Question 10.1: A kettle reboiler requires a dome segment area of 5.5 ft². T...

Adding 4 in. to the liquid height to account for foaming gives an effective liquid height of 26.4 in. = 2.2 ft. For the first trial, assume the effective liquid height is approximately 60% of the shell diameter. Then,

D_{s}=2.2 / 0.6=3.67 ft

Further, the ratio of sector height, h, to circle (shell) diameter is 40%, i.e.,

h / D=1-0.6=0.4

From the table in Appendix 10.A with h/D = 0.4, the sector area factor is A = 0.29337. This value must be multiplied by the square of the shell diameter to obtain the actual segment area. Thus,

S A=0.29337(3.67)^{2}=3.95  ft ^{2}

Since this is less than the required dome segment area, a larger shell diameter is needed. For the second trial, assume the effective liquid height is 55% of the shell diameter. Then,

D_{s}=\frac{2.2}{0.55}=4.0 ft

h / D=1-0.55=0.45

A = 0.34278 (Appendix 10.A)

SA = 0.34278(4.0)² = 5.48 ≅ 5.5 ft²

Therefore, a shell diameter of approximately 4 ft is required.