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Reboiler design differences

Q: What is the major area to consider while design a reboiler? How different is it from normal heat exchanger designs? Are there Web sites I can reference?

A: There are several types of reboilers that can be used – thermosyphon (vertical, horizontal, tubeside, shellside) kettle, forced-suppressed, and pump assisted are a few. Each of these styles determines which mode of heat transfer is important for the process fluid side, while the heating medium will determine the utility side. There are many Web sites available for gleaning discussions around reboilers, but I recommend you utilize a good process heat transfer text to begin a design. Consider the Chemical Engineers Handbook, Process Heat Transfer by Hewitt, Shires & Bott, Heat Exchanger Design Handbook.