HEAT EXCHANGER TIGHTNESS CONTROL METHOD Russian patent published in 2022 - IPC G01M3/00 

FIELD: gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the gas industry, and in particular to methods for monitoring the efficiency of surface shell-and-tube heat exchangers of the "pipe in pipe" type, and can be used to control the tightness of a tube bundle in integrated gas treatment plants (IGTP). To control the tightness of the heat exchanger in the process of low-temperature gas separation, gas samples are taken at the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger, the dew point temperature of the samples taken for water and hydrocarbons is measured, and if the difference between the obtained values ​​at the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger is more than 2°C, gas samples are taken to analyze the content of heavy hydrocarbons and propane-butane fraction at the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger, compare the obtained values ​​and, in the absence of a difference in the values ​​at the inlet and outlet, make a conclusion about the tightness of the heat exchanger. The dew point temperature shall be measured at each gas sampling point at least three times.

EFFECT: real-time control of the tightness of the heat exchanger is achieved without stopping the apparatus and without changing the technological mode of gas preparation.

2 cl, 1 tbl, 1 dwg