Reboiler Problems

The common types of reboilers used are: shell-and-tube thermosiphon (vertical or horizontal) reboilers, forced-circulation reboilers, kettle
reboilers and fired reboilers.

Fouling is common to all heat exchangers. Foulants such as corrosion products, dirt, etc, either form scale on heat transfer surfaces
or plug tubes, or both. In fouling services where continuous on-line operation must be maintained, the reboiler is frequently spared to
facilitate cleaning while the column is in operation.

The following sections discuss some operating problems associated with the various reboiler types.

Vertical Thermosiphon Reboiler

Some of the common operating problems are:

Excessive circulation occurs when reboiler sump level is too high and cannot be lowered (e.g. the level is set by the top of the
preferential baffle in the bottom sump).

Insufficient circulation is usually caused by plugging of the tubes, or insufficient liquid head. This will result in poor heat transfer, and
possible tube over-heating.

Surging (or "burping") may occur if the reboiler temperature difference is small and column pressure is poorly controlled. When the
column pressure rises, it increases the bottom temperature. Boiling decreases or stops, and this cause the bottom liquid level to build up
and dumping will occur, and causing the pressure to fall. This in turn increases the boiling and the pressure increases again.

Oscillations cause reboiler instability. This may be caused by a pressure drop limitation in the reboiler outlet or outlet piping system.
The generated vapour cannot find its way out in sufficient quantity, and some accumulates as a pocket near the top of the reboiler.
Expansion of the vapour pocket can momentarily reverse the process flow, leading to a drop in pressure, which in turn causes liquid to rush
back in (the "U-tube" phenomenon).

Thermosiphon failure caused by low heat fluxes. This is common at start-ups for multi-component mixture with small reboiler
temperature difference. If flow is not adequately started, the reboiler may only vapourises off some of the lighter components in the liquid
and leaving behind a residue too heavy to lift or too heavy to boil.

Bottom Feed or Reboiler Return Inlet

Bottom feed and reboiler return inlets should never be submerged below the liquid level. Column of liquid above the submerged inlet
can vary in height, and under certain conditions, slugs of liquid and vapour can be blown up the column and lift ("bump") trays off their
support or packing support plates. Inlets below the liquid level can also be responsible for excessive entrainment and premature
flooding.

The section of column wall directly opposite a bottom inlet nozzles often prone to corrosion and erosion attacks, especially for cases
involving high inlet velocities, small column diameter and corrosive chemicals. These effects can be reduced by installing an impingement
plate. The inlet should also not impinge on bottom seal pan, seal pan overflow or bottom downcomer.

3 arrangements are commonly used for column bottom:

Unbaffled arrangement - where both bottom product and reboiler liquid are withdrawn from a common bottom sump. See
the Figure below (right).

Baffled arrangement - where the space at the bottom of the column is divided into a bottom draw-off sump and a reboiler feed sump by a
preferential baffle. See the left Figure below.

Once-through reboiler arrangement - where the reboiler liquid is withdrawn from the bottom downcomer or from a chimney tray located
above the bottom sump. See the Figure below.

Unbaffled arrangement has the advantage of simplicity and low cost. They are preferred in small column (less than 3-ft diameter) where
baffles are difficult to inspect and maintain. They are used for kettle reboilers because the bottom product is withdrawn from the reboiler
surge compartment, not from the column bottom sump. They are also used with forced-circulation reboilers as the large circulation rate
makes it difficult to achieve a steady liquid overflow across the baffle.

Because it is difficult to deflect liquid raining from a packed bed above the reboiler sump into the reboiler side of the preferential
baffle, unbaffled arrangement is normally used in packed column.

Baffled or once-through arrangements are usually preferred with thermosiphon reboilers in large columns (more than 3-ft diameter).
They can supply a constant liquid head to the reboilers, and maximise bottom sump residence time when vapour disengagement is the
main consideration.
Bottom Outlet

The main consideration is to achieve the required phase separation between vapour and liquid, and providing the required surge
capacity. Arrangements such as bottom sumps, chimney trays, and surge drums are usually designed for avoiding the presence of vapour
in the liquid outlet. On the other hand, downcomer trapouts are usually designed to allow for the presence of vapour.

Presence of vapour in liquid outlet lines can cause pump cavitation, erosion, column instability, etc. Some of the common causes are:

Insufficient residence time for vapour disengagement from the liquid. Liquid arriving the pan or sump from which it is withdrawn
almost always contains entrained vapour bubbles.

Frothing (waterfall pool effect) is caused by impact of falling liquid on liquid surface in the sump or draw pan. Frothing is a far greater
problem in tray column sumps (where liquid fall resembles a waterfall) than in packed column sumps (where liquid fall is more like rain).

Vortexing occurs because of intensification of swirling motion as liquid converges towards an outlet. Vortexing promotes entrainment
of vapour into the draw-off line. Vortex breakers can be installed to prevent vortexing.

Horizontal Thermosiphon Reboiler

Beside sharing common problems with vertical thermosiphon reboilers, the following are some operating problems experienced with
horizontal units:

Liquid distribution must be uniform in the shell, in particular when boiling a multi-component mixture. Uneven distribution may result in
uneven heating, localized loss of lighter components, etc. Liquid mal-distribution can also lead to accelerated corrosion.

Liquid entering at excessive velocities may impinge on the tubes and damage them.

Flow-induced vibration may occur with high shell velocities perpendicular to tube spans, leading to tube failure.

Forced-Circulation Reboiler

Forced-circulation reboilers are similar to vertical thermosiphon reboilers, except that these units use pumps as the driving force for liquid
movement.

A major consideration with these reboilers is the pump-system compatibility. Since the liquid is near its boiling point, and liquid head is
costly, the NPSH (net positive suction head) becomes critical. Using an over-sized pump may result in the available NPSH lower than
required NPSH, causing pump cavitation.

When the process temperature and the heat duty are high, a fired heater is occasionally used as a forced-circulation reboiler.

In a typical fired reboiler, fuel gas and/or fuel oil is burned in a furnace to heat and vapourise the bottom liquid. An example is shown in
the Figure below.

When using a fired heater, maintaining even distribution of liquid among heater passes is essential. Uneven distribution can lead to
fouling, metal over-heating, and poor heat transfer. Having a proper pump selection to match the system is also important.

Kettle Reboiler
Some of the following operating problems are commonly encountered with kettle reboilers:

When liquid level falls below the top of the bundle, unflooded tubes heat vapour rather than liquid. Heat transfer suffers as the heat
transfer coefficient is lower in vapour than in liquid. It will also lead to higher temperature on the exposed tubes, leading to metal over-
heating. It is important to ensure that the tubes are always flooded by liquid set by the overflow weir.

Sufficient disengagement space need to be provided above the tube bundle to remove any entrained liquid droplets. Demisters can be
used to improve disengagement.

Poor liquid distribution in kettle reboiler will also results in problems as previously described.

Some other common reboiler problems - Heating Side:

Accumulation of inerts can drastically reduce heat transfer, particularly in steam reboilers. Acidic inerts such as CO2 can also cause
corrosion. Inerts can be removed by venting. The vents must be located at the end of the vapour flow path.

Adequate removal of condensate is essential to prevent flooding of the tube surface. A submerged surface transfers sensible heat only
and achieves a lower heat transfer than condensing. Condensate accumulation can be due to: undersized steam trap, dirty or plugged
steam traps.

Loss of condensate seal: When this occurs, the uncondensed vapour blows through the reboiler and out from the condensate drain
line. This will reduce heat transfer.