Distributed parameter modeling and identification of an industrial condenser

Although the temperature distribution inside a condenser could in principle be described by a set of partial differential equations (PDEs) for the energy and mass balances of both fluid phases, the resulting distributed parameter model would be difficult to handle in practical applications. In this study, a simplified model of an industrial condenser is derived by assuming that the temperature profile in the condensed phase possesses an a-priori known functional representation. This assumption, which is justified by physical arguments, allows the PDE describing the energy balance of the cooling water to be solved analytically. Based on industrial temperature and flow measurements, an optimization algorithm is used to estimate the numerical values of unknown model parameters, e.g., heat transfer coefficient and characteristics of the condensed phase temperature profile. The resulting model can be used for simulation or fault detection purposes.