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TRAY COLUMN & TRAY TYPES


The function of a tray is to facilitate contact between the vapour phase and liquid phase
so that mass transfer between the 2 phases can take place.
Each tray can be considered as being made up of 3 sections: weir, bubbling area, and
downcomer as shown in the Figure below.

The bubbling area is the place where vapour-liquid contact takes place. Vapour flows
through the openings on the tray from below, and into the liquid flowing across the tray,
forming a foaming, turbulent mixture. In the simplest design, sieves are provided for
vapour-liquid contact. Alternatively, valves or bubble-caps may be used. During this
foaming process, a high interfacial area for efficient vapour-liquid mass transfer is
produced.
The function of a weir is to maintain a desired liquid level on the tray. Downcomers are
used to guide liquid flow from an upper tray to a lower tray. This is shown in the Figure
below.

Trays are supported in a vessel by means of support rings or beams.


Above the liquid (before the next tray) is the vapour disengagement space, where the
vapour separates from the liquid after contact and continue its up-flow to the next tray

above. Ideally, the vapour should carry no liquid droplets (entrainment) to the tray above.
The liquid overflows the weir into the tray below, its flow path being guided by the
downcomer
We will discuss the operating principles of 3 common types of trays: sieve, valve and
bubble-cap.
Other Tray Types Many other types of trays are available. These are all of proprietary
designs, and it is best to consult the manufacturer's literature. Example include the MaxFrac High Capacity Tray, Nye Tray, etc from Koch.

The principle factors to consider when comparing the performance of bubblecap, sieve and valve trays are:
Cost: Bubble-caps are appreciably more expensive than sieve or valve trays, and the
relative cost will depend on the material of construction used. Due to its simple design,
sieve trays are normally the cheapest.
Operating Range: This refers to the range of vapour and liquid rates over which the tray
will operate satisfactorily. The ratio of the highest to the lowest flowrates is often referred
to as the "turndown" ratio. Bubble-cap trays have a positive liquid seal and can therefore
operate efficiently at very low vapour rates. Sieve trays rely on the flow of vapours
through the holes to hold the liquid on the tray, thus cannot operate at very low vapour
rates. Valve trays are intended to give greater flexibility than sieve trays at a lower cost
than bubble-caps Thus, bubble-cap trays have the widest operating range, followed by
valve tray, and sieve tray.
Pressure Drop: This factor will be important in vacuum operations. The tray pressure
drop will depend on the detailed design of the tray, but in general, sieve trays give the
lowest pressure drop, followed by valves, with bubble-caps giving the highest.
Maintenance: For dirty services, bubble-caps are not suitable as they are most susceptible
to plugging. Sieve trays are the easiest to clean.
In summary, sieve trays are the cheapest and are satisfactory for most applications. Valve
trays should be considered if the specified turndown ratio cannot be met with sieve trays.
Bubble-caps should only be used where very low vapour rates have to be handled and a
positive liquid seal is essential at all flow rates.

PACKED COLUMN & PACKINGS


Besides tray column, distillation (as well as other unit operations such as gas absorption,
liquid-liquid extraction, etc.) can also be carried out using packed column filled with
packings. Various types of packings made of different types of materials of construction

are available, and both random and structured packings are commonly used. Examples of
random packings as shown in the Figures below - left and right - are Raschig rings, Pall
rings, Berl saddles, etc.

Random vs. Stacked


Random packings, as the name implied, are dumped into a column during installation and
allowed to fall in random. Small packings poured randomly into a vessel is certainly the
more popular and commonly employed form of packed-tower design. However, in certain
instances where exceptionally low pressure drop and very high flowrates are involved,
stacked or oriented packings have also been used. See the Figure below. However, only
those packings of cylindrical shape and with a diameter larger than 3-inch would be
practical to install in a stacked form. Two types of arrangement are possible: triangular
(diamond) pitch or square pitch.

The different packings has several basic characteristics that make them suitable for gasliquid contacts

Dry vs. Wet Random Packing


In dry packing application, the packings are allowed to drop into the column via the (a)
chute-and-sock method, or (b) rope-and-bucket method.

Dry packing avoids high hydrostatic liquid head, and prevents the introduction of water
into a dry process. It is also quicker and less expensive than wet packing, and it
minimises rusting of metal packings. In any case, it is not suitable for plastic packings, as
plastic typically floats on water.
Wet packing applications are preferred when the packings are constructed of breakageprone materials, such as ceramic or carbon. The column is first filled with water and the
packings are gently poured down the column. The water cushions the fall and promotes
randomness of settling. This tends to increase column capacity and improve the column
pressure drop characteristics. Wet packing also minimises compression and mechanical
damage to packing materials. The main disadvantage is the need to remove the water
after loading and dry the packings.

STRUCTURED PACKING
Structured packings are considerably more expensive per unit volume than random
packings. They come with different sizes and are neatly stacked in the column. Structure
packings usually offer less pressure drop and have higher efficiency and capacity than
random packings.
2 examples are shown in the Figures below - left and right.

Besides packings, there are other column internals.

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