Overall efficiency evaluation of commercial distillation columns with valve and dualflow trays

The main objective of this work is to establish appropriated ways for estimating the overall efficiencies of industrial distillation columns with valve trays with downcomer and dualflow trays. The knowledge of efficiencies has fundamental importance in the design and performance evaluation of distillation columns. Searching in the literature, a tree of alternatives was identified to compose the tray efficiency model, depending on the mass transfer models, the liquid distribution and vapor flow models on the tray, the liquid entrainment model, the multicomponent mixture equilibrium model, the physical properties models, the height of froth on the tray model and the efficiency definition. In this work, different methods to predict the overall efficiency of distillation columns with valve and dualflow trays were composed and compared with data from three commercial distillation columns under different operating conditions. The models were inserted in the Aspen Plus 12.1 simulator, in Fortran language, together with tray geometrical data, fluid properties and operating data of the distillation columns. For each column, the best thermodynamic package was chosen by checking the temperature profile and overhead and bottom compositions obtained via simulation against the corresponding actual data of industrial columns. A modification in the fraction of holes evaluation that is jetting parameter of the Garcia's hydraulic model of dispersion above the tray was proposed. This modification produced better results than the original model to predict the fraction of holes that are jetting and in the efficiency of dualflow trays and similar results to Garcia model in the efficiency evaluation of valve trays. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010     

Predicting valve tray efficiency

Existing literature models for predicting the mass transfer efficiencies of binary hydrocarbon, distillation columns employing moving valve trays are evaluated. Only four models for predicting valve tray efficiencies exist in the open literature. All of these models use data from valve trays. The last theoretical model was published in 1972, 42 years ago. By comparison, sieve tray efficiency models are numerous and recent. Sieve tray models were developed from large databases. There are no valve tray equivalents to the fundamental mechanistic models available for sieve trays. Despite the differences between valve and sieve trays, many of the phenomena on sieve and valve trays are similar. Consequently, sieve tray models can be employed to provide estimates for valve trays. In this work, using public FRI data on round moving valves, the performance of the Chen and Chuang sieve tray mechanistic model is compared to the performance of four valve tray models. It appears that, in the absence of fundamental (and qualified) valve tray models, the sieve tray models present a potential alternative for valve tray efficiency predictions.     

Tray-to-tray method for estimation of the number of trays in gas–liquid columns in case of intensive entrainment

The paper deals with the tray-to-tray method for determining the required number of trays in gas–liquid columns in case of intensive entrainment. The equations for estimation of the tray efficiency are derived for top, bottom and intermediate trays, and they incorporate the number of gas and liquid phases transfer units, stripping factor, Peclet number of mixing and fractional entrainment. These equations can be simplified to the well-known one-parametric diffusion model explained in Bubble Tray Design Manual (1958) [Bubble Tray Design Manual, 1958, AIChE, New York] for case of negligible entrainment. The algorithm of tray-to-tray method is based on tray efficiency calculated for each tray separately and it enables the calculation of the number of required trays, starting from the bottom tray. Given example shows how the excessive entrainment decreases of the driving force of the process.     

Performance of combined mesh packing and sieve tray in distillation

The hydraulic and mass transfer performance of a combined knitted mesh packing and sieve tray has been measured for the distillation of methanol-water mixtures. It was found that by adding a shallow bed of packing, the Murphree tray efficiency increased by 40–50% over a wide range of concentrations and flow rates. This increase in tray efficiency can be attributed to a much smaller and more uniform bubble formation on the packed tray. Hydraulic measurements have shown that the packed trays have lower weeping and entrainment, as well as slightly higher froth heights and pressure drops.     

垂直筛板流化床中FCC催化剂的流化性能

以FCC催化剂颗粒研究垂直筛板流化床内构件对气固两相流化性能的影响,考察了板孔气速、颗粒循环量和帽罩开孔比等筛板结构对流化床压降和提升量强度的影响. 结果表明,气固两相总体逆流流动条件下,帽罩内气速达4 m/s,气固高速并流喷射无气泡,两相接触好、返混小,属快速流态化. 由于没有气泡,床层压力波动小,在塔板上颗粒返混小. 垂直筛板压降随板孔气速、帽罩底隙高度增大而增大,随帽罩开孔比、板孔径增大而减小,颗粒提升量大,床层压降大. 提升量强度随板孔气速、帽罩底隙高度、颗粒循环量增加而增大,随帽罩高度与塔节高度比增大而减少,随帽罩筛孔孔径变化存在最大值. 当帽罩开孔比为1.2~2.5、板孔面积与帽罩截面积比为0.42、帽罩底隙高与板孔孔径比为0.36~0.64时帽罩流化性能较好.     

S型垂直筛板流化床的性能

在S型垂直筛板流化床中,以FCC催化剂和空气作为流化介质,对垂直筛板流化床的流化性能进行冷模实验研究,考察了板孔气速、固体循环量和帽罩结构对床层压降和帽罩提升量的影响,用提升量收集器测量帽罩提升量。实验结果表明,床层压降随板孔气速和帽罩底隙高度的增加而增加,而随塔板开孔直径、帽罩开孔直径和开孔率的增加而下降。帽罩提升量则随板孔气速、固体循环量、塔板开孔直径及帽罩底隙高度的增加而增加;随帽罩开孔直径的增加,提升量先增加后下降。     

垂直筛板液体提升量的研究

依据垂直筛板的传质过程和一些实验关联式,结合脱苯塔汽提段的实际设计数据和运行结果,分析了不同形状的帽罩、不同的帽罩布置方法以及板孔气速这些因素对垂直筛板塔板液体提升量和塔板效率的影响,得出结论:与其他的帽罩形状和排列方式相比,设置分离板的方形帽罩以方阵形式排列,并且将板孔气速取值控制在8.0—15.0 m/s,可有效提高塔板的液体提升量及塔板效率。将其应用在垂直筛板塔板的实际设计中,便可获得较高的液体提升量和塔板效率。     

立体并流板的流体力学和传质性能

新型立体连续传质液体并流塔板是将LLC-Tray与两种并流流型相结合开发而成的新型塔板。通过实验测定了新型塔板的干、湿板压降,雾沫夹带,漏液等流体力学性能和传质性能,并进行关联得到了相应公式。结果表明,新型塔板板压降较低,雾沫夹带较低,液体处理量相对LLCT提高30%。     

Liquid phase mixing in trayed bubble column reactors

The compartmentalization of conventional bubble columns by perforated trays constitutes a very effective method to reduce the liquid backmixing. The effect of tray design and operating conditions on the overall liquid mixing was studied in a bench-scale trayed bubble column. The extent of liquid backmixing in the column was investigated in light of liquid-phase tracer response experiments. In average, a three fold reduction in the liquid backmixing was achieved in the trayed column as compared to the column without the trays. Moreover, the tray open area and the superficial liquid velocity were found to have the strongest effects on the liquid backmixing. The N-CSTR with Backmixing Model was found to match the experimental tracer response curves better than the Axial Dispersion Model.     

筛板精馏塔的板效率研究

在直径为0.75 m,塔高4m的不锈钢热模塔内,以正庚烷—环己烷为物系、在常压、全回流条件下,进行筛板塔传质效率的研究,选取孔径为13mm和6 mm,开孔率为3.9％和6.4％的塔板,测试了这些塔板的气液相默弗里板效率,通过排列组合,考察了孔径、不同塔板位置和出口堰高对传质效率的影响,并进行了传质效果对比.此外还运用A...     

抛物线椭圆斜孔塔盘性能研究

介绍了抛物线椭圆斜孔塔盘(简称PEST)的结构特点和实验研究情况。以空气和水为工质进行了冷模实验,研究了PEST的塔板压降、雾沫夹带量和泄漏量等流体力学性能;利用CO2解吸法测定其塔板效率,并在相同条件下与筛孔塔板进行了对比实验。结果表明:在其操作弹性范围内,PEST比传统筛板的雾沫夹带量和泄漏量与筛板相比分别平均减少了29.6%,55.5%,塔板效率平均提高约37.7%,是一种综合性能优良的新型斜孔塔板。     

液体并流塔板技术进展

液体并流塔板,即相邻2层塔板上液体流动方向相同,能有效提高塔板效率。文中介绍了国内外并流塔板的板效率模型的发展状况,对国内外开发的各种并流塔板结构及性能进行了分析,并考察了立体传质塔板的性能及工业应用情况。为了开发适合大塔径的高效塔板,基于液体并流板型能提高板效率的机理,结合性能优良的立体传质塔板,采用特殊的降液结构,提出了一种新型液体并流复合塔板的结构型式。新型塔板具有气、液体处理量大、传质效率高、操作弹性大的特点,而且有效避免了普通逆流板型的液体滞留区的产生。     

Effects of surface tension on tray point efficiencies

Sieve tray efficiencies for the distillation of methanol/water, acetic acid/water and cyclohexane/n-heptane mixtures were measured as a function of composition under fixed vapour and liquid rates in a 0.15 m diameter distillation column. Experimental results show that surface tension has a significant effect on tray efficiency and the number of transfer units. Further tests in a simulator column with air/water, air/methanol and air/(water + surfactant) systems having different surface tensions revealed that bubble sizes in froths are mainly determined by surface tension. The results also show that bubble break-up and coalescence occurs in the froths.     

Study on vapor-rise-up through hanging downcomers

A common problem in high capacity trays is the difficulty of establishing a liquid seal of hanging or truncated downcomers since the hanging or truncated downcomers came out. When the downcomer seal is lost, the vapor rises up through the downcomer, which may cause tray instability and poor separation. For the downcomer unseal or vapor-rise-up, it was found that there exist two regimes of free vapor-rise-up regime and dynamic vapor-rise-up regime. The mechanism of free vapor-rise-up is lower liquid height than the tray pressure drop, whereas the mechanism of dynamic vapor-rise-up is the driving force of the tray pressure drop. Using the hydraulic model of dualflow tray, the vapor-rise-up model in dynamic regime was developed. The experiments were carried out in a 500 mm-diameter transparent plexiglass column with air–water system. From the experimental data, the vapor-rise-up correlation was obtained. The free vapor-rise-up regime converts into dynamic regime with the increase of the vapor rate, and the transition point is a certain real velocity of rise-up vapor. For preventing the vapor-rise-up, a seal line is required. With the definition of the rise-up vapor being limited to a certain ratio of rise-up vapor rate to liquid rate, the seal line is qualitatively obtained from the vapor-rise-up model. The seal line has the minimum liquid rate, which is in accord with the seal line by Li et al. [Li, Y.M., Yu, X.M. and Yao, K.J., 2004, Dynamic seals on hanging downcomers. Chem Eng Res Des, 82: 1].     

提高复合塔板操作弹性和通量研究

在内径为 5 0 0mm和 30 0mm的塔内 ,以空气 水为物系 ,测定了不同结构 (浮阀 筛孔穿流板、非均匀开孔率穿流板、双孔径穿流板 )的穿流板与 2 5 0Y规整填料组成的各种复合塔板的流体力学性能。试验结果表明 :浮阀 筛孔复合塔板操作弹性小、气液处理量小 ;非均匀板复合塔板与均匀板复合塔板相比 ,操作弹性大2 0 %— 6 0 % ,气处理量大 2 0 %— 80 % ,液处理量大 70 %左右 ;双孔径复合塔板比单孔径复合塔板处理量略微增大 ,操作弹性高达 3.5以上。     

气液隔离相变全效塔板与小板距精馏塔

介绍了一项关于精馏塔板的最新发明专利。该发明抛开目前的气液两相在直接接触的传热中进行的实际上无法达到平衡的传质方式,使气液两相的传热过程在彼此隔离的情况下进行。每层塔板由两块无板孔的薄板组成,凭借间接传热在一层塔板上完成一次平衡蒸馏和一次平衡分凝:蒸馏残液流到下一层塔板,蒸馏产生的蒸气被分凝,凝液留在本层板继续蒸馏,分凝剩余则蒸气上升。汽、液的运动靠塔内3种不同的通道实现,该发明具有如下创新点:具有板效率高、板间距小、没有雾沫夹带。全效塔板的优势在于热力学上是在平衡状态下进行精馏;不足之处就在于动力学方面传热速率慢,弥补的方法是延长传热时间:现有塔板气相垂直穿过液相显然很快,新塔板气液两相水平逆向流动接触时间由塔径决定,大为延长。     

导向浮阀塔板在醋酸生产中的应用

导向浮阀塔板是在F1型浮阀塔板的基础上开发成功的，较早应用于炼油装置的常减压蒸馏塔，在提高轻油的收率上获得了较大的经济效益，在化工产品的分离中应用较少。该项目在醋酸装置的精馏工序中，采用先进的导向浮阀塔板改造原有的F1型浮阀塔板，达到节能降耗，提高醋酸收率，增加醋酸产量，提高经济效益的目的。     

大液相负荷下斜孔塔板的流体力学性能

针对大液相负荷气液传质操作 ,通过冷模实验 ,重新确定了普通斜孔塔板的液体力学性能 ,并给出了新的关联式。同时基于普通正排斜孔塔板在大液量操作条件下压降大 ,泄漏和雾沫夹带严重等缺点 ,沿用梯形导向浮阀的思想 ,提出了变正排为斜排的改进方案 ,并在相同条件下对两者的液体力学性能进行初步比较。证明了斜排斜孔塔板是一种适合大液体处理量且操作弹性较宽的塔板     

Hydrodynamics of reactive distillation tray column with catalyst containing envelopes: experiments vs. CFD simulations

We have studied the hydrodynamics of a reactive distillation sieve tray column in which catalyst containing wire-gauze envelopes are disposed along the liquid flow direction. The gas and liquid phases are in cross-current contact on the tray. Experiments were carried out to determine the clear liquid height on the tray as a function of tray geometry and operating conditions. The transient gas–liquid hydrodynamics on the tray was simulated using CFD techniques. The agreement between the experiments and CFD simulations was found to be very good, suggesting that CFD simulations can be used for design and scale-up purposes.     

CFD and experimental studies of liquid weeping in the circular sieve tray columns

Sieve trays are widely used in fractionating devices like tray distillation towers existing in separation and purification industries. The weeping phenomenon that has a critical effect on the efficiency of tray towers was studied by a numerical model and some experiments. The experiments were carried out in a pilot scale column with the diameter of 1.22 m that includes two test trays and two chimney trays. Weeping rates and some hydraulic parameters were measured in sieve trays with the hole area of 7.04%. Furthermore, the total weeping rate and weeping rate in inlet and outlet halves of the test tray were determined. It was also used an Eulerian–Eulerian computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method for the present study. The model was able to predict the dry tray pressure drop, total pressure drop, clear liquid height, froth height, and weeping rate simultaneously. Furthermore, the obtained CFD results were in a good agreement with the experimental data in terms of pressure drop and the model properly predicted several hydraulic parameters like the liquid weeping behavior along the tray.