Freezing Steam Coil
I need to install an air preheater for an air cooled exchanger such that the winter air here in Northern Alberta is preheated to avoid over cooling of the process fluid. If i install a steam bundle, the bundle at some point will simply freeze with -30F air. Is there a type of steam bundle that will not freeze and crack?
If there's a temperature control valve that controls the steam, the coil
must be piped correctly to avoid freezing. They very much tend to
freeze and split during spring and fall, when the air temps are just
below the freezing point, rather than during very cold weather. (During
cold weather, the steam valve is wide open, supplying lots of pressure
to push condensate out of the coil.)
The condensate must be able
to gravity drain to a vented receiver, and the coil must have vacuum
breaker. Check out "Hook Ups" by Spirax Sarco for some excellent info on
this.
I agree with "TBP" on looking up information in the "Hook Ups" book. It
is a good resource. There is another approach to the coil freeze up
problem. You need to avoid coil "stall," where the steam pressure in
the coil cannot overcome the condensate return system back pressure
under low pressure steam conditions; or worse yet, the coil goes into a
vacuum and draws condensate back into the coil. Once the coil starts
flooding, opportunity exists for freeze-up. The other solution is to
use a "pump/trap" combination. You can either place a pressure powered
pump in series with a steam trap (usually a large F&T trap) with the
F&T downstream or you can get a product that has both features in
one unit (a pump-trap). You will need help in properly "sizing" the
units, thus contact your local steam specialty/trap supplier. You will
also need a small section of reservoir pipe upstream of the unit to
allow condensate backup while the pump-trap is operating. Even if the
steam coil goes into a vacuum, the condensate can drain out of the coil
into the reservoir and pump body and then the pressure powered pump can
push the condensate out. No vacuum breaker required for this setup. As
a final note, you may want to have vertical coils for better drainage
too. Good luck with your application.I've seen many problems (I'm also in Alberta) of breaking steam coils
(or hydrocarbon coils with water) due to freeze-up during cold
weather. Waste steam condensers can be a particular problem because
they are usually designed wrong for our climate.
The only
design that I've seen that works well for waste steam condensers is to
add ducting to recirculate warmer exaust air from the fin-fan back to
the inlet plenum. on a forced draft fan, this would involve "boxing in"
under the fan with louvers that would open based on the fan inlet
temperature. Warm air from the outlet could be routed back under the
fan or exhaust to atmos (again using automated louvres).
This may even work for you instead of using a steam coil.
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