Withdrawal/ infeed of gas for influencing radial liquid migration

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat exchanger for indirect heat exchange between a first medium and a second medium, comprising a shell surrounding a shell space which extends along a longitudinal axis. The shell space serves for accommodating the first medium. A tube bundle is arranged in the shell space having multiple tubes for accommodating the second medium. The tubes are helically coiled in multiple tube layers onto a core tube. The tube bundle has a multiplicity of inner tube layers, surrounding the core tube, and a multiplicity of outer tube layers, surrounding the inner tube layers. The heat exchanger discharges a part of a gaseous phase out of the shell space from the region of the inner tube layers via a gas discharge device, and/or supplies a gaseous phase into the shell space in the region of the outer tube layers via a gas supply device.

1 . Heat exchanger ( 1 ) for the indirect exchange of heat between a first medium (M), which has a liquid phase (F) and a gaseous phase (G), and a second medium (W), having
 a shell ( 5 ) which surrounds a shell space ( 6 ) and which extends along a longitudinal axis (z), wherein the shell space serves for accommodating the first medium,   a tube bundle ( 3 ) which is arranged in the shell space ( 6 ) and which has multiple tubes ( 30 ) for accommodating the second medium (M′), which tubes are helically coiled in multiple tube layers onto a core tube ( 300 ) of the heat exchanger ( 1 ), which tube bundle extends along the longitudinal axis (z) of the shell ( 5 ) in the shell space ( 6 ), wherein the tube bundle ( 3 ) has a multiplicity of inner tube layers ( 4   a ,  4   aa ), which surround the core tube ( 300 ), and a multiplicity of outer tube layers ( 4   b ,  4   bb ), which surround the inner tube layers ( 4   a ,  4   aa ) and the core tube ( 300 ),   characterized   in that the heat exchanger ( 1 ) is designed to
 discharge a part of the gaseous phase (G) out of the shell space ( 6 ) from the region of the inner tube layers ( 4   a ,  4   aa ) via a gas discharge device ( 43 ), wherein the gas discharge device ( 43 ) of the heat exchanger ( 1 ) has at least one discharging flow path ( 40 ) for the gaseous phase (G) with an inlet opening ( 41 ) arranged in the shell space ( 6 ) in the region of the inner tube layers ( 4   a ), and wherein the at least one discharging flow path ( 40 ) is formed by a tube ( 30 ) of an inner tube layer ( 4   a ) of the tube bundle ( 3 ), 
 and/or 
 supply a gaseous phase (G) of the first medium (M) into the shell space ( 6 ) in the region of the outer tube layers ( 4   b ,  4   bb ) via a gas supply device ( 53 ). 
   
     
     
         2 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the heat exchanger ( 1 ) has a skirt ( 7 ) which surrounds the tube bundle ( 3 ) and which surrounds the outer tube layers ( 4   b ,  4   bb ). 
     
     
         3 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the gas supply device ( 53 ) of the heat exchanger ( 1 ) has, for the gaseous phase (G), at least one supplying flow path ( 50 ) which has an outlet opening ( 51 ) arranged in the region of the outer tube layers ( 4   b ) in the shell space ( 6 ). 
     
     
         4 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 3 , characterized in that the at least one supplying flow path ( 50 ) is, at least in sections, led on an outwardly pointing outer side ( 7   b ) of the skirt ( 7 ) or through a tube ( 30 ) of an outer tube layer ( 4   b ) of the tube bundle, in particular through a tube ( 30 ) of an outermost tube layer ( 4   bb ) of the tube bundle ( 3 ). 
     
     
         5 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the gas discharge device ( 43 ) of the heat exchanger ( 1 ) has multiple discharging flow paths ( 40 ) for the gaseous phase (G) of the first medium (M) with in each case one inlet opening ( 41 ), wherein the inlet openings ( 41 ) are each arranged in the shell space ( 6 ) in the region of the inner tube layers ( 4   a ), and wherein, in particular, the inlet openings ( 41 ) are arranged at different heights along the longitudinal axis (z). 
     
     
         6 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the gas supply device ( 53 ) of the heat exchanger ( 1 ) has multiple supplying flow paths ( 50 ) for the gaseous phase (G) of the first medium (M) with in each case one outlet opening ( 51 ), wherein the outlet openings ( 51 ) are each arranged in the region of the outer tube layers ( 4   b ) in the shell space ( 6 ), and wherein, in particular, the outlet openings ( 51 ) are arranged at different heights along the longitudinal axis (z). 
     
     
         7 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the heat exchanger ( 1 ) is designed to control the supply of the gaseous phase (G) via the gas supply device ( 53 ) and/or the discharge of the gaseous phase (G) via the gas discharge device ( 41 ) in open-loop fashion, or in closed-loop fashion in a manner dependent on an actual pressure distribution (P), or actual temperature distribution, measured in the shell space ( 6 ). 
     
     
         8 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one discharging flow path ( 40 ) has a valve ( 8 ) for the open-loop or closed-loop control of the discharge of the gaseous phase (G), and/or in that the at least one supplying flow path ( 50 ) has a valve ( 8 ) for the open-loop or closed-loop control of the supply of the gaseous phase (G). 
     
     
         9 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one discharging flow path ( 40 ) is connected in terms of flow via a compressor ( 9 ) to the at least one supplying flow path ( 50 ). 
     
     
         10 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the individual tube layers ( 4   a ,  4   b ) bear against one another via spacers ( 10 ). 
     
     
         11 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the core tube ( 300 ) accommodates the load of the tubes ( 30 ) of the tube bundle ( 3 ). 
     
     
         12 . Plant ( 2 ) having a heat exchanger ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , and having a first component ( 90 ) and a first flow connection ( 410 ) between the gas discharge device ( 43 ) and the first component ( 90 ) of the plant, such that a process stream (M) of the plant, which has in particular a gaseous phase (G) of the first medium (M), is introducible from the gas discharge device ( 41 ) via the flow connection ( 410 ) into the first component ( 90 ), and/or in that the plant ( 2 ) has a second component ( 90 ) and a second flow connection ( 510 ) between the gas supply device ( 53 ) and the second component ( 90 ), such that a process stream (M) of the plant ( 2 ), which has in particular a gaseous phase (G) of the first medium (M), is withdrawable from the second component ( 90 ), and introducible into the gas supply device ( 53 ), via the second flow connection ( 510 ). 
     
     
         13 . Method for operating a heat exchanger ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein a first medium (M), which has a liquid phase (F) and a gaseous phase (G), is conducted in a shell space ( 6 ), surrounded by a shell ( 5 ), of the heat exchanger ( 1 ) and indirectly exchanges heat with a second medium (M′) which is conducted in a tube bundle ( 3 ) arranged in the shell space ( 6 ), which tube bundle has multiple tubes ( 30 ) for accommodating the second medium (M′), which tubes are helically coiled in multiple tube layers ( 4   a ,  4   b ) onto a core tube ( 300 ) of the heat exchanger ( 1 ), which tube bundle extends along a longitudinal axis (z) of the shell ( 5 ) in the shell space ( 6 ), wherein the tube bundle ( 3 ) has a multiplicity of inner tube layers ( 4   a ), which surround the core tube ( 300 ), and a multiplicity of outer tube layers ( 4   b ), which surround the inner tube layers ( 4   a ) and the core tube ( 300 ), and wherein a part of the gaseous phase (G) is discharged out of the shell space ( 6 ) from the region of the inner tube layers ( 4   a ,  4   aa ), and/or wherein a gaseous phase (G) of the first medium (M) is supplied into the shell space ( 6 ) in the region of the outer tube layers ( 4   b ,  4   bb ). 
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the discharge and/or the supply of the gaseous phase (G) is controlled in open-loop fashion, or in closed-loop fashion in a manner dependent on an actual pressure distribution (P), or actual temperature distribution, measured in the shell space ( 6 ).