Force on a DCU Fractionator Overhead Vapor Line Connected to an Air Cooler by Flow Computational Simulation

We simulated the flow in a fractionator overhead vapor line connected to an air cooler using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The flow direction of the working fluid in the 30” main pipe biases the downstream flow to the east side, which may cause the deterioration of the east half part of the pipe system earlier than the west half part due to the larger erosion effect. We presented a method to alleviate the damage. Raising the 30” pipe did not improve force uniformity. If the two 24” pipes and the five 18” pipes were also connected, the force uniformity was improved without raising the 30” pipe. In addition, the forces on caps, reducers, and T-junctions were reduced.