I am having troubles retaining upper and lower temperatures in my stripper column. I have tried changing fluid levels, increasing steam, and having very little success at raising my temperatures.

 The reboiler has been hydroblasted less than a 6 months ago. Any helpful hints or things I can try to get this operating coorectly at the temperatures I need to properly strip the water from the product?

I agree with Chance17 that the best indication of a fouled reboiler is an increase in the pressure on the steam side. Do you have a steam flow meter?  If so, has the steam flow decreased?  How does it compare with the design flow rate?  If you don't have a steam meter a crude but effective method is to run the condensate into a drum on a scale.  Half fill the drum with cold water to prevent flashing, and measure the increase in water mass with time. One thing you should not do is bypass the steam trap(Regulators) on the condensate outlet as that will lower the condensing pressure and temperature and give you less driving force.

All very good and useful information and I do have a fouled reboiler. I also learned that it takes very little film build up on the tubes to insulate steam and foul up reboilers. As I am new to this I learn quickly. Thank you for the great information guys! Or girls! Whichever the case maybe.

MORE NEWS