KIL 2008

Separation Processes 1

7 – Design of Distillation Column

Dr. Hanee Farzana Binti Hizaddin

Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Malaya

hanee@um.edu.my

1
Learning outcomes
At the end of this class, you should be able to:

• Explain why the ratio of vapour and liquid velocities is important

• Familiarize with basic methods on the calculation of column diameter

and heights based on the flow rates

2
Overall Column Design Goals
• Maximize separation

• Minimize manufacturing and installation cost

• Minimize energy operating cost

• Minimize maintenance cost

• Provide operating flexibility

3
Staged Column Internals – Terminology
• Tray – a horizontal plate which supports
the vapor-liquid mixture and serves as
an equilibrium stage

• Downcomer – an opening in the tray

which allows the liquid to flow down
the column

• Weir – a vertical plate or “dam” at the

downcomer to provide a given vapor-
liquid mixture depth on the tray.

4
Tray types
• Sieve or Perforated – simply a tray with vapor
holes
• Vapour passes straight upward through the
liquid on the plate.
• The arrangement, number and size of the
holes are design parameters.

5
 Tray types
• Bubble Cap – a cap placed over the tray’s
vapor holes
• A bubble cap tray has riser or chimney fitted
over each hole, and a cap that covers the
riser.
• The cap is mounted so that there is a space
between riser and cap to allow the passage of
vapour.
• Vapour rises through the chimney and is
directed downward by the cap, finally
discharging through slots in the cap, and
finally bubbling through the liquid on the tray.

6
Tray types
• Valve – a valve placed over the tray’s
vapor holes
• In valve trays, perforations are covered by
liftable caps.
• Vapour flows lifts the caps, thus self
creating a flow area for the passage of
vapour.
• The lifting cap directs the vapour to flow
horizontally into the liquid, thus providing
better mixing than is possible in sieve
trays.

7
Vapor/Liquid Flow Paths

Three types of tray openings for

passage of vapor up into liquid:
(a) perforation; (b) valve cap;
(c) bubble cap; (d) tray with
valve caps.

8
Tray Design Goal
• Maximize Column Efficiency

• Enhance vapor-liquid mixing

• Maintain optimum vapor flow

• Maintain optimum liquid depth

• Minimize pressure drop

• Prevent fouling

9
 What to Avoid in the Column
• Flooding, Weeping and Foaming

• Flooding occurs at high vapor flow rates –

excessive entrainment of liquid overcomes the
downcomer capacity and the column floods – or
large liquid flow rates.

• Weeping occurs at low vapor flow rates – liquid

flows or pulses back through the tray vapor
openings.

• Foaming occurs when the components form a

stable foam – efficiency of the column drops and
the column may flood.
10
Operating Ranges – Vapor vs. Liquid Flow Rates

11
Column Design Steps
• Flowrates - Carry out a mass balance to determine
mass/molar flowrates of feed, distillate and bottoms
and of vapor and liquid in both sections of the column

• Column height - Determine the number of equilibrium

stages. Choose a tray or packing and divide number of
equilibrium stages by tray efficiency to get actual
number of plates or total height of packing. Also, for
plates, choose the plate spacing and depth

• Column diameter – determine the vapor velocity and

divide vapor flowrate by velocity to give area

• Now we have a rough idea on the column size in

terms of number of trays or height of packing and the
column diameter

12
Vapor Velocity
• Vapor velocities are determined for both the rectifying and stripping sections of the column.
They may be different.

• If too low, weeping occurs – liquid flows through the holes in the sieve tray, for example.

• If too high flooding will occur and liquid will backflow to the next plate.

• High velocity can reduce plate efficiency because the contact time between the phases is
reduced.

• The correct velocity is somewhere in between. It depends on the tray type.

• Calculate the upper limit for velocity at the point at which flooding occurs.

• A design velocity of 80 to 85% of the flooding velocity is then used (ref C&R Vol 6, 11.13). 13
Vapor flow rate
• The principal factor that determines the column diameter is the vapor flow-rate.
The vapor velocity must be below that which would cause excessive liquid
entrainment or a high-pressure drop.
• The equation given below, which is based on the well-known Souders and Brown
equation, Lowenstein (1961), can be used to estimate the maximum allowable
superficial vapour velocity, and hence the column area and diameter

[ ]
1 /2
( 𝜌 𝐿 − 𝜌𝑣 )
^𝑣 =( − 0.171 𝑙2𝑡 +0.27 𝑙 𝑡 − 0.047 )
𝑢
𝜌𝑣

• = maximum allowable vapour velocity, based on the gross (total)

column cross-sectional area, m/s
• = plate spacing, m

14
Flooding Velocity Calculation
• For either section, the flooding velocity is estimated from the
following equation:
𝑢 𝑓 =𝐾 1
√ 𝜌 𝐿 − 𝜌𝑉
𝜌𝑉

• = flooding velocity
• = a coefficient obtained from a chart
• = density of liquid
• = density of vapor

15
 Flooding Velocity Calculation
• A chart of K1 versus FLV is available in most books on distillation (McCabe Smith, C & R, etc.)

• The chart is specific to the type of tray, e.g. sieve.

• The spacing between the plates must be known. FLV is the liquid vapor flow factor and is given by:

• = liquid mass flow rate kg/s

𝐹 𝐿𝑉 =
√
𝐿𝑊 𝜌 𝑉
𝑉 𝑊 𝜌𝐿
• = vapor mass flow rate kg/s
• = density of liquid
• = density of vapor

• Some restrictions do apply to this chart such as minimum hole diameter, weir height, non foaming
system, liquid surface tension.
16
Chart of K1 versus FLV – From C & R, Vol VI, 3rd Ed., p567

17
 Column Diameter
• The vapor flow rate in either section of the column is obtained
from the mass balance in kmol/hr. This can be converted to m 3/s.

• From the continuity equation, q = va. Since we know the velocity

and the flow rate, we can determine the cross sectional area and
from that the diameter.

• Two different velocities will give two different diameters.

• The same column diameter (the larger) can be used for the
entire column to simplify construction.

• In this case, the plates in the lower velocity section will have less
perforations
18
Check for weeping
• It is good practice to check that weeping will not occur.
• For weeping the vapor velocity through the holes in the tray is important.
• The vapor velocity at the weep point (where liquid leakage through holes starts) is the
minimum value for stable operation. For a chosen hole area, the minimum operating
vapor flow velocity (umin) at minimum flow rate for stable operation should be above the
weep point vapor velocity.
• This is obtained by dividing the minimum vapor flow rate (m 3/s) by the area available for
flow, i.e. the total hole area.
𝐾 2 −0.90 ( 25.4 − 𝑑 h )
𝑢𝑚𝑖𝑛 =
√ 𝜌𝑉

• = hole diameter
• = vapor density
• = constant of weep-point correlation depends on the depth of clear liquid (weir crest +
weir height) on the plate (obtained from a chart)
19
Column Diameter
• The minimum column diameter for trayed columns is typically 0.75 m; otherwise,
packed columns are used.
• The maximum diameter of the column can be quite large – up to 5 m – although it
may be decided to operate 2 or more separate columns in place of an otherwise large
diameter single column.
• As the column diameter decreases, the vapor velocity increases for a given vapor flow
rate.
• The minimum column diameter is based upon the maximum vapor velocity that
causes excessive entrainment and flooding.
• The maximum column diameter is based upon maintaining a high enough velocity to
prevent excess weeping.
• The operating vapor velocity, and hence actual column diameter, is specified as a
fraction of the flooding vapor velocity – typically 0.65 to 0.90.
• The final consideration is column cost – a larger diameter column is more expensive
than a smaller diameter column, although economies of scale enter into the cost.
20
Other factors for design consideration …
• The total area of the tray hole openings
• Typically range from 2 mm to 12 mm
• Based upon vapor flow per tray
• Sized to prevent weeping, minimize pressure drop, and reduce entrainment at a given vapor
velocity.

• The layout of the tray holes

• Different patterns available
• Layout chosen to ensure an even and well mixed flow of vapor and liquid across the tray so
that there are no “dry” spots and bypassing of vapor on the tray that would reduce
efficiency.

• The liquid depth on the trays, hence, the weir height

• Typically range from 12 to 75 cm
• Based upon vapor and liquid flow per tray
• Sized to prevent dry spots, increase liquid-vapor contact time, and to prevent a spray regime
that reduces efficiency. 21
 Tray Spacing
• Tray spacing determines the column height

• The total area and height of the downcomer openings per tray
• Based on the passes and the liquid residence time in the downcomer,
typically 3 to 7 seconds to allow disengagement of the vapor from the
liquid in the downcomer to prevent flooding.
• The downcomer height should be at least ½ the height of the tray spacing.
• Additional passes are chosen to prevent excessive loading of the
downcomers.

• The tray spacing

• Typically 0.15 to 1 m in small diameter columns (< 6m) with larger spacing
in large diameter columns to allow maintenance access.
• Based upon the liquid disengagement zone required between the trays to
avoid entrainment and flooding.
• The tray spacing and number of trays, plus the inlet and outlet sections,
determine the overall column height.

22
More factors for design consideration …
• The tendency of the liquid-vapor mixture to foam or a “foaming factor” that
affects the tray spacing for disengagement and downcomer height, as well
as the efficiency.
• The type of tray – sieve, bubble cap, or tray – which will affect the pressure
drop, entrainment, flooding, weeping, and efficiency characteristics, as well
as the cost, of the column.
Sieve trays Valve trays Bubble-cap trays
Relative cost 1.0 1.2 2.0
Pressure drop Lowest Intermediate Highest
Efficiency Lowest Highest Highest
Vapor capacity Highest Highest Lowest
Typical turndown ratio 2 4 5

Source: Seader & Henley, 2012, ‘Separation Process Principles’, John Wiley & Son
23
Column Diameter – Some Final Notes
• Since each stage is at a different operating temperature and the actual vapor flow
rate may change substantially throughout the column if CMO is not applicable, the
flooding velocity, operating velocity, and required diameter of the column change at
each stage.

• One usually calculates all of the column diameters at each stage and uses the largest
diameter for the design.

• One can also design a column that has different diameters at different sections of the
column if it is cost effective to do so, or if too large of a column diameter may lead to
excessive weeping in a given section of the column.

• Once one obtains the column diameter(s), they are usually rounded up to the next
0.5 ft or 0.1 m increment since manufacturers typically deliver trays and shells at
these increments.
24
Other design considerations …
• Column and tray material
• Column insulation
• Transport properties of the fluid
• Mass transfer
• Cases of non-ideality
• Changes in operating conditions
• Changes in feed and/or product specification
• Safety
• Process control
• Piping and instrumentation
• Energy requirement – design of reboiler and condenser, flow rates of heating
and cooling media
• Etc …
25
Additional References
• Coulson J M, Richardson J F, 2002, ‘Chemical Engineering Vol 2,
Butterworth-Heinemann.
• Robin Smith, Chemical Process: Design and Integration, Wiley.

26