Tower Design and Specification

Process Engineering
By Travis Abrams
 Tower Internals
Two routes to go: Trays or Packing
Which one to choose?
Advantages of Packing
• Good where low pressure drop is desired. For hydrocarbon systems :vapor density
and liquid-to-vapor density ratio where structured packing has few, if any, problems
are: Vapor density less than 1.5 lb/ft3 (24 kg/m3).

• Liquid-to-vapor density ratio greater than 18.

• Packing can sometimes handle higher throughput for a revamp situation, depending
on the liquid loading.

• Packing is more tolerant of foaming system, which is why it is used for TEG
contactors.

• Packing is good for extremely corrosive systems because plastics and ceramics can
be used.
 Trays VS Packing
Trays
• Trays will most likely be less expensive for
pressures up to 150 psig and they can
later be debottlenecked with packing
• Trays should probably be used above 150
psig.
• Theoretical trays are easier to define than
HETP of packing
 Types of Trays
2. Sieve Trays
1. Valve Trays

5. Duel flow trays

3. Bubble Cap Trays 4. Grid Trays

And fixed valve trays

 Types of packing
• Random: Pall rings,
intalox, -many to
choose from!
• Structured-usually
higher capacity for the
same HETP than
random packing. Also
lower pressure drop
than random packing
 Tray Design
• Trays have two
principal features
1. Active Area Inlet Weir
Weir Height

2. Downcomers Outlet Weir

Downcomer
Clearance
Sloped Downcomer

Active Area
 Tray Passes

• How many passes

does a Tower Need?
• 1 pass through 5 pass

• With tower sizing

programs use trial
and error, changing
the tray pass to get
smallest tower
diameter
 Tower Sizing Programs
• Koch-Glitch
• Sultzer
• Old Nutter program available-same as
Sultzer
• Old Norton program available, but it is the
same as Kock-Glitch.
• Jaeger program has HETP calculations
• FRI for sieve, bubble cap, duel flow in old
card reading fortran code
 Relief Weirs
• Used to give better liquid distribution for
segmental downcomers that are on the
small side
 Weir Baffles and Picket weir
• For low liquid/vapor
ratios (spray regime)

3/4 of tray spacing

 Feed Distributors
• Liquid Feed

• Always a symetrical design for

equal distribution
• Pipe and Slot size in distributor
should be 2-5 ft/sec for liquids
and 20-30 ft/sec for vapor
• Mixed phase: add liquid and
vapor sized areas together,
avoid slug flow!
Distributor Placement
Reboiler Placement
 Tray Spacing
• 18 to 24 inches is the normal range depends on
hieght of toewr VS ID of tower economics.
• Manway or feed section is 30 to 36 inches.
• Bottom downcomer seal is trayspacing plus 6”.
• Top section is usually 4 feet from top tray to
tangent or seam.
• Manways every 10-15 trays (depends on client
specification)
Packing Internals
Revamping a Trayed Diesel HDS
Fractionator
NEW TOP DISTRIBUTOR
TRAY

3.00feet

HDS FRACTIONATOR

10.00feet

23.25feet NEW HIGH EFFICIENCY

PACKING (STRUCTURED)

NEW DRAW TRAY AND

REDISTRIBUTOR

NEW
MANWAY 3.00feet
AND NEW NEW
KEROSENE
LEVEL DRAW
NOZZLES
NEW HIGH EFFICIENCY
PACKING (STRUCTURED)

7.25feet

5.50 2.00feet
EXISTING CHIMNEY TRAY
AND DISTRIBUTOR WILL
BE REUSED AS IS.

5.00feet

2.00feet
TRAY 19

2.00feet
NEW 10" FEED NOZZLE NEW 10" FEED NOZZLE

TRAY 18

TRAY 17 2.00feet

11.00
Running the Koch program KG
Tower

Kg-tower.lnk
 Reboiler Placement

• Kettle Reboiler with • Kettle Reboiler with surge

bottom surge in kettle in bottom of tower
 Thermosyphon reboilers

• Less than a
theoretical stage • One theoretical stage
Once Through Reboiler
 Drawing the Tower:The Process
Sketch
• Helpful (but not essential) to draw to scale
• For mutipass trays-start the tray pass at
the bottom to set the bottom tray layout
• Dimension Everything!
Top Section
Outlet Vapor

Vent Nozzle

Reflux Distributor

Temperature

Column Feed
Tower Middle

Bottom of Tower is larger because

Of thermosyphon Reboiler arrangement
And liquid hold up requirements
Tower Bottom