Application of Magnetic Liquids as Cooling Agents in Condensers of Rectification Columns on the Example of Hydrogen Peroxide Production

The possibility of using magnetic fluids as a cooling agent in condensers of distillation columns is considered. It is known that the energy costs for condensing vapors and cooling the product in condensers of distillation columns can constitute a significant part of the total costs. Therefore, a number of studies are devoted to the problem of their reduction. These include the use of thermal integration, new designs of heat-transfer equipment, and the development of more efficient cooling agents. The latter include specially developed magnetic fluids. Due to a number of unique thermal–physical properties, they find a wide variety of technological applications, including the intensification of heat transfer in rectification columns. The aim of this work was to evaluate the reduction of energy costs for condensation of vapors in the condenser of a distillation column by replacing traditional cooling agents (water, brines, etc.) with magnetic fluid solutions. This assessment is carried out using the example of columns for the extraction of acetone and isopropyl alcohol in the production of hydrogen peroxide. The following magnetic fluids are considered: an aqueous solution of aluminum oxide nanoparticles, an aqueous solution of copper oxide nanoparticles, and an aqueous solution of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). The volume content of the metal oxide particles varies from 0 to 6%. The dependences of the growth of the heat-transfer coefficient on the volume content of the metal oxide nanoparticles and SWCNT particles are obtained. Comparison of the efficiency of using the three selected nanofluids shows that the greatest increase in the heat-transfer coefficient occurs when using SWCNT.