles, as well as a
Inlet nozzle One 1.5-m diameter
distributor plate
Distributor plate None
The client supplied Xist® ratings that were used to
calibrate the CFD pressure drop model. The Xist
calculations of pressure drop across the tube
bundle enabled the substitution of porous media
in the simulations. CFD models developed from
the Xist analysis provided reliable prediction of
other flow conditions.
HTRI modeled a symmetric half of the exchanger
along a longitudinal, diametrical-cut plane
through the X-shell cross-section. This approach
reduced the computational effort through the
exchanger model domain while maintaining
good solution accuracy. A Reynolds-averaged
Navier-Stokes solver was applied, which employed
a k-omega Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence
model. Second-order accurate discretization
schemes were used for momentum and mass
continuity equations.
This setup provided pressure and flow distribution
data throughout the domain. The information
was used to modify the mechanical design of the
The same X-shell condenser with two inlet nozzles. As shown,
nozzles and distributor plate, as well as to predict
the flow distribution improved due to an additional distribution plate
the erosion and vibration potential of the first
along the entire bundle length.
row of tubes.
Contact us for more information at [email protected]
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201807
