PACKED COLUMNS

Traditionally the majority of fractionation columns in gas processing plants were equipped with
trays. How an option to trayed columns is to use packing. With packed columns, contact between
the vapor and liquid phases is achieved throughout the column rather than at specific levels.
There are generally three types of packed columns:

Random packing wherein discrete pieces of packing are dumped in a random manner into
a column shell. These packings are of a variety of designs. Each design has particular
surface area, pressure drop and efficiency characteristics. Random packing have gone
through various development phases from the first generation packings which were two
basic shapes, the Rashig Ring and the Berl Saddle. Second generation packings include
the Pall Ring and the Inatalox Saddle which are still used extensively today. Third
generation packings come in a multitude of geometries most of which evolved from the
Pall Ring and The Intalox Saddle.

Structured packing where a specific geometric configuration is achieved. These types of

packing can either be the knitted-type mesh packing or sectionalized beds made of
corrugated sheets.There are a number of commercially available packings which differ in
the angle of the crimps, the surface grooves and the use of perforations.

Grids which are systematically arranged packing which use an open lattice structure.
These types of packings have found application in vacuum operation and low pressure
drop applications. Little use of these types of packings are seen in high pressure services.

Structured packing have found application in low liquid loading applications which are below 20
gpm/ft2. Structured packing has performed very well in extremely low liquid loading
applications such as glycol dehydration (See Section 20). The high surface tension in glycol
dehydrators also helps the structured packing to perform well. Above 20 gpm/ft2, random
packings are more advantageous. Structured packings have been tried in fractionators with little
success. Numerous case of structured packing failures have been experienced in high pressure
and/or high-liquid rate services. Structured packings generally have lower pressure drop per
theoretical stage then random packings. This can be important in low pressure applications
but not for high pressure NGL fractionators.