Evacuation ejectors, steam

The VPS overhead consists of steam, inerts, condensable and non-condensable hydrocarbons. The condensables result from low boiling material present in the reduced crude feed and from entrainment of liquid from the VPS top tray. The noncondensables result from cracking at the high temperatures employed in the VPS. Inerts result from leakage of air into the evacuated system. Steam and condensable hydrocarbons are condensed using an overhead water-cooled condenser. The distillate drum serves to separate inerts and non-condensables from condensate, as well as liquid hydrocarbons from water. Vacuum is maintained in the VPS using steam jet ejectors. 

There is considerable information available in the hterature on the design of ejectors (steam jet ejectors, water jet pumps, air injectors, etc.) supported by extensive experimental data. Most of this information deals with its use as an evacuator and the focus is on ejector optimization for maximizing the gas pumping efficiency. The major advantage of the venturi loop reactor is its relatively very high mass transfer coefficient due to the excellent gas-liquid contact achieved in the ejector section. Therefore, the ejector section needs careful consideration to achieve this aim. The major mass transfer parameter is the volumetric liquid side mass transfer coefficient, k a. The variables that decide k a are (i) the effective gas-hquid interfacial area, a, that is related to the gas holdup, e. The gas induction rate and the shear field generated in the ejector determine the vine of and, consequently, the value of a. (ii) the trae liquid side mass transfer coefficient, k. The mass ratio of the secondary to primary fluid in turn decides both k and a. For the venturi loop reactor the volumetric induction efficiency parameter is more relevant. This definition has a built in energy... 

The prevacuum technique, as its name implies, eliminates air by creating a vacuum. This procedure faciUtates steam penetration and permits more rapid steam penetration. Consequendy this results in shorter cycle times. Prevacuum cycles employ either a vacuum pump/steam (or air) ejector combination to reduce air residuals in the chamber or rely on the pulse-vacuum technique of alternating steam injection and evacuation until the air residuals have been removed. Pulse-vacuum techniques are generally more economical vacuum pumps or vacuum-pump—condenser combinations may be employed. The vacuum pumps used in these systems are water-seal or water-ring types, because of the problems created by mixing oil and steam. Prevacuum cycles are used for fabric loads and wrapped or unwrapped instmments (see Vacuum technology). 

For example, assume that it is desired to evacuate air at 2.94 IbFin" with a steam ejector discharging to 14.7 IbFin" with available steam... 

Discharge pressure of pump, psia = Intake pressure of pump Mth closed intake, psia = Final pressure in system, in. Hg abs Gas constant, = 1544/mol weight Pump speed, revolutions (or strokes) per second Pump speed, liters/sec Pump speed at P ", liters/sec Pump speed at P/, liters/sec Temperature, °R = 460 + °F Evacuation pump dowmtime, min Evacuation pump downtime, sec Ambient air temperature, °F Temperature of mixture at ejector suction, °F Temperature of steam on downstream side of nozzle, °F... 

Air/water vapor mixture, chart, 364,365 Air/water vapor, 359 Capacity at ejector suction, 369 Capacity for process vapor, 362 Evacuation time, 371, 380 Load for steam surface condenser, 367 Non-condensables, 362, 363 Size selection, 371 Steam pressure factor, 373 Steam requirements, 372 Steain/air mixture temperature, 361 Total weight saturated mixture, 362 Capacity, 358 Discharge, pressure, 358 Effect of excess steam pressure, 358 Effects of back pressure, 359 Effects of wet steam, 356 Inter-and-after condenser, 351 Load variation, 370 Materials of construction, 347 Molecular weight entrainment, chart, 360 Performance, 358, 370, 375 Relative comparison, 357... 

Instead of rotary pumps, large water jet, steam ejector, or water ring pumps can be used. For batch evacuation, and the production of hydrocarbon-free fore vacuum for sputter-ion pumps, adsorption pumps (see Section 2.1.8.1) are suitable. If the use of oil-sealed rotary vane pumps cannot be avoided, basically two-stage rotary vane pumps should be used. The small amount of oil vapor that backstreams out of the Inlet ports of these pumps can be almost completely removed by a sorption trap (see Section 2.1.4) Inserted In the pumping line. 

Steam jet ejectors are used primarily to evacuate equipment but also as pumps or compressors. They are discussed in Section 7.7. 

The water and solvent vapors are evacuated from the oil dryer by a steam ejector to maintain the 50-80-mm Hg absolute pressure on the oil dryer and are typically discharged into the base of the oil stripper. These vapors along with the ejector motive steam serve as the oil stripper s source of countercurrent stripping steam for heat recovery. 

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