Revision

Indication
UOP LLC
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60017-5017 USA 3-18-9 Page 1 of 9

DATE STATUS APVD AUTHD

TRAYS AND PACKING
RANDOM AND STRUCTURED 31DEC06 Revised PCS RGP

1. GENERAL

1.1 Scope

a. This Standard Specification covers the design, fabrication, and assembly of trays, random
packing, and structured packing.

b. Exceptions or variations shown in the UOP Project Specifications take precedence over
requirements shown herein.

1.2 References

Unless noted below, use the edition and addenda of each referenced document current on the date
of this Standard Specification. When a referenced document incorporates another document, use
the edition of that document required by the referenced document

a. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Material Specifications, A36, A193,
A194, A240, A283, A285, B127, B164, and B463.

b. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section
II - Materials, Part D – Properties, Tables 1A and 1B.

c. National, state, and local governmental regulations and laws.

1.3 Definition

Assembly or assemblies includes all the component parts of trays and packed beds and accessories
such as, but not limited to, floors, weirs, downcomers, upcomers, troughs, wells, sumps, baffles,
risers, caps, beams, trusses, clamps, bolts, washers, gaskets, and specialties of proprietary trays and
packing, as well as support rings, downcomer bars, upcomer bars, and other parts that are to be
welded to the vessel.

1.4 Proprietary Tray or Packing Design

a. Proprietary tray or packing designs shall be suitable for the conditions specified in the UOP
Project Specifications. Trays or packing shall be capable of satisfactory performance at 60%
of the loadings specified in the UOP Project Specifications. Multipass trays shall be designed
for equal liquid/vapor ratios in each pass of the tray. Caps of valve trays shall have at least
two different thicknesses, at least three gauge numbers apart, and be arranged in a uniform
pattern.

b. Substitution of proprietary valve type trays instead of sieve trays shall be approved by UOP in
writing. Such trays shall be designed in accordance with the tray data in the UOP Project
Specification. Downcomer dimensions as shown for the sieve tray shall be followed. Minor
deviations to adjust for proprietary cap arrangement will be accepted. Valve parts shall be
Type 410 or 410S chromium alloy for carbon steel trays and chromium alloy trays. Valve
parts for higher alloy trays shall match the tray metallurgy.

Form QUA-03-4
Revision
Indication
UOP LLC
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60017-5017 USA 3-18-9 Page 2 of 9

DATE STATUS APVD AUTHD

TRAYS AND PACKING
RANDOM AND STRUCTURED 31DEC06 Revised PCS RGP

2. MATERIALS

2.1 Type 410 Stainless Steel Assemblies

a. Sheet and plate material shall be in accordance with ASTM A240, Type 410S, 405, or 430.

b. Support rings, downcomer or upcomer bars, and other parts welded to the vessel shall be the
same material as the shell in killed steel vessels and shall be ASTM A285, A283, A36 or better
in carbon steel vessels. For alloy vessels or lined vessels, the parts welded to the vessels shall
correspond to the material at the point of attachment.

c. Bolting material shall be in accordance with ASTM A193 Grade B6 or B6X for bolts and
A194 Grade 6 for nuts.

2.2 Monel Assemblies

a. Sheet and plate material shall be in accordance with ASTM B127. Plate shall be annealed with
a descaled surface. Sheet shall be annealed and pickled.

b. Support rings, downcomer or upcomer bars, and other parts welded to the vessel shall be in
accordance with Section 2.2.a. of this specification.

c. Bolting material shall be Monel, made from rod or bar in accordance with ASTM B164.

2.3 Type 304 Stainless Steel Assemblies

a. Sheet and plate material shall be in accordance with ASTM A240, Type 304.

b. Support rings, downcomer or upcomer bars, and other parts welded to the vessel shall be in
accordance with Section 2.1.b. of this specification.

c. Bolting material shall be ASTM A193 Grade B8 for bolts and A194 Grade 8 for nuts.

2.4 Type 316 Stainless Steel Assemblies

a. Sheet and plate material shall be in accordance with ASTM A240, Type 316 or Type 316L.

b. Support rings, downcomer or upcomer bars, and other parts welded to the vessel shall be in
accordance with Section 2.1.b. of this specification.

c. Bolting material shall be ASTM A193 Grade B8M for bolts and A194 Grade 8M for nuts.

2.5 Alloy 20 Assemblies

a. Sheet and plate material shall be in accordance with ASTM B463 UNS N08020.

b. Support rings, downcomer or upcomer bars, and other parts welded to the vessel shall be in
accordance with ASTM B463 UNS N08020.

c. Bolting material shall be ASTM B463 UNS N08020.

Form QUA-03-4
Revision
Indication
UOP LLC
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60017-5017 USA 3-18-9 Page 3 of 9

DATE STATUS APVD AUTHD

TRAYS AND PACKING
RANDOM AND STRUCTURED 31DEC06 Revised PCS RGP

2.6 Carbon Steel Assemblies

a. Plate material, defined as having a thickness of 3/16 inch (5 mm) or greater, shall be in
accordance with ASTM A285, A283, or better. Sheet and strip material, defined as having a
thickness of less than 3/16 inch (5 mm), shall be in accordance with ASTM A-1011 CS
(standard carbon steel) or ASTM A-1011 DS (killed carbon steel).. Trays shall be free of mill
scale.

b. Support rings, downcomer or upcomer bars, and other parts welded to the vessel shall be the
same material as the shell in killed steel vessels and ASTM A285, or better for carbon steel
vessels.

c. Bolting material shall be ASTM A193 Grade B6 or B6X for bolts and A194 Grade 6 for nuts.

2.7 Gasketing

a. Gasketing shall be tape or braided rope fabricated from asbestos-free materials suitable for the
processing environment.

b. Gasketing tape shall be a minimum of 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick.

c. Braided rope shall be used where gasketing tape is not suitable.

3. DESIGN

3.1 Thickness

a. Minimum thicknesses for tray and packing components including corrosion allowance:

Carbon Steel Alloy

Specialties of proprietary Manufacturer's Manufacturer's
trays and packing Recommendation Recommendation
Bubble caps 10 gauge (0.134", 3.5 mm) 16 gauge (0.060", 1.5 mm)
Parts welded to vessel 3/8" (10 mm) 1/4" (6 mm)
All other parts 10 gauge (0.134", 3.5 mm) 14 gauge (0.074", 2 mm)

b. The minimum diameter of bolting shall be 3/8 inch (10 mm).

c. The allowable stresses of structural materials shall be as given in the ASME Boiler and
Pressure Vessel Code, Section II, Part D, Tables 1A and 1B.

Form QUA-03-4
Revision
Indication
UOP LLC
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60017-5017 USA 3-18-9 Page 4 of 9

DATE STATUS APVD AUTHD

TRAYS AND PACKING
RANDOM AND STRUCTURED 31DEC06 Revised PCS RGP

3.2 Corrosion Allowance

a. The corrosion allowance for surface of floors, beams, trusses, or other support members of
carbon steel assemblies shall be 0.03 inch (0.75 mm) minimum.

b. No corrosion allowance is required for alloy assemblies.

3.3 Mechanical Tray Loadings

Assemblies shall be designed for the following mechanical loading cases:

a. The tray dead weight plus 6 inches (150 mm) of water over the active tray surface plus each of
the downcomers 67% filled with water. The allowable stress(es) shall be as listed in ASME
Section II, Part D, Table 1 at the tray design temperature.

b. The tray dead weight plus water over the entire tray surface (including the downcomers) to the
height of the vapor risers. The allowable stress(es) shall be as listed in ASME Section II, Part
D, Table 1 at the tray design temperature.

c. Assemblies shall be capable of supporting their own dead weight plus a 250 pound (113
kilogram) concentrated load at any point. The maximum stress permitted under this condition
is 67% of the yield stress at ambient temperature.

3.4 Deflection

a. The deflection of assemblies under the loadings given in Section 3.3 shall be limited to
0.00125 of the column diameter.

b. An initial camber may be made in the principal support members of the assemblies to reduce
the deflection due to dead load.

3.5 Details

a. Assembly sections shall pass freely through the specified vessel manway size and permit
installation in the vessel.

b. Each assembly, except packed beds, one piece cartridge type trays and other tray types used
where manways are not feasible or advantageous, shall have a section or sections for use as an
internal manway. Manways shall be removable from top and bottom. Internal manways shall
be in line vertically and of a location, shape, and size to permit easy access to every area of the
tray. Anti-jump baffles over downcomers shall have manways.

c. Assemblies, except beds of random type packing, shall be designed for installation and
removal from the top. Beds of random type packing shall be designed for installation from the
top and removal from the side at the bottom of the bed.

Form QUA-03-4
Revision
Indication
UOP LLC
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60017-5017 USA 3-18-9 Page 5 of 9

DATE STATUS APVD AUTHD

TRAYS AND PACKING
RANDOM AND STRUCTURED 31DEC06 Revised PCS RGP

d. Support rings, downcomer or upcomer bars, and support brackets shall be designed for
welding to the vessel. All other parts shall be designed for bolting or clamping in place.
Clamping shall be used except where bolting is necessary for load supporting capabilities.
Spacing of bolts or clamps shall be close enough to insure optimum liquid-tight construction.
Joints and seams of trays specified to be liquid-tight in the UOP Project Specification shall be
seal welded in the field, except for the manway joints which shall be gasketed.

e. Drawings and instructions for the location, installation, and fabrication of support rings,
downcomer or upcomer bars, and support brackets welded to the vessel, shall be furnished by
the tray or packing supplier. They shall clearly show the type, size, and extent of welding.
Rings and bars shall be continuously welded on the top and side and intermittently welded on
the bottom. Brackets shall be continuously welded on the top and sides only.

f. Gasketing shall not be used except for bubble cap trays, and distributors and redistributors for
packing. Fabrication shall provide tight metal to metal joints. Metal seal plates may be used
to close construction joints.

g. Stiffeners and support members are to be located on the underside of the tray floor except for
open-type trusses supporting two trays. Stiffeners and support members in bubbling areas
shall not exceed 3 inches (75 mm) in width and shall be designed so as not to impede or
channel the liquid flow on the tray. The depth of stiffeners and support members shall not
exceed 3 inches (75 mm) or 5% of the column diameter, whichever is greater. Depth of
stiffeners and support members, other than downcomers, transverse to the liquid flow direction
shall not exceed 20% of the tray spacing.

h. Sumps, other than for drawoff purposes, shall not be used.

i. The minimum overlap between tray floor sections and between tray floor sections and support
members shall be 3/4 inch (19 mm).

j. The nominal width of tray support rings shall be as follows:

Vessel Diameter Nominal Width of Ring

Up to 3'-0" (900 mm) 1-1/2" (40 mm)
Over 3'-0" (900 mm) to 7'-0" (2100 mm) 2" (50 mm)
Over 7'-0" (2100 mm) to 13'-0" (3900 mm) 2-1/2" (65 mm)
Over 13'-0" (3900 mm) to 20'-0" (6000 mm) 3" (75 mm)
Over 20'-0" (6000 mm) to 25'-0" (7500 mm) 3-1/2" (90 mm)
25'-0" (7500 mm) and larger diameters require individual design

k. Trays and seal pans not specified to be liquid-tight, that do not easily drain, shall be provided
with 1/2 inch (13 mm) square drain holes located in the outlet weir flush with the tray floor.
Drawoff sumps shall be located flush with the invert of the side drawoff nozzles to allow
complete draining of the sumps.

Form QUA-03-4
Revision
Indication
UOP LLC
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60017-5017 USA 3-18-9 Page 6 of 9

DATE STATUS APVD AUTHD

TRAYS AND PACKING
RANDOM AND STRUCTURED 31DEC06 Revised PCS RGP

l. Valve assemblies of proprietary trays shall be provided with a means of preventing orifice
covers from adhering to the tray floor.

m. For sieve or circular valve trays, provide a break bar between each downcomer outlet and the
adjacent sieve or valved area. The bar shall be 1/2" (13 mm) high and as long as the width of
the sieve or valved area. The bar shall be located parallel to the first row of orifices with no
more than 1/2" (13 mm) clearance from the orifices.

n. Packed bed limiters shall be attached to the vessel in a fixed position and shall not affect
distribution of liquid from the distributor to the packing. Limiters for use with spray nozzle
distributors shall be designed with the major structural supports on the underside of the limiter
so as not to affect the spray distribution to the packing.

o. Random packed bed supports shall be the vapor-injection type, providing separate passages for
liquid and vapor flow. The bed supports shall have at least 90% open area based on the cross-
sectional area of the vessel.

p. When the locations of packed bed supports, limiters and distributors are not indicated in the
UOP Project Specifications, the packing fabricator shall determine and indicate those
dimensional requirements. The length of a packed bed, as indicated in the UOP Project
Specifications, is measured from the top of the support ring for the bed support to the bottom
of the bed limiter.

q. For packed beds, the packing supplier shall be responsible for the design of all associated
equipment. This includes predistributors, distributors, bed limiter and bed support.

r. The maximum allowable pressure drop specified in the UOP Project Specification, includes all
internal components (e.g. trays, packed bed support(s), limiter(s), and distributor(s), etc.).

3.6 Distributors for Packed Beds

a. Liquid feed distributors shall be orifice drip pans, tubed drip pans, or orifice header laterals in
accordance with the following requirements:

(1) Orifices for liquid distribution (pour points) shall have a diameter not less than
3/8 inch (9 mm) for carbon steel distributors and 1/8 inch (3 mm) for stainless steel
distributors. The orifices shall be arranged on an approximate equal spacing throughout
the distributor to provide no less a pour point density and no greater distance between the
pour point field and vessel shell than is listed in the table below. Distributor supports
shall be designed and arranged so as not to interfere with flow from the pour points.

Form QUA-03-4
Revision
Indication
UOP LLC
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60017-5017 USA 3-18-9 Page 7 of 9

DATE STATUS APVD AUTHD

TRAYS AND PACKING
RANDOM AND STRUCTURED 31DEC06 Revised PCS RGP

Pour Point Density Distance Between Pour

Nominal Packing Size pour points per ft2 (m2) Point Field and
Vessel Shell
5/8" (16 mm) 9.5 (102) 1" (25 mm)
1" (25 mm) 5.5 (59) 1" (25 mm)
1-1/2" (40 mm) 4.0 (43) 1-1/2" (40 mm)
2" (50 mm) 3.5 (38) 2" (50 mm)
3-1/2" (90 mm) 3.0 (32) 3" (75 mm)

(2) The number, size, and arrangement of vapor risers shall not affect the pour point spacing
and liquid distribution to the packing.

(3) Distributor joints shall be gasketed to be liquid tight.

(4) Distributors shall perform satisfactorily at 60% of the loadings specified in the UOP
Project Specification. Pressure drop across the pour points at 60% turndown shall not be
less than 2.0 inches (50 mm) of the flowing liquid.

b. Distributors of mixed phase feeds shall separate the phases and distribute the liquid in
accordance with Section 3.6.a. of this specification.

4. CONSTRUCTION

4.1 Tolerances

a. Heights of weirs, risers and baffles, and clearances between caps and floors shall be fabricated
within 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) of the dimensions specified, and the downcomer clearance shall be
within 1/8 inch (3 mm).

b. For perforated trays, the number of holes shall be within ± 2% of the number specified.

c. Parts shall be fabricated so that corresponding parts are interchangeable.

d. The downcomer width shall be within ± ¼ inch (6 mm) of the specified value.

e. The flow path width shall be within ± ½ inch (12 mm) of the specified value.

f. The tolerance for field assemblies with respect to a level plane shall be ± 1/8 inch (3 mm) for
vessel diameters through 15'-0" (4500 mm) and ± 3/16 inch (5 mm) for vessel diameters
greater than 15'-0" (4500 mm).

g. The final levelness check during tray installation is to be made using an optical or laser level.
Where there are focusing restrictions, a manometer may be used for checking levelness.

Form QUA-03-4
Revision
Indication
UOP LLC
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60017-5017 USA 3-18-9 Page 8 of 9

DATE STATUS APVD AUTHD

TRAYS AND PACKING
RANDOM AND STRUCTURED 31DEC06 Revised PCS RGP

4.2 Welding

a. Welding shall be done by a metal-arc process.

b. Resistance welding is permitted for minor details.

c. Welding electrodes of a composition similar to the tray material shall be used. Austenitic
electrodes may be used for Type 410S or 405 stainless steel.

4.3 Miscellaneous

Burrs shall be removed from perforated areas and edges of tray sections.

5. ASSEMBLY, INSPECTION AND TESTING

5.1 Marking

a. Component parts of assemblies shall be permanently marked with piece marks corresponding
to those shown on the fabricator's detailed and assembly drawings.

b. Interchangeable pieces shall have the same mark.

5.2 Testing of Assembly

a. At least one of each type tray or packed bed distributor shall be trial assembled in the
supplier's shop using parts selected at random. The trial assembly shall be supported in a
manner comparable to the final installation.

b. The maximum tolerance for shop assemblies with respect to a flat plane shall be
± 1/8 inch (3 mm).

c. Trays and seal pans specified to be liquid tight, shall not lose liquid level at a rate more than 20
mm /hr when the normal outlet is closed

5.3 Distributor Testing

When testing of liquid distributors for packed beds is specified, use the following procedures.

a. Testing shall be performed in the vendor's shop using water at 50%, 100%, and 110% of the
design liquid volumetric flow rate.

b. If the distributor contains a predistributor, the predistributor shall be tested first to ensure that
it has a coefficient of variation (CV) of 5% or less at each of the test flow rates. Each orifice
in the predistributor shall be tested.

The CV is defined as the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean, expressed as a percent.

Form QUA-03-4
Revision
Indication
UOP LLC
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, Illinois 60017-5017 USA 3-18-9 Page 9 of 9

DATE STATUS APVD AUTHD

TRAYS AND PACKING
RANDOM AND STRUCTURED 31DEC06 Revised PCS RGP

c. The distributor shall be tested and the CV determined. To determine the CV, at least 30 pour
points or at least 10% of the pour points (whichever is greater) shall be randomly selected and
tested. An alternate area sample method may also be used when the number of pour points
exceeds 1000. Each area is to be 0.2 m2 in area. Measurements for 20 randomly selected areas
are to be measured.

(1) For orifice pans, tubed drip pans and other similar devices, a CV of 10% or less must be
achieved at each of the test flow rates, 7.5% or less if testing is based on area sampling.

(2) For orifice pans, tubed drip pans or trough distributors that employ a modular (sectional)
design, all pieces of the same geometry shall be treated as one group. One piece from each
group shall be tested.

(3) The average flow rate per pour point for any grouping of 10 adjacent tested pour points
shall differ by no more than 5% from the average of all tested pour points. For area testing
the variation from the mean value can not be more than 10% for any area.

(4) Spray nozzle distributors shall be tested in the vessel prior to startup to ensure that all
nozzles develop the desired spray pattern. This test shall be carried out as close to design
rates as possible.

Form QUA-03-4