Still head heat exchanger
Still head heat exchanger (SHHE) is often used on biodiesel reactors to improve the efficiency of the condenser. SHHE are used with reactor designs that employ methanol recovery.
Contents
Benefits
- Reduces De-meth Times
- Reduces Power consumption of the immersion heater
- Reduces the heat transferred to the cooling water
Description
The still head heat exchanger is a vapour to air heat exchanger, transferring heat from water or methanol vapour exiting the reactor to air returning from the condenser to the reactor.
Placement
The placement of the heat exchanger need to be done so that any condensed vapour can drain into the collection vessel. Often on the GL Eco reactor design SHHE are placed above the condenser to aid draining and being close to the return path of vapour from the condenser.
Examples
Often heat exchangers from domestic boilers are used, these have a large surface area which improves heat transfer.
