Sulzer Standard Specification for

Fractionation Trays
Sulzer Chemtech Ltd

Table of Content
1 General..........................................................................................................................................2
1.1 Scope ............................................................................................................................................2
1.2 References ....................................................................................................................................2
2 Materials ........................................................................................................................................2
2.1 Specifications ................................................................................................................................2
2.2 Comparison Table ASTM – DIN...................................................................................................4
2.3 Gaskets .........................................................................................................................................5
2.4 Material properties.........................................................................................................................5
2.5 Tray hardware ...............................................................................................................................5
3 Mechanical design.........................................................................................................................5
3.1 Loads and stresses .......................................................................................................................5
3.2 Allowable deflection.......................................................................................................................6
3.3 Minimum thickness ........................................................................................................................6
3.4 Corrosion allowance ......................................................................................................................6
3.5 Depth of tray structural members ..................................................................................................7
3.6 Support ring sizes..........................................................................................................................7
3.7 Gaskets .........................................................................................................................................8
3.8 Bubble caps and valves ................................................................................................................8
3.9 Chimney trays & draw-off sumps ..................................................................................................8
3.10 Multi-Pass trays .............................................................................................................................9
3.11 Drainholes and Ventholes .............................................................................................................9
3.12 Bolt size and spacing.....................................................................................................................9
3.13 Thermal expansion ........................................................................................................................9
3.14 Column manhole .........................................................................................................................10
3.15 Tray supports...............................................................................................................................10
3.16 Tolerances...................................................................................................................................10
3.17 Maximum weight..........................................................................................................................10
3.18 Heavy duty trays..........................................................................................................................10
4 Tray fabrication............................................................................................................................11
4.1 Tolerances...................................................................................................................................11
4.2 Welding........................................................................................................................................11
4.3 Sieve and valve hole punching....................................................................................................11
4.4 Surface finishing ..........................................................................................................................11
5 Shop Inspection and testing ........................................................................................................12
5.1 Shop inspection - trial assembly..................................................................................................12
5.2 Leakage test ................................................................................................................................12
5.3 PMI Examination (when applicable) ............................................................................................12
5.4 NDE Examination (when applicable)...........................................................................................12
6 Marking and shipping ..................................................................................................................13
6.1 Part marking ................................................................................................................................13
6.2 Standard packaging.....................................................................................................................13
6.3 Shipping.......................................................................................................................................13
7 Tray installation ...........................................................................................................................13
7.1 Tray manway(s)...........................................................................................................................13
7.2 Standard connection....................................................................................................................14
7.3 Tolerances...................................................................................................................................14
7.4 Spares for erection ......................................................................................................................14
8 Documents ..................................................................................................................................15

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 Sulzer Standard Specification for
Fractionation Trays
Sulzer Chemtech Ltd

1 General

1.1 Scope
This specification covers the mechanical design, fabrication, inspection, testing, installa-
tion, handling, storage, shipping and packaging of trays.

1.2 References
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Material Specifications.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code.

ASME Section IX, Qualification Standard for Welding and Brazing Procedures, Welders,
Brazers and Welding and Brazing Operators.

DIN (Deutsche Industrie Norm) German Industry Norm for Material Specifications.

2 Materials

2.1 Specifications
The following ASTM standard material specifications apply.

The reference shall be taken to mean the latest edition of the code.

ASTM A36 Carbon Structural Steel

ASTM A167 Stainless and Heat-Resisting Chromium-Nickel Steel Plate, Sheet,
and Strip
ASTM A176 Stainless and Heat-Resisting Chromium Steel Plate, Sheet, and
Strip
ASTM A193 Alloy-Steel and Stainless Steel Bolting Materials for High-
Temperature Service
ASTM A194 Carbon and Alloy Steel Nuts for Bolts for High-Pressure and High-
Temperature Service
ASTM A240 Stainless and Heat-Resisting Chromium and Chromium-Nickel
Steel Plate, Sheet, and Strip for Fusion-Welded Unfired Pressure
Vessel
ASTM A276 Stainless and Heat-Resisting Steel Bars and Shapes
ASTM A283 Low and Intermediate Strength Carbon Steel Plates
ASTM A285 Pressure Vessel Plates, Carbon Steel, Low-and Intermediate-
Tensile Strength
ASTM A307 Carbon Steel Bolts and Studs, 60,000 psi Tensile
ASTM A322 Steel Bars, Alloy, Standard Grades
ASTM A479 Stainless Steel Bars and Shapes for Use in Boilers and Other
Pressure Vessels
ASTM A515 Pressure Vessel Plates, Carbon Steel for Intermediate and High
Temperature Services
ASTM A516 Pressure Vessel Plates, Carbon Steel for Moderate and Lower
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 Sulzer Standard Specification for
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Sulzer Chemtech Ltd

Temperature Services
ASTM A563 Carbon and Alloy Steel Nuts
ASTM A675 Steel Bars, Carbon, Hot-Wrought Special Quality, Mechanical
Properties
ASTM B127 Nickel-Copper Alloy Plate, Sheet and Strip
ASTM B164 Nickel-Copper Alloy Rod, Bar, and Wire
ASTM B265 Titanium and Titanium Alloy Strip, Sheet and Plate
ASTM B348 Titanium and Titanium Alloy Bars
DIN 17100 Steel for General Structural Purposes
DIN 17155 Plate and Strip of Steels for elevated temperatures
DIN 17440 Stainless steels, plates, hot rolled strip, wire rods, drawn wire, bars
and forgings
DIN 17750 Plates, strips and sheets of wrought nickel and nickel alloys
DIN 17743 Wrought nickel alloys with copper

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2.2 Comparison Table ASTM – DIN

ASTM Type DIN Raw material number

A-36 C-Steel 17100 1.0044
A-167 304 17440 1.4301
A-167 304L 17440 1.4306
A-167 316 17440 1.4401
A-167 316L 17440 1.4404
A-167 321 17440 1.4541
A-167 347 17440 1.455
A-176 405 17440 1.4002
A-176 410 17440 1.4006
A-176 410S 17440 1.4000
A-193 Grade B 6 17440 1.4000
A-193 Grade B 7 17200 / 17240 1.7225 / 1.7258
A-193 Grade B 7M 17200 1.7225
A-193 Grade B 8 17440 1.4301
A-193 Grade B 8C 17440 1.4550
A-193 Grade B 8M 17440 1.4401
A-193 Grade B 8T 17440 1.4541
A-193 Grade B 16 17240 1.7711
A-194 Grade 2H 17240 1.1181
A-194 Grade 4 17240 1.7258
A-194 Grade 6 17440 1.4000
A-194 Grade 6F - -
A-194 Grade 8 17440 1.4301
A-194 Grade 8M 17440 1.4401
A-240 410S 17440 1.4000
A-240 410 17440 1.4006
A-240 405 17440 1.4002
A-240 430 17440 1.4016
A-240 304 17440 1.4301
A-240 304L 17440 1.4306
A-240 316 17440 1.4401 1.4436
A-240 316L 17440 1.4404 1.4435
A-240 316Ti 17440 1.4571
A-240 317 17440 1.4449
A-240 317L 17440 1.4438
A-240 321 17440 1.4541
A-240 347 17440 1.4550
A-276 304 17440 1.4301
A-276 304L 17440 1.4306
A-276 316 17440 1.4401
A-276 316L 17440 1.4404
A-276 317L 17440 -
A-276 321 17440 1.4541
A-276 347 17440 1.4550
A-283 Grade C 17100 1.0036
A-285 Grade C 17155 1.0425
A-515 Grade 55 17155 1.0425
A-515 Grade 60 17155 1.0435
A-515 Grade 65 17155 1.0445
A-515 Grade 70 17155 1.0485
A-516 Grade 55 17155 1.0426
A-516 Grade 60 17155 1.0436
A-516 Grade 65 17155 1.0436

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Sulzer Chemtech Ltd

ASTM Type DIN Raw material number

A-516 Grade 70 17155 1.0843
B-164 Monel 400 17743 2.4360
SB-265 Titanium gr1
SB-265 Titanium gr2
B-425 Incoloy 825 17750 2.4858
B-574 Hastelloy C-276 17750 2.4819
S31803 Ferritic/Austenitic DUPLEX 1.4462

2.3 Gaskets
Gaskets are tape or braided rope fabricated from asbestos-free material suitable for the
processing environment. Minimum thickness of gasket tape shall be 1.5 mm (1/16”).

Gasket material shall be used for internal flange connections and Bubble Cap gaskets (if
applicable).

The gasket material needs to be specified by the customer.

List of typical gasket material:

• PTFE

• Fiberglas

• Graphite

• Aramid

• Teflon

2.4 Material properties

The material properties shall be according to ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Sec-
tion II, Part D.

2.5 Tray hardware

Tray hardware for carbon steel trays shall be either 410 or 304 stainless steel.

The valves for carbon steel trays shall be of 410S stainless steel.

To avoid galling, it is possible to use 304 grade material for nuts when bolting is 410 grade
material.

3 Mechanical design

3.1 Loads and stresses

Tray assemblies shall be mechanically designed using a corroded thickness to support
their own weight plus the following design loads at the design temperature.

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Active area:
A design load of 1000 N/m² (21 lb/ft²) or the head of water twice the outlet weir height,
whichever is the greater.

Inlet area (panels under downcomer):

A design load of 3000 N/m² (64 lb/ft²) or the head of water half the tray spacing, whichever
is the greater.

Draw-off sumps and Chimney trays:

A design load of head of water equal to the riser height of the chimney tray.

Tray assemblies shall be capable of supporting their own weight plus a concentrated load
of 1350 N (300 lbs.) located at any trusses on the tray at ambient temperature. The maxi-
mum allowable stress permitted under this condition is at ambient temperature.

Heavy-duty trays will be designed based on a uniform load of 6900 N/m² (1psi). Under
these conditions trays are not designed for deflection and the maximum stress permitted
under this condition is 90% of the yield stress at design temperature.

Baffle trays, shed decks and disc and donut trays will be designed for a design load of
7000 N/m² (146 lb/ft²).

3.2 Allowable deflection

The deflection of tray assemblies under the loads as given in section 3.1 shall be limited
to 1/900 of the internal column diameter. For all other equipment only stress conditions
must be followed.

An initial camber may be made in the principal support members of the assemblies to re-
duce the deflection due to the dead load.

3.3 Minimum thickness

Minimum thickness for trays including corrosion allowance shall be:

Tray component Carbon Steel Stainless Steel

Valves NA 1.5 mm (16 Ga)

Bubble Caps 3.5 mm (10 Ga) 1.5 mm (16 Ga)
Tray decks, Downcomers,
3.5 mm (10 Ga) 2 mm (14 Ga)
Weirs, Integral beams
Major Trusses and beams 4.5 mm (8 Ga) 3 mm (12 Ga)

3.4 Corrosion allowance

The total corrosion allowance for carbon steel trays shall be 1.5 mm (1/16”).

This means 0.75 mm (1/32”) per exposed side.

No corrosion allowance required for stainless steel trays.

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3.5 Depth of tray structural members

The depth of integral trusses parallel to the liquid flow shall not exceed 30% of the tray
spacing.
The depth of integral trusses perpendicular to the liquid flow shall not exceed 20% of the
tray spacing.
Major support beams will be oriented parallel to the direction of liquid flow.

Support members are to be located on the underside of the tray floor except for open-type
(lattice) trusses supporting two trays.

Support beams shall not restrict the flow of vapor between tray passes.
The beam shall occupy not more than 50% of the vertical area between the trays meas-
ured along the flow path.

3.6 Support ring sizes

Recommended support ring sizes for new vessels equipped with trays.
I.D. Column Support ring width Support ring thickness
Stainless steel Carbon steel
/ mm / mm / mm / mm
------ to 800 40 8 5 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
801 to 2500 50 8 5 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
2501 to 3500 60 8 5 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
3501 to 5000 75 8 5 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
5001 to 7000 85 8 5 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
7001 to 9000 90 8 5 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
Above 9001 Individual design

I.D. Column Support ring width Support ring thickness

Stainless steel Carbon steel
/ in / in / in / in
---- to 42 1 1/2 1/4 1/4 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
43 to 100 2 1/4 1/4 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
101 to 125 2 1/2 1/4 1/4 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
126 to 180 2 1/2 1/4 1/4 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)

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 Sulzer Standard Specification for
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Sulzer Chemtech Ltd

I.D. Column Support ring width Support ring thickness

Stainless steel Carbon steel
/ in / in / in / in
181 to 210 3 3/8 3/8 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
211 to 230 3 1/2 3/8 3/8 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
231 to 400 3 1/2 1/2 1/2 + 2 x SCA
(See note 1)
Above 401 Individual design

Note 1:
For carbon steel, two times the vessel corrosion allowance (SCA) have to be added to the
thickness.

3.7 Gaskets
The seams of bubble cap trays will be provided with gaskets.

Valve and sieve trays are not supplied with gaskets.

Chimney trays and total draw-off sumps are normally seal welded. In services where a
small amount of leakage is not detrimental to the process gasketing is permitted. If leak-
age is critical see section 3.9.

3.8 Bubble caps and valves

Bubble caps are 3” and 4” standard FRI bubble cap design or 6” slotted cap design, see
Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 (pages 17 and 18).
Movable valves shall be supplied with dimples or other projections to provide a clearance
between the valve and the tray deck when the valve is in the closed position.
Tabs are used to prevent valves from sticking to the tray deck.

Round valve holes will not be equipped with an anti-rotation feature.

3.9 Chimney trays & draw-off sumps

Chimney trays and draw-off sumps can be bolted and gasketed design in services where
a small amount of leakage is acceptable for the process.

Chimney trays and draw-off sumps should be seal welded in services where leakage is
deemed detrimental to process operation. Welded chimney trays and draw-off sumps will
have the minimum number of sections to minimize potential for leakage.

Partial draw-off trays with overflow provision can be equipped with bolted downcomer de-
sign located below the tray deck.

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Chimney tray hats will be designed with ‘V’ hats to focus liquid drainage on the small face
of the chimney (hat support).

Chimney trays in services where minimum leakage through hats is desired will be de-
signed with inverted U-hat or flat caps that completely seal and cover the risers.

Chimney tray risers are specified with approximately 15% riser area for vessels equipped
with trays.

3.10 Multi-Pass trays

4-pass and 6-pass trays are normally designed based on equal flow path length.

Picket Fence type outlet weirs and clearances are used to balance the 3-pass, 4-pass and
6-pass tray designs.

No vapor equalizers are supplied in the intermediate and center downcomers of 3-pass,
4-pass and 6-pass trays.

3.11 Drainholes and Ventholes

Bottom tray seal pans are equipped with a single 10 mm (⅜") drain hole.
Liquid tight chimney trays and draw-off sumps are not equipped with drainholes.

One drainhole is required in each tray recessed seal pan.

One drainhole is required in each distributor pipe where process fluid does not discharge
vertically downward.

One venthole is required for each distributor pipe, except for spray nozzle distributor
where ventholes are not required.

3.12 Bolt size and spacing

All bolting for trays shall be a minimum of 10 mm (3/8") diameter.

Tray clamp spacing shall not exceed 180 mm (7") around the tray perimeter of the active
area and around the perimeter of the inlet area. Bolt and/or clamp spacing shall not ex-
ceed 150 mm (6") along downcomer clamping bars.
Bolt spacing on truss seams shall not exceed 180 mm (7”) spacing.

Manway clamp spacing shall not exceed 250mm (10”). Each side of the manway shall be
connected to the tray deck with at least two manway clamps.
Clamping shall be used except where bolting is necessary for load supporting capabilities.

Bolt and clamp spacings are not applicable for heavy duty trays.

3.13 Thermal expansion

Slotted holes with sufficient clearance for thermal expansion shall be used where support
beams are bolted to welded-in supports.

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 Sulzer Standard Specification for
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Sulzer Chemtech Ltd

Welded chimney trays are normally seal welded directly to the support ring.
Welded chimney trays in towers that are designed for operation at elevated temperatures
with dissimilar material from the vessel are recommended to both evaluate and make pro-
vision for differential expansion using expansion angles around the tray perimeter. Expan-
sion angles are seal welded on site between the chimney tray deck and the tower wall.

3.14 Column manhole

Tray sections shall pass through the specified column manhole I.D. size unless indicated
otherwise.

3.15 Tray supports

The tray manufacturer is responsible for the mechanical design of the tray supports that
are to be welded to the vessel.
The vessel manufacturer is responsible for the supply and installation of all supports that
are welded to the vessel for grassroots towers, unless stated otherwise.

3.16 Tolerances
Trays shall be designed to allow for manufacturing tolerances on both the vessel and the
trays. Allowances shall be made for the vessel shell being out of roundness as limited by
ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel code Section VIII – Division I.
All tray parts shall be made adjustable so that when installed, the trays and pans will be
within the specified tolerances.

All similar parts shall be interchangeable.

For perforated trays, the number of holes shall be within plus or minus 2% of the number
specified.

The total area of openings elsewhere which may lead to leakage of liquid or vapor shall
not exceed 1% of the total hole area for vapor passage.

3.17 Maximum weight

The weight of any single section of removable tray parts shall not exceed:

1) 35 kg (75 lbs) for vessels up to and including 1.2 m (4ft) diameter and

2) 70 kg (150 lbs) for vessel above 1.2 m (4ft) diameter

Exception shall be made for loose main beams and integrated beams in downcomer.

3.18 Heavy duty trays

If required, heavy-duty trays will be designed based on the loadings as indicated in sec-
tion 3.1. Heavy-duty trays are normally designed with through-bolted downcomer panels.

In addition to a stronger tray (but not as an alternative) explosion doors may be used, in
cases where persistent tray damage has occurred.

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4 Tray fabrication

4.1 Tolerances
The dimensional tolerances on all similar parts shall be such as to make the parts inter-
changeable.

Local depressions and bulges in panels after installation shall not exceed 6 mm (0.25”)
from the nominal plane.

The tilt of fractionating trays shall not exceed 0.15 % of the column diameter.

4.2 Welding
Approved welding processes are SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding), GTAW (Gas
Tungsten Arc Welding), GMAW-P (Pulsed Arc Welding) and Resistance welding.

Welding electrodes or filler metal of a composition similar to the tray material shall be
used.

Welding procedures are available for review in our workshop.

4.3 Sieve and valve hole punching

Punch direction for sieve trays is downward.
For round and for rectangular valves the holes may be punched from either side of the
tray. Same punch direction for movable valves is not required.
Punched hole diameter of sieve trays shall not be smaller than 1.5 times the deck thick-
ness.

4.4 Surface finishing

Trays are manufactured with automated punch press equipment with the use of lubricating
oils and will have some residual oil left on the surface. De-greasing is an extra service that
can be provided for projects that require the removal of residual oil.

Punch press equipment use well maintained dies and tooling along with plasma / laser arc
cutting on some edges.
Goods will be delivered in an “as sheared”, “as punched” and “as cut” condition with no
objectionable burrs.

Welds will only be polished or pickled and passivated on express request by the customer
and agreement by Sulzer. (This may result in additional costs.)

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5 Shop Inspection and testing

5.1 Shop inspection - trial assembly

One tray of each diameter, and of each type, shall be assembled in the shop to the extent
necessary to check fit-up.

A picture of every assembled tray shall be taken and filed for any subsequent quality
checks.

5.2 Leakage test

Welded chimney tray or draw-off sump:
A leakage test for welded chimney trays and draw-off sumps is recommended following
installation by the installer.
Procedure: The chimney tray or draw-off sump will have any drain holes plugged, then the
tray will be filled with water to within 50 mm (2”) of the downcomer overflow or gas riser.
Visual inspection will be performed to observe leakage. Water level should not drop more
than 25mm (1”) in 20 minutes. After testing, the drain hole plugs shall be removed.
Significant leakage should receive weld repair before being placed in service.

Gasketed bubble cap trays:

Gasketed bubble cap trays should be leak tested by the installer subject to client approval.
If deemed necessary, any drain holes should be plugged and the tray will be filled with
water to within 50 mm (2”) of the downcomer overflow or the gas riser, or to 25 mm (1”)
below the bubble cap riser. Water level should not drop more than 25 mm (1”) in 10 min-
utes. After testing, the drain hole plugs shall be removed.
Leakage test is not required for sieve and valve trays.

5.3 PMI Examination (when applicable)

Positive Material Identification (PMI) can be performed for an additional charge on pro-
jects that require this extra service. The cost is dependent on the type of test and the
number of samples tested.

PMI is normally performed by a 3rd party inspector with a Texas Nuclear Analyzer, which
provides material composition, except for carbon content. If required, a portable Spectro-
graph machine can be utilized which provides material composition, including carbon con-
tent.

For bulk materials (sheet, plate, coil, pipe, flanges and weld wire), one (1) PMI test is per-
formed on each material heat prior to the start of fabrication.

For loose materials, the sample size is five (5) pieces of each type of hardware (bolts,
nuts and fasteners) for PMI testing.

5.4 NDE Examination (when applicable)

Non Destructive Examination (NDE) Die Penetrant Testing (PT) can be performed for an
additional charge to confirm the suitability of welds for projects that require this extra ser-
vice.

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A 3rd party inspector performs the test using special developer and UV-light during the
trial assembly.

6 Marking and shipping

6.1 Part marking

All major parts are marked with the part number shown on the assembly drawing with a
marking pencil or metal stamp to permit rapid assembly.

Non-leaded and chloride free paint and/or markers shall be used for marking.

Tray hardware shall be packaged separately from the main tray segments and labeled
with item numbers, which refer to the drawings.

6.2 Standard packaging

Trays are normally shipped in open-sided wood crates. The crate base is a pallet suitable
for handling by forklift. Each crate will be labeled.
The label will indicate:

1) Order number
2) Vessel number

3) Project Name and Number

4) Packing number

5) Size of Packing

6) Net/Gross weight

Carbon steel tray parts are not normally shipped with any rust-ban corrosion inhibitor
unless this service is specifically included in the work scope.

Carbon steel parts are normally shipped in plastic lined or plastic wrapped crates.

6.3 Shipping
Tray components shall be properly packaged to prevent damage during shipping.

7 Tray installation

7.1 Tray manway(s)

Tray manway(s) shall provide a recommended minimum rectangular opening of 350 x 500
mm (13.75” x 20”).

If necessary a smaller opening can be used.

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Manways are normally vertically aligned.

Each assembly, except one piece cartridge trays, post supported trays and other tray
types where manways are not feasible or advantageous, shall have a section or sections
for use as an internal manway. Manways shall be removable from both sides.

If access from one side is impossible, typically with small diameter high capacity trays this
requirement is not applicable.

7.2 Standard connection

Sulzer tray panels are provided with a quick fastening lip-slot connection.

Bolted connections:
Tray bolts shall be tightened, using a calibrated torque wrench, to the Sulzer Installation
instructions and engaged to the full depth of the nuts.

7.3 Tolerances
Tolerances for welded-in supports shall be according to Fig. 1 (page 16) of this docu-
ment.
Outlet weir:
The difference in height between the highest and lowest points of the weir plate top,
measured to a level plane, shall not exceed 6 mm (1/4”).
Height of fixed outlet weir ± 3 mm (±1/8”).

Downcomer Clearance:
Clearance between bottom of downcomer and top of next tray shall not deviate from
nominal clearance by more than ± 3 mm (1/8”).

7.4 Spares for erection

Tray projects include the following spare tray hardware to compensate for installation
losses and shall be as follows:

1) Bolts, nuts and washers, 5%

2) Tray clamps, 5%

3) Gaskets, 25%

4) Movable valves, 2%
Torque: See section 7.2.

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8 Documents
Standard documents include final assembly drawings, installation instructions, bill of mate-
rial, shipping list and bill of lading.
If specified by the client, MTR (Mill Test Reports), WPS (Weld Procedures), PQR (Per-
sonnel Qualification Record), PMI reports and NDE test reports can be provided for pro-
jects where these are performed.

The total weight of the internals per column shall be indicated on the assembly drawing.
On customer request Sulzer shall furnish strength calculations that demonstrate the ade-
quacy of its design to support the specified loads under the applicable deflection criteria.

All documents as stated above will be written in English language.

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Fig. 1: Tolerances for weld-ins in mm (millimeter). Also applicable for two, three and four pass
trays.

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3” & 4” FRI Bubble Cap 6” FRI Bubble Cap

Bubble Cap Size:: 3” 4” 6”

/mm /in /mm /in /mm /in
A Cap diameter (I.D.) 73 2.875 98 3.875 149 5.87
B Cap height 42.5 1.6875 65 2.5 103 4
C Clearance 12.5 0.5 12.5 0.5 12.5 0.5
D Riser height 38 1.5 51 2 83 3.25
G Riser (O.D.) 51 2 70 2.75 105 4
BT Cap thickness 1.5 or 2 16Ga or 1.5 or 2 16Ga or 1.5 or 2 16Ga or
14Ga 14Ga 14Ga
RT Riser thickness 1.5 or 2 16Ga or 1.5 or 2 16Ga or 1.5 or 2 16Ga or
14Ga 14Ga 14Ga
T Panel Thickness 2 or 3 14Ga or 2 or 3 14Ga or 2 or 3 14Ga or
12Ga 12Ga 12Ga
H Slot height - - - - 37 1.2188
I Slot width at bottom - - - - 10 0.5625
K Slot width at top - - - - 6 0.3125

Note: Slot quantity and dimension to be specified by customer or process engineer.

Note: Alternate design with “bridge” in combination with tack welded bolt for double
nuts (as shown on next page) is frequently used.

Fig. 2: Bubble cap dimensions (without gasket).

Revision: Rev 2.0 April 2008 Document: Sulzer_Spec_Trays.doc Page 17 of 18

 Sulzer Standard Specification for
Fractionation Trays
Sulzer Chemtech Ltd

3” & 4” FRI Bubble Cap (with gasket) 6” FRI Bubble Cap (with gasket)

Bubble Cap Size:: 3” 4” 6”

/mm /in /mm /in /mm /in
A Cap diameter (I.D.) 73 2.875 98 3.875 149 5.87
B Cap height 42.5 1.6875 65 2.5 103 4
C Clearance 12.5 0.5 12.5 0.5 12.5 0.5
D Riser height 38 1.5 51 2 83 3.25
G Riser (O.D.) 51 2 70 2.75 105 4
BT Cap thickness 1.5 or 2 16Ga or 1.5 or 2 16Ga or 1.5 or 2 16Ga or
14Ga 14Ga 14Ga
RT Riser thickness 1.5 or 2 16Ga or 1.5 or 2 16Ga or 1.5 or 2 16Ga or
14Ga 14Ga 14Ga
T Panel Thickness 2 or 3 14Ga or 2 or 3 14Ga or 2 or 3 14Ga or
12Ga 12Ga 12Ga
H Slot height - - - - 37 1.2188
I Slot width at bottom - - - - 10 0.5625
K Slot width at top - - - - 6 0.3125

Note: Slot quantity and dimension to be specified by customer or process engineer.

Note: Alternate bridge design is also used.

Fig. 3: Bubble cap dimensions (with gasket).

Revision: Rev 2.0 April 2008 Document: Sulzer_Spec_Trays.doc Page 18 of 18