AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF A SHELL-AND-TUBE CONDENSER

Experimental data are presented on the transient behaviour of an indus trial scale shell-and-tube exchanger condensing a mixture of steam and air under reduced pressure. The system was subjected to step changes in the five key loads which determine the condenser behaviour. These a re the inlet pressure, steam flowrate, air flowrate, coolant flowrate and coolant inlet temperature. The experimental equipment and its asso ciated instrumentation are described. The experiments performed are de tailed and the results from two representative runs are presented and discussed. An understanding of the process is a necessary pre-cursor t o modelling and simulation. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.