Best practices for design and operation of reboilers with plate-fin BAHXs

Brazed aluminum heat exchangers (BAHXs) are used in cryogenic reboiler applications for natural gas processing and ethylene production. In these applications, plant operating conditions can change constantly due to economic factors or to inlet gas composition. This makes operation of the equipment challenging. This article outlines best practices and considerations for the design and operation of BAHX reboilers that will help maximize the lifetime of the BAHX and help promote more robust plant operation. Considerations include piping, flow stability and heat exchanger design. A summary and references for operating guidelines are included, and examples of consequences from not following best