Liquid heaters and vaporizers – Flasher
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-19
2001-03-06
Ferensic, Denise L. (Department: 3749)
Liquid heaters and vaporizers
Flasher
C122S414000, C122S443000, C122S458000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196163
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the chemical industry and other process industries using steam for steam jacketed reactors, heat is lost by either a throw away or collecting the condensed water at atmospheric pressure in an uninsulated make-up water tank. It then mixes with room temperature make-up water which is pumped into the boiler as feed water by a feed water pump.
As a result of the above process, part of the steam condensate, which is at higher pressure than atmospheric, flash over into steam due to pressure drop. The flash steam is lost into atmosphere and also the heat it carries. If an open feed water tank is used and condensate pipes are not insulated between the reactor and tank, condensate heat will also leak out into the atmosphere.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method to save the lost heat energy of the condensate and send it back to the boiler as boiler feed water.
This is accomplished by collecting the high temperature steam condensate from the reactor steam jacket into a closed vessel in which the pressure is that of the lowest pressure in the reactor steam jacket. This pressure will be higher than atmospheric.
Since the pressure in the steam jacket and closed vessel are equal, there will be little or no steam flash over due to pressure drop. The closed vessel with steam condensate is then fed into the boiler. The amount of heat saving to the boiler is the amount of flash over steam saved and hotter condensate returned to the boiler by this method and apparatus.
Also, the heat leakage into the atmosphere from the condensed water vessel and the pipelines is reduced to minimum by insulating them.
The high temperature condensate in the closed water vessel is sent to the boiler by the feed pump, however, the condensate is at its saturation temperature so any pressure drop in the pipes joining the vessel to the fed pump will permit condensate to flash over into steam in the pipeline or at the feed pump suction intake and stop the feed pump.
To avoid the flash steam at the feed pump suction, a water head or gravity head is provided by keeping the closed water vessel at a higher level than the pump to provide a net positive suction head.
Also, steam flash over in the pump and pipe lines may be avoided by reducing the water temperature below its saturation temperature by mixing the condensate water with colder make-up water. This mixing is by way of a cold water injector mounted in the pipe line before the condensate enters the feed pump to bring the temperature of the condensate lower than its saturation temperature.
In a multi-reactor plant, where steam jackets may have different jacket pressures, the same general system may be used.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4177767 (1979-12-01), Regamey
patent: 4249486 (1981-02-01), Potochnik
patent: 4878457 (1989-11-01), Bekedam
patent: 5728200 (1998-03-01), Bekedam
patent: 5906800 (1999-05-01), Napierkowski et al.
patent: 6089013 (2000-07-01), Bruckner et al.
Bower James H.
Ferensic Denise L.
Wilson Gregory A.
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