The effect of tubeside maldistribution on the thermal performance of condensers used in multistage flash distillation plants

Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated that tubeside maldistribution can adversely affect the thermal performance of some heat exchangers. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the effect of tubeside maldistribution on the thermal performance of the condensers used in multistage flash (MSF) distillation plants. This paper shows that the tubeside maldistribution does not impair the thermal performance of these heat exchangers. The major reasons are the long-tube lengths and the low-effectiveness values. It is shown, however, that the tubeside maldistribution can not be neglected for short-tube length and high-effectiveness heat exchangers.