Heat Transfer Systems for Jacketed Vessels
A jacketed vessel facilitates energy transfer from a heat transfer medium to the product inside using a surrounding jacket. This outer jacket forms an annular space around the main vessel and can be designed as a conventional jacket, dimple jacket, or half-pipe jacket, each optimized for efficient heat transfer. This method is widely used in industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and food/beverage manufacturing to precisely control product temperatures during processing. Often jacketed vessels include a mixer or agitator that will help ensure uniform temperature distribution within the product. This helps achieve consistent heating or cooling throughout the contents of the vessel.
When it comes to jacketed vessel heating and cooling, Heat Exchange and Transfer are your trusted experts. Contact us today to request a quote or to learn more about jacketed reactor thermal systems.
How Jacketed Vessel Heat Transfer Works
The jacket is filled with a heat transfer medium, such as water, water-glycol, oil, or steam, which circulates through the jacket to either heat or cool the vessel's contents. As the medium flows through the jacket, it exchanges energy with the vessel wall, which then transfers the energy with the product inside. This process is controlled to maintain the desired product temperature.
Temperature Control
Temperature control in a jacketed vessel involves regulating the temperature of the vessel's contents by regulating the temperature of the heat transfer medium inside the surrounding jacket. This medium, such as water, water-glycol, oil, or steam, circulates through the jacket, bringing heat or taking heat away from the vessel’s contents. Temperature control units (TCUs) measure and control the temperature of the fluid flowing through the jacket, precisely adjusting the medium’s supply temperature and maintaining specific conditions inside the vessel. TCUs often feature automated controls and sensors for real-time monitoring and adjustment, ensuring consistent and accurate temperature regulation. This precise control is essential where specific temperature conditions are crucial for product quality and process efficiency.
Energy Source
Heating sources for temperature control units typically include an internal electric heater, often an electric heating element, a gas fired heater using natural gas, steam, or a centralized plant thermal fluid system. These are all used to raise or lower the temperature of the jacket's circulating fluid. The control panel of the TCU controls the heat source, adding the necessary amount of heat to maintain the desired supply temperature.
Cooling sources include chiller systems, cooling towers, city water, and air, all of which provide cooling media to effectively dissipate energy from the thermal fluid and cool the jacketed vessel.
Types of Jacketed Vessels
There are several types of jacketed vessels, each designed to optimize heat transfer for specific applications. Here are the main types:
Conventional or Single-Walled Jackets
Single-wall jackets create an annular space around the vessel for the heat transfer medium to circulate. Single-wall jacketed reactor thermal systems are ideal for low-pressure operations and can handle certain high-pressure applications.
Double-Walled Jacketed Vessels
Double-walled jacketed vessels are commonly used for chemical processing, pharmaceutical reactions, or high-value food products. Their jacketed vessel heating systems often use thermal oil or water and glycol solutions with PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control loops for advanced temperature regulation.
Dimple Jackets
Dimple jackets feature dimples that enhance turbulence within the circulating fluid, improving heat transfer efficiency. They can be thinner and more affordable than conventional jackets and can handle higher pressures.
Half-Pipe Coil Jackets
Half-pipe coil jackets use split pipes welded around the vessel. These types of vessels are suitable for high-pressure environments and efficient for liquid heat transfer and high-temperature applications.
Internal Coils
While not a jacket, internal coils are used inside the vessel to provide direct heat transfer or increase the surface area of the contents. Internal coils can withstand very high pressures and are effective for specific applications.
Plate Coils
Plate coils are similar to dimple jackets but are fabricated separately and then attached to the vessel. Plate coils are slightly less efficient due to the double layer of metal but are useful for certain applications.
Agitated Jacketed Vessels/Jacketed Mixers
Jacketed mixers use an internal agitator or mixing device that enhances heat transfer by keeping the vessel’s contents moving during heating and cooling. They often used advanced thermal systems with sensors to maintain precise temperature control.
Motor-driven impellers and stirrers are both used for emulsification, blending, or reaction. Agitated jacketed vessels are ideal for applications in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and food manufacturing that require uniform temperature and mixing.
Vacuum Jacketed Vessels
Vacuum jacketed vessels use a vacuum between the vessel and the jacket to improve thermal efficiency. They are ideal for applications where heat loss needs to be minimized, such as cryogenic processes and vacuum distillation in chemical processing. The heat transfer system generally uses special low-temperature thermal oils or cryogenic cooling systems.
Industries and Applications for Jacketed Vessel Heating & Cooling
Jacketed reactor thermal systems are suitable for a wide range of industries that need heating or cooling. Our customers come from many industries, including:
- Adhesive and Composites: Control of processes for mixing and curing
- Biotechnology: Cell culturing, enzyme reactions, and fermentation
- Chemical and Petrochemical processing: Reaction vessels, polymerization, and distillation processes in exothermic reactions, cooling systems, and heat recovery
- Cosmetics: Maintaining temperatures during the production of lotions, creams, gels, and other personal care products
- Food, Diary, and beverage: Heating, pasteurization, cooking, and blending of food products
- Brewing and Distilling: Controlling the fermentation and distillation processes
- Oil & gas: Processing crude oil, separating emulsions, and heating fluids to the desired temperatures during distillation and chemical treatment
- Paints and coatings: for pigment dispersion and solvent evaporation in the production of paints, varnishes, and coatings
- Pharmaceuticals: Chemical reactions, mixing, fermentation, and crystallization for drug formulations and sterilization
- Plastics and polymer manufacturing: Polymerization, melt processing, and reaction vessels
- Textiles: Dyeing, washing, and finishing treatments
- Pet Food Processing: focuses on the quality and safety of pet food products
Custom Jacketed Vessel Heat Transfer Systems
HEAT specializes in designing custom heat transfer systems tailored to the specific needs of your application. We consider factors such as fluid circulation efficiency, heat sources, and the degree of temperature control required to create long-term solutions that manage your thermal conditions effectively. Our team collaborates with you to select the optimal setup for your jacketed vessel temperature control.
Our experts at HEAT can design and manufacture a custom jacketed vessel heat transfer system for any project. Our sales engineers are ready to assist you in finding a safe and reliable jacketed vessel. Request a quote to learn more.
The heat systems below provide indirect temperature control of various types of tanks & vessels.
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