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Why Do Sample Coolers Fail 1703072742
Why Do Sample Coolers Fail 1703072742
Why Do Sample Coolers Fail 1703072742
ISOLATION VALVES
ASME B16.34
SAMPLE NOZZLE
ASTM D1066 INTRODUCTION
FIELD PIPING
In steam and water analysis sys
PRIMARY RACK BULKHEAD UNION
BLOW DOWN
tems (SWAS), the sample cooler
ISOLATION VALVES PG
ASME B16.34 VALVES TG is one of the most important com
ASME B16.34
BLOWDOWN (FLUSH) HEADER ponents. The main function of the
FS COOLING WATER OULET sample cooler is to reduce the tem
perature of high-temperature sam
PRIMARY SAMPLE ples from elevated temperatures to
COOLER PG TG
ASME SECTION VIII the temperature required for ana
COOLING WATER INLET
lyser sensors. In the case of steam
PRIMARY RACK sampling, the steam samples are
FIELD PIPING not just cooled, but are condensed
to water (phase change).
FIELD PIPING
SWAS SYSTEM BULKHEAD UNION Helical coil sample coolers are
ISOLATION VALVE generally used in SWAS packages,
SAMPLE FILTER PG where the very hot high-pressure
TG
ROD IN TUBE PRESSURE REDUCER sample (like superheated steam
ASME PTC19.11 & SECTION VIII
FS CHILLED WATER OULET
of pressures > 250 bar and tem
peratures > 600 °C) flows inside the
SECONDARY helical coil tube, while the cooling
SAMPLE COOLER PG TG
ASME SECTION VIII water flows around the coil in the
shell (~ 35 °C).
CHILLED WATER INLET
TG The sample cooler may be the only
THERMAL SHUT OFF VALVE heat exchanger in the entire power
PG ASME PTC19.11 & SECTION VIII
AL HIGH PRESSURE SAMPLE PARTS plant which is exposed to such
extreme conditions. Thus, sample
FICV coolers in SWAS packages must be
designed considering:
BPR 1. Sample temperature
FICV FICV FICV
2. Sample pressure
3. Sample flow rate and
4. Cooling water conditions
CE CE CE pHE DOE
Any failure of the sample cooler
WASTE DRAIN HDR in a SWAS leads to failure of
the downstream sampling com
pHT DOT
ponents and instruments (see
Figure 1 for an overview of a typical
Figure 1: SWAS). In fact, most of the issues
P&I diagram of a sampling system showing locations of primary and secondary in these packages start with failure
sample coolers. of the sample cooler.
Blocking of Cooler and Reduced Heat Transfer Such issues are mainly observed for the follow
(Insufficient Cooling) ing reasons:
Symptoms There is scaling and sludge for ◾ High amount of suspended impurities
mation on the cooling water side of the sam
◾ Biofouling inside the sample cooler shell
ple cooler (see Figure 5). The loss of sample
cooler efficiency causes higher sample tem ◾ High degree of hardness
peratures at the outlet of the sample cooler. As sample coolers are used to condense
steam, cooling water temperatures rise as high
Root Cause These issues are mainly observed
as 50–60 °C, reducing the solubility of hard
in SWAS packages supplied to industrial boilers
ness-causing salts.
or small power plants where open circuit cool
ing water is used. This results in hard scale formation on the sam
ple cooler coils. This directly impacts the heat
transfer, reducing heat transfer efficiency.
Solution Even the use of special materials can
not prevent issues related to scaling in sample
coolers or any other heat exchangers. Sample
coolers must be designed with removable shells
and replaceable coils in order to allow easy
inspection and maintenance (cleaning). The best
solution for scaling issues is to switch from open
circuit cooling water to closed circuit cooling for
the primary sample cooler. As a source, either
demineralized water or well-filtered softened
water may be used. In many cases, the users
cannot provide high-purity water continuously.
In such cases, demineralized water can be stored
in a storage tank and can be circulated in the pri
mary cooler. This demineralized water needs to
Figure 5:
be cooled down again using an open circuit cool
Sample cooler shell blocked
by hard scales and suspend- ing water system. Many sampling system man
ed impurities in the cooling ufacturers also provide cooling water separation
water. skids for these applications (see Figure 6).
Figure 6:
P&I diagram of a typical cooling water separation skid by Forbes Marshall.
HINTS FROM
THE EXPERTS
CONTACT
Forbes Marshall Pvt. Ltd.
Aditya Sanjay Kanetkar
PL – Integrated Solution (Sampling Solutions)
A34/35 MIDC Pimpri H Block
Pune 411018
India
E-mail: akanetkar@forbesmarshall.com
PPCHEM AG
CH-8340 Hinwil | Switzerland
info@ppchem.com | www.ppchem.com