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New Reboiler

A reboiler provides the energy required for distillation by generating vapor from the bottom liquid stream using heat. There are several types of reboilers that can be selected based on factors like cleanability, corrosion resistance, pressure, and temperature. Common reboiler types include kettle reboilers, thermosyphon reboilers, forced circulation reboilers, and internal reboilers. Kettle and thermosyphon reboilers are most common due to their simplicity and reliability.

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Adeel Ahmed
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1K views20 pages

New Reboiler

A reboiler provides the energy required for distillation by generating vapor from the bottom liquid stream using heat. There are several types of reboilers that can be selected based on factors like cleanability, corrosion resistance, pressure, and temperature. Common reboiler types include kettle reboilers, thermosyphon reboilers, forced circulation reboilers, and internal reboilers. Kettle and thermosyphon reboilers are most common due to their simplicity and reliability.

Uploaded by

Adeel Ahmed
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reboiler

What is a Reboiler
The energy requirement for distillation is provided using a reboiler. In classical fractional distillation services all the vapor to drive the

separation comes from the reboiler ((Alternate systems may use externally
generated vapor, feed preheat, or inter-reboiler systems). With a reboiler, vapor is generated from the bottom product by raising the temperature. The maximum amount of vapor generated is limited by the reboiler capacity. Reboiler takes liquid stream from the bottom of the distillation column (or from the last tray of the column) as inlet. Inside the reboiler it gets heated up and vapor (or vapor/liquid) outlet is given back to the column.

Ch.E 404

Chemical Engineering Plant Design

Selection of Reboiler Type


The most critical element of reboiler design is the selection of the proper type of reboiler for a service. Since shell-and-tubes are so common, most of the

discussion focuses on them


1. Cleanability (Fouling) -Tube-side is easier to clean than shell-side. 2. Corrosion - corrosion or process cleanliness may dictate the use of expensive alloys; therefore, these fluids are placed inside tubes in order to save the cost of an alloy shell. 3. Pressure - high pressure fluids are placed on tube side to avoid the expense of thick walled shells. For very low pressures (vacuum) other factors involved in the selection of reboiler type determines the tube-side fluid. 4. Temperatures - very hot fluids are placed inside tube to reduce shell costs. The lower stress limits at high temperatures affect shell design the same as high pressures.

Ch.E 404

Chemical Engineering Plant Design

5. Heating medium requirements may be more important than the boiling liquid requirements. 6. Boiling fluid characteristics: Temperature sensitive liquids require low

holdup design. Boiling range and mixture concentration together with


available T affect circulation requirements to avoid stagnation. Foaming can be better handled inside tubes. 7. Temperature difference and type of boiling (film or nucleate) affects the selection. 8. Space constraints; e.g., if head room is limited then vertical units would be inappropriate or the limitation of space for internal reboilers.

Ch.E 404

Chemical Engineering Plant Design

Ways of Providing energy to distillation


The ways in which heat is provided can be one of the following, see also figure 1. Direct steam/vapor heating, 2. Kettle reboiler, 3. Thermosyphon reboiler natural circulation forced circulation 4. Column Internal reboiler

Ch.E 404

Chemical Engineering Plant Design

Direct steam
When direct steam/vapor heating is used, no actual reboiler exists, but
a bottom sump to provide liquid level for control purposes is needed. This arrangement is quite common in stripping operations. The column might have plates, structured or random packing. The vapor entering the column might need a vapor distributor to eliminate potential mal-distribution. Otherwise the separation performance of column would be degraded.

Ch.E 404

Chemical Engineering Plant Design

kettle reboiler

Kettle type of reboiler requires an extenal force for circulate the

liquid. In most cases, a pump will be used to circulate liquids. Kettle


type is more suitable when there is large heat duty requirements. sually a horizontal U-bundle is placed at the bottom of an oversized shell. The liquid level over the bundle is controlled by means of a baffle. Excess liquid (bottoms or blow-down) overflows the baffle into the end section where the level is controlled by means of a level controller. The space above the baffle-liquid level is used to disengage the vapor from the splash and spray above the bundle. One or more vapor nozzles are used to remove the vapors.

Ch.E 404

Chemical Engineering Plant Design

Kettle Reboiler

Ch.E 404

Chemical Engineering Plant Design

Advantages are: insensitive to hydrodynamics and therefore reliable and easy to size. High heat fluxes are possible, can operate at low T, can handle high vaporization up to 80%, simple piping, unlimited area.

Disadvantages are: all the dirt collects here and non-volatiles accumulate
unless an adequate draw-off is maintained; shell side is difficult to clean; difficult to determine the degree of mixing and, thus, determine the correct Temp. diff. for wide boiling range liquids; the oversize shell is expensive.

Ch.E 404

Chemical Engineering Plant Design

Thermosyphon reboiler
Thermosyphon type works mainly by density difference (caused by temperature difference) between the inlets and outlets of the reboiler. Thermosyphon reboilers provide a simple, lowmaintenance design for distillation tower reboiler systems. Thermosyphon are mainly of two types: 1.

Natural Thermosyphon Reboilers Vertical Thermosyphon Reboilers Horizontal Thermosyphon Reboilers Forced Thermosyphon Reboilers

2.

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Chemical Engineering Plant Design

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Vertical Thermosyphon reboilers

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Vertical Thermosyphon.
General characteristics of this vaporizer are a large exit pipe with a cross sectional area about equal to the total cross sectional area of the tubes and arranged to minimize

the vertical distance between the top tube sheet and the column nozzle. The liquid
level in the column is usually kept at the top tube sheet level in order to provide for maximum circulation. Advantages are: circulation is relatively high and tends to minimize fouling; tube-side fouling is easier to clean; the shell and connecting piping is relatively inexpensive, easily supported, and compact. The disadvantages are: requires more head room and column height; maximum heat flux may be lower than kettle reboilers; the hydrostatic head effect on the boiling point may be a problem at low pressures and/or vacuum service, maximum reboiler area is limited.

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Chemical Engineering Plant Design

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Types of Vertical Thermosyphon Reboilers

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Chemical Engineering Plant Design

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Horizontal Thermosyphon Reboilers.

Horizontal Thermosyphon reboiler,

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Horizontal Thermosyphon Reboilers.


A driving force for circulation is established by the density differences between the liquid in the column and the two-phase mixture in the exit piping. The heating medium flows in the tubes in single or multiple passes.

Advantages are: Higher circulation rate can give a better T than a kettle
reboiler; column skirt height is less than for a vertical thermosyphon; high velocity and low exit vapor fractions decrease the effect of residual high boilers and reduce fouling.

Disadvantages are: multiple nozzles and complicated piping is required;


baffles may be needed to prevent flashing of low boilers near the inlets and concentration of heavies at the exchanger ends; little design information is available and hydrodynamic problems are not well defined; requires large plot area, and high structural costs.

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Chemical Engineering Plant Design

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Forced circulation reboiler,

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Forced circulation reboiler


It is similar to a once-through design, but equipped with a pump to impose circulation. Advantages: 1. Careful calculation of circuit P is not critical. 2. Can overcome large Ps in the reboiler circuit. Disadvantages: Wastes energy.
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Internal reboiler.

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Column Internal Reboiler.


It acts the same as a kettle reboiler but

doesn't have the shell and connecting piping.

The disadvantages are the limited amount of surface area that can be installed, tubes are short hence a costly bundle, and the column must be shut down in order to

clean as no alternate operation is possible.

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Chemical Engineering Plant Design

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Design Steps
Problem Identification Selection of a Basic Type of Exchanger Selection of a tentative set of exchanger design parameters Rating of the design thermal performance pressure drops Evaluation of the design Heat Duty, Pressure drop Acceptable Mechanical design , costing, etc

Modification of the design parameter


Not Acceptable

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