GB1211969A - Improvements in or relating to air cooled surface condensers - Google Patents

Abstract

1,211,969. Air-cooled surface condensers. BORSIG G.m.b.H. 22 Sept., 1969 [25 Sept., 1968], No. 46525/69. Heading F4S. In a forced-air-cooled surface condenser comprising inclined rows of spaced finned parallel condenser tubes arranged in groups 1 and extending between upper steam distributing chambers 4 and lower steam distributing and condensate collecting chambers 5, each tube is subdivided into upper and lower parts 12a, 12b by the inlet 14 of a condensate drain tube 15 disposed in the lower part of the condenser tube. Steam is fed in the direction a to both the upper and lower parts of the tubes. Condensate formed in the upper part 12a flows via drain tube 15 into a collector chamber 8 and condensate formed in the lower part 12b flows downwardly and is collected in chamber 5. Connections 9 and pipes 10 lead off the condensate from the chambers 5 and 8. Non- condensible gas from the lower part 12b passes through orifices 13 in the drain tube 15 and together with non-condensible gas from the upper part 12a collects in the chamber 8 from whence it is withdrawn by way of connection 6 and pipe 7. An axial fan (18, Fig. 2) generates a flow of cooling air in the direction d across the tubes. To ensure even cooling and to prevent condensate in the innermost row of tubes from being overcooled and forming ice, the lengths of the upper parts 12a of the tubes are increased progressively from one row to the next in the direction of flow d of the cooling air. In addition, the lengths of the upper and lower parts 12a, 12b in each row of tubes may be progressively varied in the direction of steam flow through the distributing chambers 4 and 5 (see dotted lines in Fig. 1).