Design and Operation of Multi-Pass Trays

Mark Pilling

Sulzer Chemtech USA, Inc.

Abstract:
Multi-pass trays are typically used in high liquid load applications where the additional
downcomers are needed to effectively handle the liquid. In order to function properly, multi-pass
tray designers must consider several issues that are unique to this particular type of tray. The
goal of any design will be to properly balance the vapor and liquid flows in order to optimize both
the capacity and efficiency. Topics to be covered will be pass balancing methods, efficiency
considerations, as well as equal flow path length versus equal bubbling area designs.
Introduction

Standard cross flow trays in distillation columns operate with the liquid flowing downwards
through a column in a serpentine pattern while contacting the vapors that are flowing upward
through the column. The liquid’s downward flow is driven by of gravity. As the liquid flow rates
increase, the frictional resistance and corresponding liquid head increase on the tray deck and in
the downcomers. Once the liquid resistance becomes substantial, the liquid is normally split
mechanically into multiple streams or passes.

Two pass trays are quite common and generally don’t pose significant design challenges since
the flow paths and tray designs are symmetric. Tray designs with more than two liquid passes
are considerably more challenging because of their lack of symmetry and need to be designed
with care. Three pass trays are quite rare because of their inherent asymmetric design and
difficulty to balance. Four pass trays are much more common. Trays with more than four passes
are rare as well. Therefore, unless specifically mentioned otherwise, the multi-pass tray
discussions will deal with four pass trays.

Hydraulic Considerations

One of the most critical aspects of tray operation is the balance of the vapor and liquid streams
on the tray deck. For proper operation, it is imperative that the vapor and liquid streams contact
each other and flow evenly across the tray. This is important for efficiency and capacity
considerations. When the vapor flow is disproportional to the liquid flow on different areas of the
tray, a compositional pinch can occur and limit the efficiency. From a hydraulic standpoint, when
the flows are imbalanced, the side which is most heavily loaded will prematurely limit the tray
capacity. The effect of an imbalance varies depending upon the tray design and the application.
For example, in heavily vapor loaded applications, excessive vapor flow to one section will cause
a flood in this section while, in highly liquid loaded applications, excessive liquid flow to a section
may cause a localized flood there as well.

A common term used to evaluate the vapor and liquid flows is the Vapor/Liquid (V/L) ratio. When
measured on a molar basis, this value is generally unity for an overall column that is operating in
a total reflux mode. Correspondingly, the V/L ratio should also be unity for a perfectly balanced
tray operating in at total reflux. Therefore, this term is the defining measure of balance between
the passes. Since most columns do not operate at total reflux, the V/L ratio may vary widely from
unity. The absolute value of the number is really not important but the consistency of this number
between the various passes of a multi-pass design is critical.

Tray Geometry and Nomenclature

In its simplest form, a standard cross flow tray consists of a tray deck and a downcomer. The tray
deck is perforated with either sieve holes or valves which allow the vapor to travel vertically
upward through the deck to contact a liquid layer that is flowing horizontally across it. After
contacting the liquid, the vapor disengages from the liquid and travels to the next tray immediately
above. The mixing of the vapor and liquid generally forms a froth or spray on or above the deck.
As the frothy liquid mixture leaves the deck it travels into the top portion of the downcomer. The
downcomer is designed to disengage any vapor that is in this mixture. The disengaged vapor
leaves out the top of the downcomer while the clarified liquid travels downward through the
downcomer and is fed to the tray below.

Other important mechanical features on the tray are the downcomer clearance and the tray outlet
weir. The downcomer clearance is a vertical gap formed between the lower edge of the
downcomer wall and the tray deck. It serves as a flow orifice that meters the liquid onto the tray
and also maintains a liquid seal on the downcomer. The outlet weir is a vertical metal piece that
is placed at the interface between the end of the tray deck and the inlet of the downcomer.
Typically, it extends 25–75 mm (1-3”) above the tray deck. It serves to maintain a desired level
on the tray deck and in many designs is used to ensure a hydraulic seal above the downcomer
clearance. These features will be discussed later in more detail since they play an important role
in balancing the vapor and liquid flows.

Geometry Specific to Multi-pass Trays

Since multi-pass trays are rather complicated mechanically, its is important to understand the
nomenclature so that it is clear as to what parts of the tray are being discussed.

Downcomers

All four pass trays have three types of downcomers. The downcomers can be seen in elevation
drawing of a four pass tray configuration shown in Figure 1. They have side downcomers that are
formed by the column wall and a downcomer panel. Side downcomers are the most common
type of downcomer and are found in all single and multi-pass tray designs. The second type of
downcomer is the center downcomer. This downcomer is located at the tower centerline and
formed between two downcomer panels offset from the centerline. This downcomer is
symmetrical and is the used also in two pass designs. Two side downcomers and one center
downcomer will be located on the same tray deck and on alternating trays thereafter (either all the
odd or even numbered trays).

The third type of downcomer is called an intermediate or Off-Center DownComer. For the sake of
brevity it will be referred to as an OCDC in this paper. The OCDC is located horizontally between
the side and center downcomers and used on the trays alternating between the trays containing
the side and center downcomers. They are used for multi-pass tray designs that have more than
two passes. The OCDC itself is asymmetric. The side closest to the centerline of the tower
(referred to as the “inboard” side) will be longer than the side farthest away from the centerline
(referred to as the “outboard” side).

Active Area Panels

As alluded to above, four pass trays consist of two mechanically different trays that work in
conjunction with the trays immediately above and below them. There are four different types of
active area panels on four pass tray designs. They are designated as A, B, C, and D and can
also be seen in Figure 1. The tray containing side and center downcomers will have one A panel
and one B panel on each half of the tray. The tray containing two OCDC’s will have one C panel
and one D panel on each half of the tray. These panels are described further below.

Panel A: Active area between the OCDC outboard clearance and the side downcomer inlet.
Panel B: Active area between the OCDC inboard clearance and the center downcomer inlet.
Panel C: Active area between the side downcomer clearance and the OCDC outboard inlet.
Panel D: Active area between the center downcomer clearance and the OCDC inboard inlet.
Fluid Flows

In order to properly design or evaluate a tray, it is important to understand how the fluids flow
through these trays. Both the vapor and liquid streams are split and recombined in order to
achieve the most effective path. Throughout all this, a major goal is to have all the flows be
balanced and uniform. The flow paths of the liquid and vapor are discussed in more detail below.

Fluid Flows - Liquid

For the sake of simplicity, the fluid flow through the downcomers and across the decks will be
referred to as a liquid. This fluid is more likely to be a two phase froth (especially in high pressure
applications) but the term liquid will suit the purposes of the discussion. Figure 1 also provides a
good reference for this topic as well.

The different liquid flows through a four pass tray are as follows: Liquid leaving the OCDC is split
into two portions. One side feeds panel A en route to the side downcomer. The other portion
feeds panel B en route to the center downcomer. If the tray is designed correctly, the liquid
stream flow rates will be proportional to the active area that they are being fed to. Liquid leaving
the center downcomer should always be split 50/50 and feeds to both of the D panels
immediately on either side of the downcomer. The side downcomers are rather isolated and can
only transfer liquid to and from the OCDC outboard side. Liquid to the side downcomer travels
from the OCDC outboard clearance across panel A and into the side downcomer. Liquid leaving
the side downcomer travels across panel C and then flows into the OCDC outboard side.

Balancing of Liquid Flows

Liquid flows are balanced by modifying the liquid restrictions in the downcomer and on the tray
decks, namely, the downcomer clearance and the tray outlet weir.

Downcomer Clearance

All downcomer clearances will need to be sized to obtain the appropriate head loss or pressure
drop. This is done to ensure the proper capacity, sealing of the downcomer, and flow
characteristics from the downcomer. However, since the side and center downcomers have no
other destination choice aside from the OCDC, no balancing mechanism needs to be used with
them. The balancing of liquid with the downcomer clearances is necessary only with the OCDC.

The downcomer clearance is calculated as a simple open area arranged in the vertical plane.
The orifice coefficient for this opening is generally assumed to be constant. Therefore, to adjust
the downcomer clearance, either the clearance height or the length of the clearance needs to be
decreased. Since the clearances are formed by the downcomer chordal length they cannot be
made wider, only narrower.

It is important to note that the effect of increasing the height of a downcomer clearance varies
depending upon the liquid head in the downcomer. Because of this, it is never recommended to
balance the liquid distribution from the two sides of the OCDC by using different clearance
heights. Changing the length of the clearance alone is the recommended method of adjustment.
Otherwise, the partitioning of the liquid will vary with process rates.

The effective downcomer clearance is decreased by blocking off portions of the clearance. This
is typically done with bracing that blocks of the desired amount of the clearance width while
serving to support the downcomer wall as well. Care must be taken to have the blocked sections
be small enough and well enough dispersed so as not to maldistribute the flow.
Outlet Weirs

The importance of outlet weirs in balancing multi-pass trays is to make sure that the liquid weir
loading is constant between passes that are being balanced (e.g A&B or C&D). Weir loading is
measured as a volumetric flow across of unit length of weir. The crest of the liquid over a weir is
essentially a function of the weir loading to the 2/3 power. As weir loading increases, the crest
increases, the liquid height on the upstream tray panel increases, and finally, the hydraulic
resistance for the vapor increases. In order to properly balance the weir loadings on a multi-pass
tray, the weir loading for the side and center downcomers needs to be constant and the weir
loadings on either side of the OCDC need to be constant. This can be achieved by either
sweeping back the side downcomer weir to make its effective length longer or by picketing the
center or OCDC weirs to make them the proper length.

As with the clearances, changing the vertical height of different weirs to balance passes is not an
acceptable method since the crest over the weir is a function of both the weir height and the weir
load. If this were to be done, the crest over the weir will vary differently with different process
conditions and will not allow proper balancing of the tray over all conditions. Therefore, the only
acceptable way to balance passes with the outlet weir is to make the effective weir length either
longer (swept back weirs) or shorter (picketing).

Swept Back Weirs

Side downcomers tend to have a relatively short weir length since the downcomer chord is far
away from the tower centerline. This is especially important in equal bubbling area designs since
the side panel A will have the same amount of liquid flow as the center panel B, but the side
downcomer weir is much shorter than the center downcomer weir. A swept back design as
shown in Figure 2, helps to create a longer effective side downcomer and makes it easier to
balance the weir loading on the two panels. One of the effects of using a swept back weir is that
it does take up some bubbling area from the A panel. This reduction of area is generally minimal
but it must be accounted for in the tray balance process.

Picketed Weirs

Picketed weirs (shown in Figure 3) are used to block off a portion of the length of the weir evenly
over the entire length of the weir. They effectively shorten the flowing length of the weir. When
designing picketed weirs, it is important to place the pickets uniformly over the length so as not to
block off large sections of the weir and create localized maldistribution. Also, the height of the
pickets is important. They should be tall enough so that the froth height on the tray deck will not
exceed the height of the pickets at normal operating conditions.

Fluid Flows – Vapor

Vapor flows upward through the trays following path of least resistance. Assuming that no vapor
tunnels are used, some vapor flows are trapped on one side of a downcomer and have no choice
but to flow to the panel directly above. Other vapor flows are split and then can flow to one of two
panels. The distribution of this split is determined by the hydraulic resistance from each of the
panels. For instance, vapor leaving panel A is trapped on the outboard side of the intermediate
downcomer. It has no option but to flow upward through panel C. However, once it proceeds
through panel C, it can rise above the OCDC and flow to either panels A or B depending upon the
pressure balance. Vapor leaving panel B is trapped between the inboard sides of both of the
OCDC’s. The vapor leaving panel B can travel to either of the D panels above, but since the tray
is symmetrical, the flow between these two panels should be essentially even unless there was
some initial maldistribution. This specific transition allows the equalization of vapor between the
two halves of the tower. Vapors leaving panels C and D are isolated to one half of the column by
the center downcomer. The vapors are free to travels to either panel A or panel B but cannot
travel to the other half of the tower. The distribution of the vapor above the OCDC is critical to
balancing irregularities in the tray design or operation.

Practical Design of Multi-Pass Trays

Aside from basic capacity and efficiency requirements, the balancing of a multi-pass tray is the
most important design aspect to allow the tray to operate properly. A basic assumption for this
section is that the trays are rated properly and that, assuming the design is reasonable, all
capacity and efficiency needs will be met as long as the tray is balance properly.

As mentioned earlier, any imbalance in the multi-pass tray design will have an adverse effect on
either the tray capacity, efficiency, or both. The more severe the imbalance, the worse the effect
will be on the tray performance. The designer’s goal should then be to balance the tray as
completely as possible. However, it should be noted that some of the methods used to balance
the trays perfectly require more hardware and more cost. No doubt, some designs that are not
critical or not pushed hydraulically or from an efficiency standpoint may not need to be absolutely
balanced. This is where the tray designer will have to make a decision as to how extensive the
balancing efforts will need to be.

Layout and Balancing of 4 Pass Trays

There are generally two schools of thought when it comes to balancing 4 pass trays, equal
bubbling area and equal flow path length. These terms are rather straightforward. Equal
bubbling area means that the active area panels A-D will be essentially the same size with the
same amount of orifice perforation (open) area. This design method assumes that the vapor will
be split into quarters and will flow equally to each of the panels. In order to balance the tray, the
liquid will then need to be split into quarters as well and proportioned equally to each of the
panels.

The other common design method is equal flow path length. This design arranges the
downcomers in such a manner as to create an equal flow path length along each of the panels A-
D. This design, by definition, cannot have equal bubbling area on the panels since the towers are
round. Therefore the side panels (A & C) will have considerably less bubbling area than the more
central panels (B & D). The proper design technique here assumes that these panels will have a
perforated area that is proportional to their active area and that the vapor will flow to these panels
proportionally to their active area. The liquid will need to be proportioned to the tray panels
relative to their active area as well.

Both of these design methods are quite popular and have their own unique advantages and
disadvantages. Since towers are round and not square, equal bubbling area and equal flow path
length are mutually exclusive concepts. However, there is also a design method that Shell has
used in the past to lay out and balance multi-pass trays that can achieve a close approximation to
both equal bubbling area and equal flow path length. This method will not be detailed in this
paper.

With any tray design, the ultimate goal is to have the vapor and liquid contact evenly across the
entire active area of the tray. The critical division of fluids on a four pass tray is at the OCDC.
This is because the liquid can move in either direction from the OCDC depending upon the
pressure balance and also the vapor will adjust above the OCDC as well. In order to balance the
fluid flows, adjustments must be made to make sure the split here is proportional to the bubbling
areas that it is feeding.
Step 1: Adjusting Downcomer Sizes and Locations for Capacity

When designing multi-pass trays, the downcomer sizes need to be matched with the process
requirements. The desired result is that the downcomers have similar, or even identical
velocities. When laying out a tray, the location of the outside wall of the side downcomer is fixed
and the centerline of the center downcomer is fixed. The other dimensions and locations are
available for adjustment.

The side and center downcomer widths must be adjusted such that they will have the same
velocities. With equal bubbling area designs, this is rather straightforward since the assumption
is made that the liquid will be split into quarters. With equal flow path length designs, the
proportioning of liquid between the side and center downcomer is an iterative procedure since
changes to any of the downcomer dimensions will affect the corresponding active areas and
therefore change the proportioning of the liquid flowing to the side and center downcomers.

The size of the OCDC will be set to match the velocities in the side and center downcomers.
However, the centerline of the OCDC will need to be adjusted to make the panels either equal
bubbling area or equal flow path length. The cross sectional area of the OCDC varies as a
function of the downcomer width and the location of the centerline. Therefore, to set the
downcomer velocity in the OCDC, the designer must know its required location and then calculate
its necessary width.

As can be seen, this is a nested iterative process that can be quite challenging. When the
downcomers are sloped to improve the performance of the tray, the design process becomes
even more challenging. To be successful at these layouts, the designer needs to be either very
patient or have a layout optimization program.

Step 2: Balancing Flows

Note: The nomenclature used in this section is shown in Figure 1.

Equal Bubbling Area Design Requirements

The equal bubbling area design is based on the premise that vapor flows will be balanced with
equal bubbling areas. With all other factors being equal, equal bubbling areas will split the vapor
uniformly into quarters. A balanced design for an equal bubbling area tray requires the following
features:

Deck orifices: Deck orifices must be allocated equally to all passes. Each pass will have 25% of
the orifices. Actual bubbling areas need to be approximately the same, but the number of orifices
or slot area should be exact. This can be difficult with larger valves or offices on the tray deck
since the outer panels (A & C) have more curvature and can be difficult to get enough valves on
these panels.

Outlet Weirs: The weir on the top of the center downcomer, W2, must be picketed in order to
have the same effective length as the weir on the top of the side downcomer, W1. This assures
that the crest over weir is equal on both passes regardless of total liquid rate. Picketing is the
only acceptable method. As discussed earlier, varying the weir height is unacceptable because
this type design produces even distribution for only one specified liquid rate.

The weir on the inboard side of the OCDC, W4, should also be picketed to have the same
effective length as the outboard side weir of the OCDC, W3. This maintains the same crest over
weir for both streams entering the intermediate downcomer and thus helps to keep the liquid level
equal on both the C and D passes.

Varying the weir height between balancing passes is not allowed.

Downcomer Clearances: The clearance on the inboard side of the OCDC, C2, should be blocked
(or picketed) so as to have an equal effective release length as the clearance on the outboard
side of the intermediate downcomer, C1. This ensures an equal split of the liquid to the passes
on either side of the downcomer.

Equal Flow Path Length Design Requirements

The equal flow path length design is based on the premise that equal flow paths with balancing to
provide equal V/L ratios on each pass will create more uniform mass transfer. The flow path
length efficiency enhancement (and therefore the efficiency) for each pass should be the same
since the flow paths lengths are identical. Also, a properly designed equal flow path length
design can maximize weir length and decrease effective weir loading. This should help to
maximize the capacity.

Balancing modifications for equal flow path length design are similar, but different than those
used for equal bubbling area designs. They are outlined below.

Deck Orifices: The deck orifices must be allocated to the individual passes so that their number
is proportional to the bubbling area of that pass.

Weirs: The center downcomer weir, W2, should be picketed so that the length of this weir divided
by the length of the side downcomer weir, W1, is proportional to the panel B bubbling area
divided by the panel A bubbling area. A cross check to confirm a balanced design is that the weir
loading should be the same for the side and center weirs. Since picketing of the center
downcomer tends to minimize the tray capacity, the amount of picketing should be kept as low as
possible. This can be done by making the side downcomer weir effectively longer by either
widening the side downcomer, by using a swept back weir on the side downcomer, or a
combination of the two.

For the equal flow path length design, the liquid flowing from the side downcomer to the OCDC is
significantly less than the liquid flowing from the center downcomer to the intermediate
downcomer. Therefore the weir on the outboard side (side towards the side downcomer) of the
OCDC, W3, should also be picketed to have a length that is equal to the length of the inboard
weir, W4 * Area C/Area D. This maintains a weir length proportional to the liquid flow to each
pass and ensures the same crest over weir for both streams entering the intermediate
downcomer and thus helps to keep the liquid level equal on both passes.

Varying weir heights between balancing passes is not allowed.

Downcomer Clearances: The clearance on the outboard side of the OCDC, C1, should be
blocked so as to have an equal effective release length that is equal to the clearance on the
inboard side of the intermediate downcomer, C2 * Area C/Area D . This ensures a proportional
split of the liquid to the passes on either side of the downcomer. (note: the downcomer clearance
is not varied for the inboard and outboard sides of the OCDC)

Vapor Tunnels

Vapor Tunnels are tubes or channels that pass through either center or off-center downcomers
that allow vapor to travel from bubbling areas on either side of the downcomers in order to
equalize pressures and flows on the tray. They are shown in figure 4. Tunnels through the
center downcomer allow equalization between the opposite halves of the trays. Tunnels through
the OCDC allow equalization between the outboard passes (A&C) and the inboard passes (B&D).

If a column is fed and drawn properly, the tunnels through the center downcomer are not really
needed since the tray is symmetric. Small irregularities can be equalized above the center
downcomer between the B passes on either side.

Vapor tunnels on the OCDC should really not be needed either if the trays are balanced properly
and are fed and drawn properly. With equal flow path length designs with sloped downcomers,
the ratio of vapor going between passes A and C will not be the same as the ratio of vapor going
between passes B and D. Therefore, if vapor tunnels were used there would be flow through
them. However, in order to balance the V/L ratio on these trays as closely as possible, we prefer
to keep the C and D vapors isolated so that all of the vapor from pass C goes to pass A and all
the vapor from pass D goes to pass B. Therefore, Sulzer’s design preference is to not use vapor
tunnels on the OCDC.

In summary, assuming the feed and draws streams are properly designed, Sulzer’s preference is
to not use vapor tunnels. A properly balanced tray should overcome small imbalances without
vapor tunnels. Also, vapor tunnels may actually hurt performance when used in the OCDC with
equal flow path length designs. Finally, vapor tunnels add complexity and cost to the tray design.
If vapor tunnels are required for a job, we have provided them in the past and can provide them
now. Otherwise, our preference will be to design without them.

Summary

Design of multi-pass trays can be quite challenging. This is due mainly to the complex geometry
of the trays and the interaction between the decks and the downcomers. If a tray design is
properly sized, then a balanced design should give expected performance. However, if a tray
design is not properly balanced, the effects can cause a tray to fail. Proper flow balancing cannot
make a poorly sized tray work but improper flow balancing can certainly make a moderate or
aggressively sized tray fail miserably.
 Figure 1: Four Pass Tray
Elevation and Nomenclature

Four Pass Tray Designations

W1 W2

W3 W4

Area C
C1 C2 Area D

Area A

Area B
Figure 2: Swept Back Weir

Figure 3: Picket Fence Weir

Figure 4: OCDC Vapor Tunnel