Dephlegmator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315128-B2
Application number	US-201214232813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2012
Priority date	Jul 15, 2011
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A dephlegmator is provided comprising two stages connected in series wherein a first stage includes an air-cooled reflux condenser and a second stage includes a generally horizontal tube bundle of smooth or finned tubes that can be operated selectively in either an air-cooled (dry) mode under selected ambient conditions or in a wet evaporatively cooled mode under other selected ambient conditions including that of elevated ambient temperature. Spray nozzles may be installed above the tube bundle whereby water can be sprayed onto the tube bundle. One or more collection troughs are preferably provided beneath the tube bundle for collecting run-off water and enabling recycling of excess deluge water. Preferably, the tube bundle comprises at least two, and preferably three groups of tubes communicating with each other wherein the second group of tubes has appreciably fewer tubes in it than the first group of tubes and any third group of tubes has appreciably fewer tubes in it than the second group of tubes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dephlegmator for separating non-condensable gases from condensable gases disposed in a flow path of spent steam comprising a generally horizontal tube bundle of smooth or finned tubes that can be operated selectively in either an air-cooled (dry) mode under selected ambient conditions or in a wet evaporatively cooled mode under other selected ambient conditions including that of elevated ambient temperature, wherein the tube bundle comprises at least three groups of tubes comprising a first group of tubes, a second group of tubes, and a third group of tubes,
wherein the first group of tubes has inlet ends and outlet ends,
the second group of tubes has inlet ends and outlet ends, the inlet ends being in communication with the outlet ends of the tubes of the first group, the second group of tubes comprising from 15% to 30% of the number of tubes of the first group of tubes, and
the tubes of the third group has inlet ends and outlet ends, the inlet ends communicating with the outlet ends of the tubes of the second group, the number of tubes in the third group of tubes is about one third to one quarter of the number of tubes in the second group of tubes,
wherein the dephlegmator further comprises a manifold chamber connected to the outlet ends of the tubes of the third group, wherein the manifold chamber comprises a first outlet and a second outlet to separate the non-condensable gases from a condensate of the condensable gases, and wherein the non-condensable gases are discharged from the first outlet, and the condensate of the condensable gases is drained from the second outlet,
wherein the third group of tubes is arranged at the end of the tube bundle as a final group of tubes.

2. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an arrangement of spray nozzles is installed above the tube bundle whereby water can be sprayed onto the tube bundle in order to provide the evaporatively cooled mode.

3. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a drift eliminator is positioned above the arrangement of spray nozzles to inhibit loss of water in the form of airborne droplets.

4. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one or more collection troughs are provided beneath the tube bundle for collecting run-off water and enabling recycling of excess deluge water.

5. The dephlegmator as claimed claim 1 , wherein the first group of tubes is located vertically above the second group of tubes that is located vertically above the third group of tubes.

6. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second group of tubes are grouped at their ends that are in communication by providing a manifold chamber communicating with the outlet ends of all of the tubes of the first group and the inlet ends of the tubes of the second group, with a partition so as to divide off the outlet ends of the third group of tubes.

7. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the outlet ends of the tubes of the second group open into a manifold chamber with which the inlet ends of the tubes of the third group of tubes communicate.

8. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first stage is an A-frame air cooled condenser arrangement in which multiple finned tubes extend upwards from two opposite sides to create an A-frame structure and a second stage tube bundle is positioned at the top of the condenser arrangement.

9. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 8 , wherein an existing A-frame air-cooled condenser installation having a dry dephlegmator is modified to include a second stage that is capable of being selectively operated either as an air-cooled condenser (dry) or as an evaporatively cooled condenser when an air-side surface of the tube bundle is deluged with water.

10. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 1 , comprising multiple finned tubes extending downwards at an incline towards each other in an inverted A-frame type of arrangement in which instance the tube bundle is located at the lower ends of the finned tubes.

11. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tubes are inclined towards the outlet ends of the tubes to provide for a condensate drainage towards the outlet ends.

12. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tubes are arranged in generally horizontal rows thereof with the tubes of one row being offset from the tubes in a vertically adjacent row by one half of a spacing between the tubes.

13. The dephlegmator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the third group of tubes is disposed in one generally horizontal row.

Assignees

• Reuter Hanno Carl Rudolf
• Kroeger Detlev G
• Univ Stellenbosch

Inventors

• Reuter Hanno Carl Rudolf
• Kröger Detlev G

Classifications

• B01D5/0009 Primary

  Horizontal tubes · CPC title

• F28B1/06 Primary

  using air or other gas as the cooling medium · CPC title

• F28D1/05325

  with particular pattern of flow, e.g. change of flow direction (F28D1/05341 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F2210/10

  Particular layout, e.g. for uniform temperature distribution · CPC title

• F28B1/02

  using water or other liquid as the cooling medium · CPC title