Process Equipment

Design
Ali Kargari
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
Amirkabir University of Technology
 Equipment for
Gas-Liquid Operations

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Sieve-Tray Towers

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Sieve-Tray Tower

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Sieve-Tray

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Sieve-Tray

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Problems associated with tray towers
 Entrainment

 Flooding

 Priming

 Coning

 Weeping

 Dumping Ideal column operation

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Entrainment

 At high gas velocities, when the gas is disengaged from the

froth, small droplets of liquid will be carried by the gas to tray
above.

 Tray efficiency is reduced

 Excessive entrainment can lead to flooding.

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Flooding

 High pressure drop between tray spacing may

led to condition of flooding.

 It is brought about by excessive vapor flow.

 Causes liquid to be entrained in the vapor up

the column.

 Flooding is detected by sharp increases in

column differential pressure.
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Priming
 The foam persists throughout the space
between trays and a great deal of liquid is
carried by the gas from one tray to tray above.
 This is an exaggerated condition of
entrainment.
 The liquid so carried recirculates between
trays and the added liquid handling load
increases the gas pressure drop sufficiently to
lead to flooding.

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Coning

 If liquid rates are too low, the gas rising

through the openings of the tray may push
the liquid away.

 Contact of gas and liquid is poor.

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Weeping

 If the gas rate is too low, much of the

liquid may rain down through the
openings of the tray.

 The pressure exerted by the vapor is

insufficient to hold up the liquid on the
tray.

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Dumping

 Excessive weeping will lead to dumping

 At very low gas rates, none of the liquid

reaches the downspouts.

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Calculating the tower diameter
Superficial gas velocity, defined as the volume rate of gas
flow divided by the cross-sectional area

At: Tower cross-sectional area, L2

Ad: downspout cross-sectional area, L2

An: Net tower cross-sectional area for gas flow, L2

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 ⁄

(0.8−0.85)VF
V=
(0.6−0.75)VF

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Recommended general conditions and dimensions for
tray towers (Table 6.1)

1. Tray spacing
Tower diameter T Tray spacing t
m ft m in
0.15 6 minimum
1 or less 4 or less 0.50 20
1-3 4-10 0.60 24
3-4 10-12 0.75 30
4-8 12-24 0.90 36

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2. Liquid flow
a. Not over 0.015 m3/(m diam)·s (0.165 ft3/ft·s) for single-pass cross-flow
trays
b. Not over 0.032 m3/(m weir length).s (0.35 ft3/ft.s) for others

3. Downspout seal
a. Vacuum, 5 mm minimum, 10 mm preferred ( - in)
b. Atmospheric pressure and higher, 25 mm minimum, 40 mm preferred
(1-1.5 in)
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4. Weir length for straight, rectangular weirs, cross-flow trays, 0.6-0.8T,
0.7 T typical
Tower area
Distance from center
Weir length W used by one
of tower
downspout, %
0.55T 0.4181 T 3.877
0.60T 0.3993T 5.257
0.65T 0.2516T 6.899
0.70T 0.3562T 8.808
0.75T 0.3296T 11.255
0.80T 0.1991T 14.145
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5. Typical pressure drop per tray
Total pressure Pressure drop
35 mmHg abs 3 mmHg or less
1 std atm 500-800 N/m2 (0.07-0.0.12 lbf/in2)
2 106 N/m2 1000 N/m2
300 lbf/in2 0.15 lbf/in2

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Notable points

 Maximum flow quantities are used to set a uniform diameter.

 When variation in flows are such that a 20 percent difference

in diameter is indicated for the upper and lower sections, two
diameters will probably be economical.

Flow rates Tower diameter Tray spacing

Tower height
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Seal-pot arrangement

 Downspouts: The liquid is led from one

tray to the next by means of downspouts, or
downcomers.

 Weir: The depth of liquid on the tray

required for gas contacting is maintained
by an overflow (outlet).

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Tray arrangements

 Arrows show direction of liquid

Cross flow

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Tray arrangements

Cascade trays Split flow

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Tray arrangements

Reverse flow
Radial flow
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The flooding constant

: Surface tension: F /L
Gas velocity at flooding point

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Hole diameter: Hole (opening) diameters but
4.5 mm is most frequently

Plate thickness: For most installations, stainless steel or other alloy

perforated sheet is used, rather than carbon steel, even though not
necessarily required for corrosion resistance.

Less than 1/2 do

Sheet thickness

Less than do
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 The holes are placed in the comers of equilateral triangles at
distances between centers (pitch)

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Homework 1

• Demonstrate Eq. 6.31 for triangular array and obtain for

rectangular array holes.

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 Liquid depth

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• the peripheral tray support:

25-50 mm

• The beam supports: 15% At

• The distribution zone for liquid

entering the tray and the
disengagement zone for
disengaging foam: 5% At

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 Recommended dimensions for sieve-tray towers
1. Flooding constant CF [Eqs. (6.29) and (6.30)], do < 6 mm (1/4 in)
Range of Range of
. Units
A L ρ Units of σ Units of VF α .β
of t
A G ρ

0.01-0.1, use values at 0.1

> 0.1
α = 0.0744t + 0.01173
0.1-1.0 m N/m m/s
β= 0.0304t + 0.015

dyne α = 0.0.0062t + 0.0385

in ft/s
cm × 10 β= 0.00253t + 0.050
Multiply α and β by 5Ao/
< 0.1
Aa + 0.5
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2. Hole diameter and plate thickness
Hole diameter Plate thickness/hole diameter
mm in Stainless steel Carbon steel
1
3.0 0.65
8
3
4.5 0.43
16
1
6.0 0.32
4
3
9.0 0.22 0.5
8
1
12.0 0.16 0.38
2
5
15.0 0.17 0.3
8
3
18.0 0.11 0.25
4
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3. Liquid depth
50 mm (2 in) minimum, 100 mm (4 in) maximum

4. Typical active area

Tower diameter A
m ft A
1 3 0.65
1.25 4 0.70
2 6 0.74
2.5 8 0.76
3 10 0.78

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 G: Superficial molar gas mass velocity, mole/L2

 G': Superficial gas mass velocity, M/L2

 L: Superficial liquid molar mass velocity, mole/L2

 L': Superficial liquid mass velocity, M/L2

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Design of Sieve Trays
1. Guessing tray spacing, commonly 0.5m or 0.6 m.

2. Calculating the proportion of . So do and p' are needed.

do=4.5 mm (first guess) and p' =2.5 do

. .

. × . .

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3. Calculating the proportion of :

. . .

4. Calculating the using the tables.

5. Calculating the Cf
.
.

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6. Calculating the Vf
.

7. Deciding about the Coefficient for superficial velocity

V= (0.6-0.85) VF

8. Calculating the An

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9. Choosing a weir length and calculating At.

W= (0.6-0.8)T. commonly W=0.7T (Table 6.1)

10. Calculating the tower diameter

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11. Comparing T with t and correcting the t.

12. Standardizing T.

13. Calculating the , W, , based on the standardized T.

14. Calculating Aa

15. Calculating

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 Tray hydraulic calculations
A- Liquid phase pressure drop
1. The crest of liquid over a straight rectangular weir can be
estimated by the well-known Francis formula:

q= Rate of liquid flow, m3 /s

W = Effective length of the weir, m
h = Liquid crest over the weir, m

q: ft3 /s : ft : in
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• Because the weir action is
hampered by the curved sides of
the circular tower, it is
recommended that Weff be
represented as a chord of the circle
of diameter T, a distance h1 farther
from the center than the actual
weir.
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 .

For , “Weff” has a negligible effect.

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2. Pressure loss at liquid entrance h2:

Ada: Smaller of the two areas, Ad or free area between downspout apron and
tray, L2

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 B- Gas phase pressure drop
For convenience, all gas-pressure drops will be expressed as
heads of clear liquid of density on the tray.

hD: Dry-plate gas-pressure drop as head of clear liquid, L

hL: Gas-pressure drop due to liquid holdup on tray, as head of clear liquid, L
hR: Residual gas-pressure drop as head of clear liquid, L

∆
 If there is a liquid depth gradient on the tray, should be used
in this Eq.

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3. Dry pressure drop hD entrance to
the
perforatio
. ns

friction
hD within the
short tube
l: Plate thickness, L
the exit
do: Orifice or perforation diameter, L
loss

f: The fanning friction factor is taken from a standard chart (Moody chart).
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4. Hydraulic head hL (check the Description)

z: Average flow width for liquid on a tray, L

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5. Residual gas-pressure drop hR:

This is believed to be largely the result of overcoming surface

tension as the gas issues from a perforation.

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7. Backup in the downspout

Since the mass in the downspout will be partly froth carried over
the weir from the tray above, safe design requires that the level of
equivalent clear liquid in the downspout be no more than half the
tray spacing.

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• For readily foaming systems or where high liquid viscosity
hampers disengagement of gas bubbles the backup should be
less.

• Friction in the downspout, the pressure losses resulting from

liquid flow on the tray, the effect of bubbles on pressure loss of
liquid are negligible.

• If there is a liquid depth gradient on the tray, it should be

considered.
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Weeping

The minimum gas velocity through the holes below which

excessive weeping is likely:

.
. .
/
.

z: Average flow width for liquid on a tray, L

gc: Conversion factor

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Liquid entrainment
Figure 6.17

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The fraction of the liquid entering a tray which is carried to the tray
above.

E < 0.1 is suitable

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 Homework 2
It is going to separate a mixture of n-heptane and n-hexane by simple a distillation
column equipped with sieve trays. Feed rate is 2000 kg/h and xf=0.2 (mole fraction of
n-hexane). Feed is entered the column at 25 °C and the column is working at 1 barg,
xD=0.995 and xw=0.005. Answer the following questions.

1. Establish mass and energy balance over the column and find Rmin, Ropt, QC and QR.

2. Find the column diameter (standardized), number of theoretical and real plates
(consider tray efficiency).

3. Design the tray layout through tray hydraulic calculations.

4. Fill the design sheet for the column (see Ludwig design book).
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