Air-cooled steam condenser with improved second stage condenser

Abstract

Large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser having heat exchanger panels with primary and secondary condenser sections, in which the secondary condenser section comprises 10% or less of the total heat exchanger, and in which the tubes of the primary condenser sections have narrowed outlet orifices having an area that is 50% or less than the cross-sectional area of a corresponding tube. The invention permits the reduction of secondary condenser tubes while reducing the outlet header pressure sufficiently to minimize backflow, sweep non-condensables and prevent the formation of dead zones.

1 . A large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser connected to an industrial steam producing facility, comprising:
 a condenser street comprising a row of condenser modules, each condenser module comprising a plenum section having a single fan or multiple fans drawing air through a plurality of heat exchanger panels supported in a heat exchanger section, and each heat exchanger panel having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis perpendicular to its longitudinal axis;   each heat exchanger panel comprising a plurality of tubes, a top bonnet connected to and in fluid communication with a top end of each of said plurality of tubes, a bottom bonnet connected to and in fluid communication with a bottom end of at least a subset of said plurality of tubes, said bottom bonnet having a single steam inlet;   said condenser street further comprising a steam distribution manifold beneath said heat exchanger section and arranged along an axis that is perpendicular to longitudinal axes of said heat exchanger panels at midpoints of said heat exchanger panels and extending a length of said condenser street beneath said plurality of heat exchanger panels, said steam distribution manifold having at its top surface a plurality of connections, each of said plurality of connections adapted to connect to a corresponding said single steam inlet;   wherein each heat exchanger panel comprises a primary condenser section, a secondary condenser section, and a top bonnet connected to and in fluid communication with a top end of each tube in said secondary condenser section and said primary condenser section, and each said top end of said primary condenser section comprises an outlet flow orifice having a narrower area than a cross-sectional area of a corresponding tube in said primary condenser section, said bottom bonnet connected to and in fluid communication with a bottom end of each tube in said primary condenser section, each heat exchange panel further comprising an internal secondary chamber inside the bottom bonnet connected to and in fluid communication with a bottom end of each tube in said secondary condenser section.   
     
     
         2 . The large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser according to  claim 1 , wherein each said outlet flow orifice has an area that is 50% or less of the cross-sectional area of said corresponding tube. 
     
     
         3 . The large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the amount of said primary condenser tubes is greater than 90% of the total heat exchanger section and the amount of said secondary condenser tubes is less than 10% of the total heat exchanger section of the ACC 
     
     
         4 . A large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the secondary condenser section is centrally located along said heat exchange panel and flanked at each end by primary condenser sections. 
     
     
         5 . A large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser according to  claim 1 , wherein said tubes have a cross-sectional width of 5.2-7 mm. 
     
     
         6 . A large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser according to  claim 1 , wherein said tubes have a cross-sectional width of 6.0 mm. 
     
     
         7 . A large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of tubes in said heat exchanger panels have fins attached to flat sides of said tubes, said fins having a height of 9 to 10 mm, and spaced at 5 to 12 fins per inch. 
     
     
         8 . A large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of tubes in said heat exchanger panels have fins attached to flat sides of said tubes, said fins having a height of 18 mm to 20 mm spanning a space between adjacent tubes and contacting adjacent tubes, said fins spaced at 5 to 12 fins per inch. 
     
     
         9 . A method for reducing the amount of secondary condenser tubes in an ACC while reducing the outlet header pressure to minimize backflow, sweep non-condensable gases and prevent the formation of dead zones in primary condenser tubes, comprising replacing standard primary condenser tubes with condenser tubes having an outlet orifice having an area that is 50% or less of the cross-sectional area of corresponding primary condenser tubes.