Efficiency, tray fractional hole area

Fractional Hole Area Efficiency increases with a reduction in fractional hole area. Yanagi and Sakata [Ind. Eng. Chem. Proc. Des. Dev. 21, 712 (1982)] tests in commercial-scale towers show a 5 to 15 percent increase in tray efficiency when fractional hole area was lowered from 14 to 8 percent (Fig. 14-43). 

An optimal tray design, one that balances tray and downcomer area so that neither prematurely restricts capacity, and set weir height, weir geometry, clearance under the downcomer, and fractional hole area so as to maximize efficiency and capacity. 

Dual-Flow Trays These are sieve trays with no downcomers (Fig. 14-27b). Liquid continuously weeps through the holes, hence their low efficiency. At peak loads they are typically 5 to 10 percent less efficient than sieve or valve trays, but as the gas rate is reduced, the efficiency gap rapidly widens, giving poor turndown. The absence of downcomers gives dual-flow trays more area, and therefore greater capacity, less entrainment, and less pressure drop, than conventional trays. Their pressure drop is further reduced by their large fractional hole area (typically 18 to 30 percent of the tower area). However, this low pressure drop also renders dual-flow trays prone to gas and liquid maldistribution. 

Solution Table 14-12 presents measurements by Billet (loc. cit.) for ethyl-benzene-styrene under similar pressure with sieve and valve trays. The column diameter and tray spacing in Billets tests were close to those in Example 9. Since both have single-pass trays, the flow path lengths are similar. The fractional hole area (14 percent in Example 9) is close to that in Table 14-12 (12.3 percent for the tested sieve trays, 14 to 15 percent for standard valve trays). So the values in Table 14-12 should be directly applicable, that is, 70 to 85 percent. So a conservative estimate would be 70 percent. The actual efficiency should be about 5 to 10 percent higher. 

Figure T.10 Some factors affecting sieve tray efficiency. FRI data, total reflux, DT = 4 It, S = 24 in, hu, = 2 in, dH = 0.5 in. Both parts show a small efficiency rise with pressure. Both parts show little effect of vapor and liquid loads above about 40 percent of flood, (a) Showing efficiency reduction when fractional hole area is increased from 8 to 14 per-cent of the bubbling area (6) emphasizing little effect of vapor and liquid loads, and an efficiency increase with pressure. Af 0.14 (Both parts repeated with permission from T. Yanagi and If. Sakata, lad. Eng. Chan. Proc. Use. Dev. 21, p. 712, copyright 19S2, American Chemical Society.)...

Fractional hole area. Efficiency increases with a reduction in fractional hole area (23,28,110,144,186). Yan and Sakata (23), experimenting with commerdal-scale towers, show a 10 to 15 percent increase in tray efficiency when firactional hole area was lowered from 14 to 8 percent of the bubbling area (Fig. 7.10a). Kreis and Raab (28j show an identical increase for N2/O2 separation, and an even larger increase (20 to 25 percent) when fractional hole area was lowered from 8 to 5 percent of the bubbling area. Prado and Fair (110,144) showed an efficiency increase of the Older of 5 percent as fractional hole area was reduced from 11 to 6 percent of the bubbling area in humidification and stripping tests. The above data were collected both in the froth and spray regimes. 

In the Coastal Refinery in Aruba, we used sieve trays with one-half-inch holes, which seemed to work fine. Avoid packed towers. They are subject to vapor-liquid channeling and poor fractionation efficiency due to sloppy installation, fouling, or poor liquid feed distribution. When calculating the required hole area for the trays, don t forget that the vapor loads and hence the required tray hole area will substantially diminish as the vapor flows up the column from the reboiler to the feed tray. This will normally require a reduction in the tray deck hole area in proportion to the reduced vapor flow rate. 

Determine the effects of the physical properties of the system on column efficiency. Tray efficiency is a function of (1) physical properties of the system, such as viscosity, surface tension, relative volatility, and diffusivity (2) tray hydraulics, such as liquid height, hole size, fraction of tray area open, length of liquid flow path, and weir configuration and (3) degree of separation of the liquid and vapor streams leaving the tray. Overall column efficiency is based on the same factors, but will ordinarily be less than individual-tray efficiency. 

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