CG-3 Condensation of Immiscible Mixtures - A Critical Review

C. C. Yang, J. W. Palen, and J. Taborek

1976

A survey of literature methods for condensation of immiscible mixtures was made with the objective of clarifying applications to design of steam-hydrocarbon industrial condensers. These studies produced two main conclusions.

1. The data in the literature for the condensate film heat transfer coefficient are not ideally applicable to design of immiscible liquid condensers, as they are only for the gravity-controlled flow regime on single tubes and flat plates. However, the basic principles are analyzed in this report and interpreted into a preliminary but practical design procedure.
2. The condensate film heat transfer coefficient is seldom the controlling factor in sizing of such condensers, and approximations can be tolerated if the temperature profiles and the vapor-phase heat transfer coefficient are properly calculated. Both temperature profiles and vapor-phase heat transfer can be handled with existing technology if care is taken to adequately account for physical and thermodynamic properties.

Based on these conclusions, interim procedures are recommended for design of immiscible liquid condensers which can be used either in conjunction with or to modify present HTRI design methods.