For cryogenic duty, a welded condenser is required and a compact design is preferred also as installation on top of a column (with a small diameter) of a shell and a tube condenser is too bulky.
Barriquand Platular® IJS type heat exchangers are ideal, they can be custom-built quite easily and can also integrate specific requirements.
The duty is to condense methane from a steam / hydrocarbon mixture and return this methane to the column (Reflux Condenser).
The condensates will return to the column via the same inlet nozzle as the incoming mixture.
The IJS unit manufactured for this service is pictured in the below 3D view and the main components are:
- Plate pack and shell in AISI 316L
- Large below incoming process nozzle: as condensates are returned to the column via this nozzle, size must be large enough to ensure low velocity to avoid droplets entrainment