Distillation-Tray

Selection and Design

The relevant information and equations are as of below: 1. Tray spacing Trays are normally 12 to 30 inches (0.305 to 0.762 m) apart Close spacing 12 to 15 in (0.305 to 0.381 m) for moderate or high pressure columns For atmospheric columns: 18 inches (0.457 m) For high-vacuum systems: tray spacing of 24 to 30 in (0.61 to 0.762 m) 2. Estimating the column diameter F-factor (Fc):

Free area for vapor flow AF: !! = where: AF W v : Free Area (ft2) : Vapor mass flow rate (lb/s) : Vapor Density (lb/ft3) ! !! !!
!/!

Note: the vapor density can be determined by the ideal gas law Actual column cross-sectional area AT: ! ! = !! + !!

Note: Total downcomer area usually ranges between 3 and 20 percent of total column area and for vacuum columns it is usually 3 to 5 percent. From thereof, the column diameter can be determined

!/!

3. Flooding velocity (Uf)

!! !"#$%& !"#$%!"# = ! ( ) 4

Uf = C(/20)0.2[(L V)/v ]0.5 where: : surface tension (in dyn/cm) : density, the subscripts L and V refer to liquid and vapor, respectively

C : a parameter that is related to tray spacing, liquid flow rate L, vapor flow rate G, and liquid and vapor densities by the graph below:

The following adjustments, however, must be incorporated into the calculated flooding velocity to assure a reasonable design safety factor. Therefore the flooding velocity must be multiplied with the multiplying factor depending on the condition.

4. Re-estimate the required free cross-sectional area to accommodate the maximum allowable vapor velocity ! !! = !! !! 5. Downcomer Configuration

The diagram above determine the designed minimum required downcomer area, thus from the y value:

Minimum required downcomer area:

!! =

!"#$"% !"#$%&' !"# !"#$%& min !" !

Flow distribution across the tray must also be taken into account. To optimize this distribution, it is usually recommended that weir length be no less than 50 percent of the column diameter. Thus, from the figure below, the downcomer area subtended by a weir having half the length of the column diameter should be at least 3 percent of the column area (5 percent was assumed in step 2 during the initial estimate of column diameter). 6. The amount of suitable sieve trays a. The required hole area

Hole-area is based on the relationship shown in the figure above.

Where: vh v : the velocity of the vapor passing through the holes : density of the vapor

When FH is determined, the total hole area can be determined: ! !!!"# !"#! = !! !! b. Specify hole size, weir height and downcomer The guideline for this step is as follow:

 c. Pressure Drop to confirm suitability of design The total pressure drop h1 is the sum of the pressure drop across the holes hdry and the drop through the aerated material above the holes hliq. The related equation is as shown below: !"# = 0.186 where: C : discharge coefficient obtainable from the figure below: !! !! !! !
!

o From step 6b, the hole area divided by the active area can be obtained o From the hole area, the hole diameter can also be calculated However, this should be adjusted for entrainment:

Where is the entrainment function (obtained from step 3)

Dry pressure drop for sieve trays should fall between 0.75 and 3 in of liquid (19 and 76 mm) to prevent excessive weeping on the one hand or jetting on the other. If the pressure drop is barely within the recommended range, tray should be checked for weeping using the figure below:

For the pressure drop through the aerated material: !"# = ! (! + !" ) where is an aeration factor obtained from the figure below:

 d. Sieve Trays The sieve tray is probably the most versatile contacting device. It should be considered first for the design of a tray column. It has the lowest installed cost of any equilibrium-stage-type device, its fouling tendencies are low, and it offers good efficiency when properly designed. However, sieve trays are not recommended for the following conditions: (1) when very low pressure drop (less than 2.5 mmHg, or 0.39 kPa) is required; (2) when high turndown ratios are required at low pressure drop; or (3) when very low liquid rates are required: below either 0.25 gal/(min)(ft2) [0.6 m3/(h)(m2)] of active tray area, or 1 gal/(min)(ft) [0.75 m3/(h)(m)] of average flow-path width. 7. The amount of suitable Valve Trays a. The valve layout Although valve trays come in several configurations, all have the same basic operational principle: Vapor passing through orifices in the tray lifts small metal disks or strops, thereby producing a variable opening that is proportional to the flow rate. A standard for a valve tray for low and moderate pressure operations: a 3 x 2.5 in pattern that is tightest arrangement available (accommodating about 14 caps/ft2 (150 caps/m2) The active area does not take into account liquid-distribution areas at the inlet and outlet, nor edge losses due to support rings, nor unavailable space over tray-support beams In smaller columns, it is possible that as much as 25 percent of the active tray area may not be available for functioning valves. b. The pressure drop per tray Find the vapor velocity at the top of the column Assume 15 percent of the tray is not available for functioning valves Find the number of valves per tray by calculating the active area (subtracting both the descending and ascending downcomers similar to step a) Find the number of valves per tray by multiplying the active tray area by 14 caps/ft2. From thereof one can find the pressure drop by calculating the x axis shown in the diagram below:

The pressure drop hliq through the aerated liquid can be obtained directly from the figure below (step 5 and 6b will be required for this part):

c.

Valve trays

The relatively low-pressure drop that can be maintained without undue loss of turndown in vacuum columns is probably the valve trays greatest attribute. Although the accuracy of either the sieve or valve-tray calculation procedure is probably no better than 20 percent, a lower pressure drop is likely to be achieved with Venturi orifice valves than with sieve trays if a reasonable turndown ratio (say 60 percent) is required. This is of little concern at column pressures above 400 mmHg (53 kPa), when pressure drop becomes a minor consideration. A word of caution: When the valves are exposed to a corrosive environment, it is likely that their constant movement will induce fatigue stresses, which frequently lead to the rapid deterioration of the retaining lugs and valve caps. It is not unusual to find valves missing in that part of the column where corrosive constituents are concentrated.