Simulating Refinery Shell & Tube Overhead Condenser

Operations
A Brief Tutorial
By Tom Ralston, Product Manager, Aspen Technology, Inc.

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1. Business Background
Aspen Shell & Tube Exchanger enables optimum design, rating or simulation of process heat exchangers for both the
expert and casual user. Integration with process simulators and other AspenTech engineering tools allows for improved
overall process optimization through better collaboration across engineering disciplines.
Aspen Shell & Tube Exchanger addresses a wide range of application needs. It serves the process operator, engineering
contractor and the equipment fabricator, allowing sharing of models from conceptual design to operational
troubleshooting. The program handles the full range of practical process applications including single and multicomponent condensers, condensers with reflux and exchangers with single-phase heating and cooling duties, forced flow
and thermosiphon reboilers.

2. Scope of this Document

This document serves as an illustration of using Aspen Shell & Tube Exchanger to simulate the performance of an
exchanger subject to different operating conditions. In this case the focus is on one of the more critical exchanger
applications, an overhead condenser in a refinery. This guide is best used in conjunction with other resources to give the
new user a comprehensive view of how to use this capability. These include:

Online documentation which can be accessed through the Aspen Exchanger Design & Rating software user
screens (using the F1 key, the whats this button and searches within Help).
Aspen Online Training Materials which are easily accessed by clicking Training under the Getting Started Section
of the Exchanger Design and Rating Start Page
AspenTech support website (support.aspentech.com), which contains a wide range of knowledge base items with
guides, tips and answers to frequently asked questions.
AspenTech training courses, with in-person regional offerings and on-line virtual versions, which provide formal
training on process modeling and heat transfer technology.
Pre-recorded tutorials and webinars that provide additional information to that contained here. You will be
required to enter your AspenTech support id and password (go to the animated tutorial section on the link below
for many of these resources).
http://support.aspentech.com/webteamasp/My/FrameDef.asp?/webteamasp/My/product.asp?id1=3030&id2=''&id3=all

3. Problem Overview
Here we are going to look at the effect of coolant temperature and fouling on the operation of an overhead condenser
on a crude atmospheric column.
We will use a model of a Crude Distillation Unit comprising: part of the crude pre-heat train, the crude furnace, the
atmospheric column and the overhead condenser. For our study here we will focus on the water-cooled overhead
condenser.

4. The Step by Step Guide

4.1

Process Model

Open the HYSYS Case Provided: EDR_CRUDE_UNIT2.hsc

This comprises a model of part of an atmospheric crude distillation system as outline above.
You will see the water-cooled overhead condense,E-101 at the far right of the flowsheet:

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Double click on E-101 to open the exchanger forms. If you go to the Design tab and click on Parameters you will see
that the active model is a simple End Point.
Go to the Worksheet tab and review the process conditions:

You will see that we have provided 1.0 x 106 kg/h of cooling water at 26.67C and that we require the overhead
condensate to exit at 60C.
Lets now get a rigorous EDR model in our simulation to represent this condenser operation.

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We could use the new V8 sizing methodology described in the Jumpstart guide: Jump Start to Rigorous Shell & Tube
Exchanger Sizing in Aspen HYSYS. You will find this in Online training and in the Support Knowledge Base if you search
for solution number 137334.
Here we will use the alternative work flow and load a previously prepared model from an Exchanger Design and Rating
(EDR) file.
4.2

Import Rigorous Shell & Tube Model

Go to Design | Parameters and in the Heat Exchanger Model drop down selector choose Rigorous Shell&Tube.
Now go to the Rigorous Shell & Tube tab and click the Import button browse to find the EDR file provided which is
called: E-101_AIS_NTIW_2Parr_Ck_Import
To get the rigorous model to solve you will have to return to the Worksheet tab and delete the specified Ovh
Condensate outlet temperature (60.0) and the simulation will solve. You will find that the rigorous model will predict we
can cool to a lower outlet temperature and consequently achieve a smaller outlet vapor fraction.
If you go to the Rigorous Shell&Tube tab again you can review the geometry and performance predictions with this
highly detailed model. Here you can see a summary of the exchanger geometry it consists of 2 shells in parallel with
1498 tubes each 6m long arranged in 2 passes. The shell type is designated I which means it has 2 vapor inlet nozzles
and 1 condensate outlet nozzle. There is also a vapor outlet nozzle to take off residual vapor and non-condensing gas.
Under the Results Summary form you will see some of the key thermal and hydraulic results. Please note here that the
calculated pressure drop is under 0.16bar, significantly less than the design allowance of 0.2bar. You can also see a
sketch of the Setting Plan of our exchanger, its tube layout and the shell and tube-side temperature profiles.

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This illustrates the vapor entering from 2 nozzles at each end of the shell, cooling and condensing until it reaches the
central liquid outlet nozzle.
If you wish to examine more details of the modeling you can click the Model Details button to see all EDR model
specifications and calculated results.
4.3

Operational Changes High Ambient Temperature

Now lets examine how our condenser will perform as conditions change. For a few very hot days is the year the cooling
water cannot be maintained at 26.67C. What will happen if it is around 10C higher?
Go to the E-101 Worksheet and set the cooling water inlet temperature 37C.
The model will solve very quickly and you will see that the condenser process outlet temperature is now over 66C and
the outlet vapor fraction has increase from around 2% to almost 12%.
Perhaps the greatest impact of this will be the effect of increased pressure drop on the column operation. Go to the
Rigorous Shell&Tube tab and look at the Results Summary. You will see that the calculated pressure drop now exceeds
the design allowance of 0.2bar.
4.4

Operational Changes High Ambient Temperature

Most exchangers foul up to some extent. Indeed here we have provided an AIS-type exchanger which allows for
relatively easy access to the tube-side during down-time for mechanical cleaning.
Go to the Rigorous Shell&Tube Tab and look at the fouling resistance specified for the cooling water (tube-side). What
if this were to double from 0.0002 m2 K/W to 0.0004 m2 K/W during or hot operational period?
Referring again to the Results Summary you will find the calculated pressure drop of the condensing overhead has
increased to almost 0.24bar, 25% above the design allowable. If the vapor removal system and a downstream
condensate sub-cooler are in adequate to ensure a lower outlet pressure then the column will experience a 25%
increase in overhead pressure. We could model the impact this would have on separation by appropriate adjustments
to the column specification.
You might like to look at a HYSYS case study where we arrange to vary the cooling water inlet temperature from 27C to
37C. This can be done with the fouling resistance at the original value of0.0002 m2 K/W and then at the increased value
of 0.0004 m2 K/W.
You will find this case study with the rigrosous Shell & Tube Exchanger model embedded in the file:
EDR_CRUDE_UNIT2_Case_Study.hsc
Below are the results of the case study for the latter case:

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