High Performance Tray

Design

Dr. Leon Fan

Kenning Engineering, LLC

 Dr. Leon Fan
 Graduate Chinese Academy of Sciences
 Post Doctoral Work on Gas/Liquid Two
Phase Flow, University of Illinois
 FRI Research Engineer
 Glitch Inc. Manager, Research Department
 ACS Separations Technology, Technical
Director
 Six Tray Patents & Numerous Publications

July 2001
 High Performance Trays
High Capacity + High Separation Efficiency

 Uniform Gas/Liquid Flow Distribution

 Intimate Gas/Liquid Contact on the Tray
 Correct Liquid Residence Time on the
Tray-Deck and in the Down-Comer

July 2001
 Structured Packing (1)

 Advantages
– Low Pressure Drop
– High Gas Flow Capacity
– High Mass Transfer Under Certain Conditions

July 2001
 Structured Packing (2)

 Disadvantages
– Unstable Performance at High Liquid Rates
– High Bed Requires Liquid Re-distribution
– Cannot be Used in Fouling Systems

 Application
– Low to Medium Liquid Rate Distillation

July 2001
 Isobutane/N-Butane, 300 psia
30

25

20

HETP 15
(inch)
10

32
8
43
8
64
6
74
9
85
6
92
9
92
4
97
3 03 08 Tested by FRI
0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 1. 1.

July 2001
 History
Begins in Early 1990
 Glitch Nye Tray
 Glitch SuperFrac Tray (Early Version)
 Nutter MVG
 Koch MaxFrac
 Norton Triton
 Glitch SuperFrac Tray (New Version)

July 2001
 Development Incentives

 Production Expansion Without Changing

Column Size or Tower Attachments
 Improved Product Quality
 Reduction of Reflux Rate and Energy
Consumption
 Improved Anti-Fouling Characteristics

July 2001
 Common Characteristics

 Use of Fixed or Moveable Valves, Instead

of Sieve Tray
 Use of Modified Down-Comers

July 2001
 Gas Liquid Flow Pattern

Sieve Tray
Valve Tray
July 2001
 Normal Tray Valve

July 2001
 New Mini-Valves, Gas Flow
Patterns

July 2001
 Kenning Tray
 “Scallop Edged, Miniature-Valves”
SEMV’s
– Scalloped Edges Divide Gas Stream to Several
Small Streams to Enhance Gas/Liquid Contact
– Small Gas Streams Reduce Pressure Drop
– Small Gas Streams Reduce Liquid Entrainment

July 2001
 Gas-Liquid Flow Pattern on
Conventional Tray
Efficient Mass Transfer Low Liquid Flow

Low Gas Flow

July 2001
 Conventional Bubbling Promoter
Downcomer

Vessel Wall Liquid Flow

Gas Flow

July 2001
 Kenning Bubbling Promoter

July 2001
 Triangular Bubbling Promoters

 Diminish High, Horizontal Liquid Velocity

out of Down-comer
 Strong Gas Streams Blend Clear Liquid into
Froth
 Three Dimensional Velocity of all Gas
Streams out of Bubbling Promoter

July 2001
 Truncated Downcomer
Koch MaxFracTM Tray with Truncated Downcomer

July 2001
 Gas-Liquid Flow Pattern on
Kenning Tray
Efficient Mass Transfer

July 2001
 Downcomer Design

 Create Best Initial Liquid Flow Distribution

 Minimize Down-comer Bottom to Increase
Active Area
 Maximize Weir Length and Down-comer
Exit Length

July 2001
Glitch New SuperFrac™ Tray
Downcomer Design

July 2001
 Kenning Tray Isometric

July 2001
 Kenning Tray
Downcomer Design

July 2001
Kenning Tray Basic Components

 MiniatureValves
 Bubbling Promoters
 Down-Comers

July 2001
 Kenning Tray Deck

July 2001
 View of Tray

July 2001
 1-Butene Separation System
 Existing System
– Two Consecutive Towers 1.3 m & 1.8 m I.D
– 150 Conventional Trays in Each Tower
– Existing Trays Japanese Design & Manufacture
 Goal
– Increase Feed Rate from 3.2 tons/hr to 5 tons/hr
– Raise Yield from 89% to more than 90%

July 2001
 Results
 Feed Rate Increased to 5 tons/hr
 Yield Raised to 93.6%
 Total Pressure Drop of the Columns did not
Increase
 No Tower Attachments Changed
 No Welding on the Vessels

July 2001
 Reasons for Capacity Gain
 SEMV’s allow increased gas flow with lower
pressure drop.
 Downcomer design increases active tray area
and improves vapor/liquid flow distribution.
 Bubbling Promoter aerates liquid more quickly.
 High separation efficiency reduces reflux rate.

July 2001
 Modified Arrangement of Side
Draw

Fig. 10

July 2001
 Typical Vapor Horn
Gas Flow In

Gas Flow Out

July 2001
 Multi-Stage Vapor Distributor

Gas Flow In

Gas Flow
Out

July 2001
 View of Multi-Stage Vapor
Distributor

July 2001
 C4 & Solvent Mixing Section

a . Be fore re va mp
b . Aft er re vam p

July 2001
Fig. 5a Fig. 5b