Heat Integration Function

Cold condensate feed entering stabilizers requires heating to column operating temperature typically 80-150°C. Hot stabilized bottoms product at 100-180°C needs cooling before storage. The feed exchanger transfers heat between these streams, preheating feed while cooling product. This recuperation reduces both reboiler heat duty and product cooling requirements, significantly lowering operating costs and improving overall process efficiency.

Exchanger Design

Shell-and-tube construction with hot bottoms product on shell side and cold feed on tube side. Multiple tube passes optimize heat transfer. ERGIL sizes exchangers based on feed flow rate, temperature approach, and available pressure drop. Typical thermal duties range from 0.5 to 15 MMBTU/hr. Design achieves 60-90% thermal efficiency recovering maximum energy while maintaining practical temperature approaches.

Process Benefits

Reduced reboiler fuel consumption lowers operating costs by 20-40% compared to systems without feed preheat. Lower product cooling duty decreases cooling water consumption or air cooler fan power. Preheated feed improves column stability reducing startup time and operational upsets. Hot product cooling prevents thermal shock to downstream equipment and storage tanks.

Material Selection

Carbon steel construction suitable for sweet hydrocarbon service. Stainless steel tubes for corrosive condensate containing water, acids, or sulfur compounds. Tube-side design facilitates mechanical cleaning when fouling occurs. Removable bundles enable maintenance without vessel replacement. Construction per ASME Section VIII or TEMA standards with appropriate pressure ratings.

Applications

Condensate stabilization units recovering thermal energy, deethanizer and depropanizer feed heating, debutanizer columns processing light naphtha, and any fractionation system where feed-product heat exchange improves economics. Serves gas processing plants, refineries, and NGL facilities with condensate flows from 500 to 50,000 BPD.

Control Integration

Temperature control on product outlet maintains required product temperature by bypassing portion of hot stream around exchanger during low feed rates. Feed outlet temperature monitoring ensures adequate preheating for column operation. Differential pressure indicators detect fouling requiring cleaning. Integration with column controls optimizes overall heat balance.

Operational Advantages

Immediate fuel savings upon installation with typical payback under 18 months. Reduced emissions from lower reboiler firing rates. Simple proven technology requiring minimal maintenance. Compatible with existing stabilizer systems as retrofit addition or included in new designs. Enhances sustainability by recovering waste heat.

ERGIL feed exchangers deliver proven heat integration improving fractionation economics through energy recovery and reduced utility consumption.