Packed tower sizing

Example 9-7 Koch-Sulzer Packing Tower Sizing (used by permission, Bulletin KS-1, Koch Engineering Co. Inc.)... 

The packed tower sizing method is based upon the generalized AP correlation as shown in Figure 7-14. 

PACKED-TOWER SIZING WITH A PRESSURE DROP OF 0.05 inch H20/ft ... 

Flow Reactors Fast reactions and those in the gas phase are generally done in tubular flow reaclors, just as they are often done on the commercial scale. Some heterogeneous reactors are shown in Fig. 23-29 the item in Fig. 23-29g is suited to liquid/liquid as well as gas/liquid. Stirred tanks, bubble and packed towers, and other commercial types are also used. The operadon of such units can sometimes be predicted from independent data of chemical and mass transfer rates, correlations of interfacial areas, droplet sizes, and other data. 

The number of variables that are known to influence the rate of extraction is exceedingly large, and includes at least the following Size, shape, and material of packing Tower diameter Packing depth... 

In a trayed absorber the amine falls from one tray to the one below in the same manner as the liquid in a condensate stabilizer (Chapter 6, Figure 6-4). It flows across the tray and over a weir before flowing into the next downcomer. The gas bubbles up through the liquid and creates a froth that must be separated from the gas before it reaches the underside of the next tray. For preliminary design, a tray spacing of 24 in. and a minimum diameter capable of separating 150 to 200 micron droplets (using the equations developed in Volume 1 for gas capacity of a vertical separator) can be assumed. The size of packed towers must be obtained from manufacturer s published literature. 

This is the boilup rate, which is approximately 3.3 ft vapor/sec. An approximately 1 ft 0 in. diameter column can handle this rate however, because it is in the usual size for a packed tower (or cartridge trays), the diameter must be checked using the packed tower calculations in Chapter 9 of this volume. 

Tower diameters in the 1-ft, 6-in. to 2-ft range are not usually economical as tray installations. A packed tower might prove the best economically. Trays can be installed on a central rod and spacer arrangement, with seals between trays and tower shell. Such an arrangement usually brings the cost of the installation up to that of a 2-ft, 6-in. tower. This is the smallest practical size that a man can crawl through. 

This type of tower uses fans at the base to force air through the tower fill or packing (Figure 9-102). Due to the relatively low oudet air velocity, there is a tendency for discharged hot air to recirculate into the fan intake and reduce tower performance. The fan handles only atmospheric air thereby reducing its corrosion problem when compared to the fan on an induced draft tower. The tower size for the forced as well as the induced draft unit is considerably less than for an atmospheric or natural draft unit due to the higher heat transfer rates. 

Packed towers are employed when 5-10 stages suffice. Pall rings of 1-1.5in. size are best. Dispersed phase loadings should not exceed 25 gal/(min) (sqft). NETS of 5-10 ft may be realizable. The dispersed phase must be redistributed every 5-7 ft. Packed towers are not satisfactory when the surface tension is more than 10 dyn/cm. 

The derivation of equations 13.34 and 13.35 has been carried out assuming that u0 is constant and independent of the flowrates, up to and including the flooding-point. This in turn assumes that the droplet size is constant and that no coalescence occurs as the hold-up increases. Whilst this assumption is essentially valid in properly designed spray towers, this is certainly not the case with packed towers. Equations 13.34 and 13.35 cannot therefore be used to predict the flooding-point in packed towers and a more empirical procedure must be adopted. 

Tower diameter selection is usually made with the maximum expected gas and liquid flow rates and depends on the size and type of tower packing The portion of Fig. 3 with solid lines illustrates the pressure-drop relationship for 1.5-m. [3.81 -cm] Pull rings supplied by the manufacturer for typical superficial gas and liquid flow rates used in the chemical processing industry.1 This relationship is usually available in graphical form from any manufacturer of packed-tower packing elements. While these... 

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