Sizing and Rating of Trays Advanced Distillation With Aspen Plus

Advanced Distillation with Aspen Plus
Sizing and Rating of Trays and Packing
Sizing and Rating of Trays

and Packing
2002 AspenTech. All Rights Reserved.
Lesson Objectives
Learn about:
- Tray Efficiencies
- Sizing (Design) of Trays and Packing
- Rating of Trays and Packing
3-1
Aspen Technology, Inc.
RadFrac Efficiencies
Efficiency type
- Overall efficiency
- Vaporization efficiencies
- Murphree efficiencies
Can be specified
- Overall
- By stage
- For column sections
- For individual components
Overall Efficiency
Direct conversion of actual trays to theoretical plates.
Not directly input to model; instead Overall Efficiency
sets the number of stages in the RadFrac block.
Example:
- Column with condenser, reboiler and 30 trays
- At 70% efficiency, 30 trays = 21 theoretical stages
- Add stages for condenser and reboiler => 23 total
Most common, but least flexible method.
3-2
Vaporization Efficiency
At equilibrium:
With efficiency:
Ki ix
i K i ix
Efficiency should be different for different components.

As decreases, the vapor pressure must increase which
means that the temperature must increase.
Using vaporization efficiency alters the T profile and this
may alter relative volatility.
In general it is better to use Murphree efficiencies.
Murphree Efficiency
Eff
M
i, j
y
i, j i, j 1
y
K i, j x
i, j i, j 1
Strictly, this is a Murphree vapor efficiency.

Subscripts are i for components and j for stages.
Many correlations exist for Murphree efficiencies
3-3
Specifying Efficiencies in the Column

RadFrac Efficiencies Options sheet
Do not specify efficiencies in both the column and in the tray
rating forms
The Problem with Efficiency

Efficiencies vary enormously - they can be under 10% or over
100%.
Efficiencies vary with composition, with purity, and with
location in the column.
Efficiencies are different for different components.
Next to physical properties, this is the most important

thing to know to successfully model a column.
3-4
Determining Column Efficiency

Previous experience.
- Be sure experience is comparable
Generalized correlations.
Fit to plant data.
- Use Data-fit to regress Murphree efficiency to data
RateFrac can be used to calculate efficiencies.

- RateFrac calculates actual separation
- Efficiency backed out from calculated compositions
Vendor packages.
HETP
Comments similar to those for tray efficiency
- It is important
- It is hard to know well
RateFrac can be used to calculate HETP.

- RateFrac calculates actual separation for specified height of
packing
- Separation is converted to NTU, and NTU to HTU
Use of vendor data is common.
3-5
Sizing and Rating for Trays and Packing (1)

Aspen Plus has extensive capabilities to size, rate, and
perform pressure drop calculations for trayed and
packed columns.
The calculations are based on vendor-recommended
procedures when available. When vendor procedures
are not available, well-established literature methods are
used.
You can use the computed pressure drop to update the
column pressure profile.

Rating Mode
- Specify column section diameter and other tray or packing
details.
- Model calculates performance and hydraulic information such
as flooding approach, downcomer backup, and pressure drop.
Sizing Mode
- Model determines column diameter to satisfy the flooding
approach or pressure drop* specified for each stage. The

largest diameter is selected.
*pressure drop specification valid for packed columns only
3-6

For sizing and rating calculations, column is divided into
sections
- Each section can have a different tray type, packing type, and
diameter.
- The tray details can vary from section to section.
- A column can have an unlimited number of sections.
- You can size and rate the same section with different types of
trays and packing.

Aspen Plus calculates sizing and performance
parameters such as:
- Column diameter
- Flooding approach or approach to maximum capacity
- Downcomer backup
- Pressure drop
These results are based on:

- Column loadings (vapor and liquid traffic)
- Tray geometry or Packing characteristics
- Transport properties
3-7

Use the following Tray/Packing forms to enter
specifications:
- Tray Sizing
- Tray Rating
- Pack Sizing
- Pack Rating
These capabilities are available in the following column unit

operation models:
- RadFrac
- MultiFrac
- PetroFrac
Example: RadFrac Tray Rating

Using the MEG column example, add tray rating
calculations for the following configured trays:
All Bubble Cap Trays
One pass tray
Tray Spacing: 2 ft
Diameter: 5 ft
Cap diameter: 3 in
FILENAME: EX1B-MEG-COL-TRAYRATE.BKP
3-8
Tray Types
You can choose from the following five commonly-used tray
types:
- Bubble caps
- Sieve
- Glitsch Ballast
- Koch Flexitray
- Nutter Float Valve
Packing Types
Aspen Plus can model a variety of random packings.
You can also use any of the following types of structured
packings:
- Goodloe
- Glitsch Grid
- Norton Intalox Structured Packing

- Sulzer BX, CY, Mellapak, and Kerapak
- Super-Pak and Ralu-Pak
- Koch Flexipac, Flexeramic, Flexigrid
3-9
Trays (1)
When specifying Weir heights, cap positioning, and number of
valves:
For Specify
One-pass tray A single value
Two-pass tray
Up to two values, one for each panel

A and B
Three-pass tray
Up to three values, one for each panel

(A, B and C)
Four-pass tray
Up to four values, one for each panel

(A, B, C and D)
Trays (2)
The values for the number of caps and number of valves
applies for each panel. For example, two -pass trays
have two A panels for tray AA, and two B panels for tray
BB. Therefore, the number of caps per panel is the
number of caps per tray divided by two. Similar
consideration is necessary for three- and four -pass trays.
If you specify only one value for multi-pass trays, that
value applies to all panels.
3 - 10
Trays (3)
When specifying downcomer clearance and width:
For Specify
One-pass tray A single value for the side downcomer
Two-pass tray
Up to two values, one for the side

downcomer, one for the center
downcomer
Three-pass tray
Up to two values, one for the side

downcomer, one for the off-center
downcomer
Four-pass tray
Up to three values: one for the side

downcomer, one for the center
downcomer, and one for the off-center
downcomer
One Pass Tray
Outlet Weir Length
Column Diameter
DC-WTOP
WEIR-HT
DCWBOT
DC-HT
DC-CLEAR
3 - 11
Two Pass Tray
Outlet Weir Length
Column Diameter
CTR. DC
DC-WTOP
CTR. DC
Below
~
DCWBOT
Panel A
WEIR-HT
DC-HT
DCWTOP
DC-CLEAR
Tray AA
Side
Downcomer
Panel B Tray BB
DC-HT
DCWBOT
Center
Downcomer
DC-CLEAR
~~
~ ~
Three Pass Tray
Outlet Weir Length
Column Diameter
OFF-CTR.DC
OFF-CTR.DC
DC-WTOP
DC-WTOP
WEIR-HT
DC-HT
Panel A. B. C.
DCOF
DC-WBOT
DC-
DC-WTOP
CLEAR
Panel C. B. A.
Panel A. B. C.
3 - 12
Four Pass Tray
Outlet Weir Length
Column Diameter
OFF-CTR.DC OFF-CTR.DC
SIDE DC
CTR.DC
DC-WTOP
DC-WTOP
WEIR-HT
DC-HT
Panel A. B.
DC-WBOT
DC-
CLEAR
DC-WBOT
C
DCOF
Panel C. D.
Panel A. B.
Specifying Efficiencies in Tray Rating (2)

If specifying Murphree or Vaporization efficiency, each stage in
RadFrac corresponds to one actual tray. Calculated pressure drops will
be correct.
If using Overall efficiency, each stage in RadFrac will correspond to
more than one physical tray. To calculate the column pressure drop,
the assumed overall efficiency must be specified on the Tray Rating
Design/Pdrop sheet.
Specify efficiency on either the Efficiencies form or on the Tray
Rating form but not both.
3 - 13
Specifying Efficiencies in Tray Rating (2)

Specified on Tray Rating Design/Pdrop sheet when column
simulation is based on overall efficiency.
Example: RadFrac Pack Sizing (1)

Working with EB/Styrene example, add Packed Column Sizing
information:
Packing Type
Norton IMTP 2 in.
HETP
1.5 ft.
Approach to Flooding
80%
Maximum Pressure Drop
55 torr
FILENAME: EX1A-EBSTRYRENE-PACKSIZE.BKP
3 - 14

Packed Column Sizing Input:

3 - 15


Packed Column Sizing Results:
3 - 16

Packed Column Sizing Results:
Workshop 2A: HCL Column Rating (1)

Use Workshop 1, perform tray rating. Tray details:
Tray type
Nutter float Valve BDH
Number of passes
2
Column diameter
7 ft.
Actual number of trays
66
Tray spacing
1.5 ft.
Tray efficiency
0.5
Weir height
2 in.
Valve density
12/sq.ft.
Downcomer clearance
1.5 in.
Side downcomer width
8.7 in.
Center downcomer width
7.1 in.
FILENAME:WS2A-HCLCOL-RATE.BKP
3 - 17
Workshop 2A: HCL Column Rating Results (2)

Condenser Duty
Reboiler Duty
Maximum flooding factor
Maximum DCBA
Predicted P drop
-9.837 MMBtu/hr
10.927 MMBtu/hr
0.329 (Stage 2)
0.384 (Stage 32)
5.65 psi
Workshop 2A: HCL Column Rating Results (3)
3 - 18
Workshop 2B: Increased Throughput (1)

Sensitivity Analysis
Study the effect of an increase in flow rate
on the flooding approach and downcomer/
backup tray spacing. Consider increases of
5 to 50%. Use a Multiplier block to handle the
feed variation.
HCL-PROD
HCL-COL
FEEDA
FEEDB
MULT
VCM-EDC
FILENAME:WS2B-HCLCOL-FLOW.BKP
Workshop 2B: Increased Throughput (2)

Results:
3 - 19

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Sizing and Rating of Trays and Packing