2026 HTRI Global Conference & Industry Exhibition

Learn the fundamentals of condensation mechanisms and how they apply to condenser design! Apply guidelines to develop Xchanger Suite cases for accurate assessment of performance. This course provides a foundation for understanding the basis for thermal design of typical industrial heat exchangers.

Key Topics

• Film condensation of pure components
• Relationship between pressure drop and saturation temperature
• Condensing flow regimes: Vertical units/Horizontal units, tube side and shell side
• Specifying pure component condensers in Xist
• Noncondensables and mixture condensation
• Specifying mixture condensers and inerts in Xist
• Vapor phase coefficient
• Desuperheating and subcooling
• Bulk-equilibrium vs. two-layer subcooling model
• Venting inerts
• Drainage
• Baffle design in condensers
• Condensation with enhanced heat transfer surfaces
• Vacuum condenser design challenges

Design decisions can have a costly impact on heat exchanger operation. In this course, you learn by reviewing several real cases in which unit designs had critical commercial consequences for operators/ owners.

• Assessment of acoustic vibration in rectangular ducted bundles (Xace^®)
• Vibration analysis of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger (Xist^® and Xvib^®), including a review of the velocity scaling applied to tubes near impingement plate edges
• Sizing of annular distributor (vapor belt) and associated tube vibration analysis (Xist and Xvib)
• Root cause analysis of tube failures in a steam generator (a reboiler/steam drum configuration modeled as a thermosiphon reboiler in Xist)
• Design review of an air-cooler/condenser (Xace) with excessive tubeside pressure drop during winter operation

Each case study is introduced as a problem; participants work individually or in groups to determine the cause and develop solutions.