Shrouded heat exchanger

A heat exchanger for cooling a fluid flowing through an elongated bundle of tubes comprising:

• an elongated laterally disposed tubular shell having inner facing lateral sides and outer facing lateral sides and an opening at one end thereof,
• an open-topped, laterally sided shroud mounted in said shell adjacent said opening in said shell, said shroud having inner facing sides and outer facing sides and having slots an the sides thereof, said shroud being spaced from the inner facing sides of said shell and defining a shell-side reservoir in the space between the inner facing sides of said shell and the outer facing sides of said shroud,
• an elongated bundle of tubes mounted in said opening in said shell, extending into said shroud and spaced from the inner facing sides of said shroud and defining a tube-side reservoir, the ends of said bundle of tubes being adjacent said opening in said shell,
• means connected with the ends of said bundle of tubes for circulating a hot fluid to be cooled through said bundle of tubes,
• means mounted in the side of said shell for charging a cooling fluid to said shell-side reservoir for flow through said slots into said tube-side reservoir and into heat exchange contact with said bundle of tubes for cooling said hot fluid circulating through said bundle of tubes, and
• means mounted above said shroud for removing heated exchange fluid from said shell.

A heat exchanger for cooling a fluid flowing through an elongated bundle of tubes comprising:

• a shell comprising a lateral elongated tubular segment closed at one end thereof and asymmetrically necked at the other end thereof to define an opening adjacent the bottom of said shell having a diameter smaller than the diameter of said shell, said shell having inner facing lateral sides and an outer facing lateral sides,
• an elongated open-topped laterally sided shroud, shorter in length than said shell, mounted in said shell, extending from the opening in said shell, said shroud having inner facing sides and outer facing sides and having slots in the sides thereof adjacent the bottom thereof, said outer facing sides of said shroud being spaced from the inner facing sides of said shell and defining a shell side reservoir,
• a lateral baffle fixed to the end of said shroud remote from the opening in the shell further defining said shell side reservoir,
• a bundle of tubes shorter than the length of said shroud mounted in said opening in said shell and extending into said shroud and spaced from the inner sides thereof, whereby said bundle of tubes and the inner facing sides of said shroud define a tube-side reservoir, the ends of said bundle of tubes being adjacent said opening in said shell,
• means connected with the ends of said bundle of tubes for circulating a hot fluid to be cooled through said bundle of tubes,
• inlet line means mounted in the side of said shell for charging a cooling fluid to said shell-side reservoir for flow through said slots into said tube-side reservoir and into heat exchange contact with said bundle of tubes for cooling said hot fluid circulating through said bundle of tubes, and
• outlet line means mounted above said shroud for removing heated exchanger fluid from said shell.

A heat exchanger for cooling chemical reactants flowing through an elongate bundle of tubes comprising:

• a shell comprising a lateral elongate tubular segment closed at one end thereof and asymmetrically necked at the other end thereof to define an opening adjacent the bottom of said shell, said shell having inner facing lateral sides and an outer facing lateral sides,
• an elongate open-topped laterally sided shroud mounted in said shell, said shroud having inner facing sides and outer facing sides, said shroud extending from the opening in said shell and spaced from the inner facing sides of said shell, said outer facing sides of said shroud and said inner facing sides of said shell defining a shell side reservoir, said shroud having slots formed in the sides thereof adjacent the bottom thereof, said shroud having from about 60 to about 80 percent of the length of said shell,
• a lateral baffle having an inner facing side and an outer facing side fixed to the end of said shroud remote from the opening in the shell the outer facing side of said baffle and the inner facing sides of said shell further defining said shell side reservoir,
• a bundle of tubes mounted in said opening in said shell and extending into said shroud and spaced from the inner facing sides thereof, said bundle of tubes having from about 80 to about 95 percent of the length of said shroud whereby the inner facing sides of said shroud and the inner facing side of said baffle define a tube-side reservoir, the ends of said bundle of tubes being adjacent slid opening in said shell,
• means connected with the ends of said bundle of tubes for circulating hot chemical reactants to be cooled through said bundle of tubes,
• inlet line means mounted in the side of said shell for charging cooling water to said shell side reservoir for flow through said slots into said tube-side reservoir and into heat exchange contact with said bundle of tubes for cooling said hot chemical reactants circulating through said bundle of tubes,
• whereby said cooling water is converted to wet steam, and
• outlet line means mounted in said shell above said shroud for removing wet steam from said shell.

A heat exchanger for cooling chemical reactants flowing through an elongated bundle of tubes and for converting cooling water into froth-free steam comprising:

• a shell comprising a lateral elongated tubular segment closed at one end thereof and asymmetrically necked at the other end thereof to define an opening adjacent the bottom of said shell, said shell having inner facing lateral sides and an outer facing lateral sides,
• an elongate open-topped, side-panelled shroud mounted in said shell, extending from the opening in said shell and having from about 60 to about 80 percent of the length of said shell,
• said side panels being spaced from the inner facing sides of said shell, having inner facing sides and outer facing sides and having slots formed in the sides thereof adjacent the bottom thereof, said outer facing sides of said side panels and said inner facing sides of said shell defining a shell side reservoir,
• the tops of said panels being above the top of said bundle of tubes and spaced from the inner facing sides of said shell, thereby defining a defrothing vapor space at the top of said shell,
• a lateral baffle having an inner facing side and an outer facing side fixed to the end of said shroud remote from the opening in the shell, the outer facing side of said baffle and the inner facing sides of said shell further defining said shell side reservoir,
• a bundle of tubes having the cross-sectional configuration of said opening mounted therein and extending into said shroud and spaced from the inner facing sides thereof whereby the inner facing sides of said shroud and the inner facing side of said baffle define a tube-side reservoir, the ends of said bundle of tubes being adjacent said opening in said shell,
• means connected with the ends of said bundle of tubes for circulating hot chemical reactants to be cooled through said bundle of tubes,
• inlet line means mounted in the side of said shell for charging cooling water to said shell-side reservoir for flow through said slots into said tube-side reservoir and into heat exchange contact with said bundle of tubes for cooling said hot chemical reactants circulating through said bundle of tubes and for converting said water to wet steam,
• whereby froth is formed as said water is converted to steam within said bundle of tubes, and whereby said froth and said steam will flow upwardly through said bundle of tubes for defrothing of said steam in said vapor space, and
• outlet line means mounted in said shell above said vapor space for removing defrothed wet steam from said shell.