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Introduction:
Once the process design stage ends, the equipment design begins. This stage of design converts process
requirements into actual hardware.
One of the most prominent hardwares used for mass transfer is tray. Tray columns are widely used in
various types of mass transfer operations. All the simulation results, which predict a certain number of
theoretical stages, can be converted to actual trays depending upon tray efficiency for a particular service.
In any conventional tray vapor rises through the liquid pool on the tray deck and then disengages from
the liquid in the space above the deck. Liquid enters the tray from a down comer above and leaves via a
down comer below.
The industry, based on its experience, has standardised the type to be used in certain services. If this
reference is not available the guideline as per Appendix 1 are to be used
Types of Tray
The particular tray selection and its design can materially affect the performance of a given distillation,
absorption, or stripping system. Each tray should be designed so as to give as efficient a contact between
the vapour and liquid as possible, within reasonable economic limits.
Valve tray:
Valve trays are perforated sheet metal decks on which round, liftable valves are mounted. The vapour
flows through valves which are installed parallel to the outlet weir. Valve trays combine high capacity and
excellent efficiency with a wide operating range.
Advantages:
Excellent liquid/ vapour contacting.
Higher capacity.
Higher flexibility than sieve trays.
Can handle higher loadings.
Low-pressure drop than bubble cap.
Sieve tray:
Sieve trays are flat perforated plate in which vapour rises through small holes in tray floor, & bubbles
through liquid in fairly uniform manner. They have comparable capacity as valve trays.
Advantages:
Simple construction Low entrainment,
low cost Low maintenance cost
Low fouling tendency
Disadvantages:
Less-flexible to varying loads than other two types
Advantages:
Moderate capacity
Most flexible (high & low vap. & liquid rates)
Can provide excellent turndown.
Disadvantages:
High entrainment, High fouling tendency
High cost,
High pressure drop
No. Factors Sieve Tray Valve Tray Bubble-Cap Dual Flow Tray
Tray
1 Capacity High High Moderately High Very High
2 Efficiency High High Moderately High Least
3 Turndown ~50% ~25 - 30% 10% Leats
4 Entrainment Moderate Moderate High Low to
Moderate
5 Pressure Drop Moderate Moderate High Low to
Moderate
6 Cost Low ~1.2 times sieve ~2-3 Times of Least
trays Sieve
7 Maintenance Low Low to Relatively High Low
Moderate
8 Fouling Low Low to High: Tends to Extremely Low
Tendency Moderate Collect Solids
9 Effects of Low Low to High Very Low
Corrosion Moderate
10 Design Well known Proprietary but Well Known Some info.
Information readily available available.
Instability can
occur in large
dia. (>8 feet)
11 Main Application Often used when Where high Extremely low Capacity
turndown is not turndown is liquid flow & revamps,
critical required where leakage Highly fouling
must be and
minimized corrosive
services
Tray Parameters
f) Downcomers:
Passage of liquid from the top tray to the bottom of tray occurs via downcomers. Downcomers are
conduits having circular, segmental, or rectangular cross sections that convey liquid from upper tray to a
lower tray in a distillation column.
m) % Hole Area:
This is the ratio of hole area to bubbling area. The default practice is to target a hole area of 8 to 10 % of
bubbling area for pressure services. The acceptable range for percentage hole area is 5 % to 15 %.
However for some critical services, we can go % hole area up to 17-17.5% provided that weeping is under
control. Hole areas below 5 % are not used.
a) Flood:
Jet Flood:
In spray regime operation flooding is brought about by excessive vapour flow, causing excessive liquid to
be entrained in the vapour up the column. In froth and emulsion flows regimes operation excessive froth
entrainment in the vapour up the column causes jet flooding.
c) Pressure Drop:
Pressure drop is an important consideration while designing a tray. It becomes more critical for the
vacuum systems than the high-pressure systems. The tray pressure drop is viewed as the sum of the
pressure drop through the valves or sieves and pressure drop through the aerated liquid on the tray deck.
d) Turndown ratio:
Turndown ratio defines the range of vapour load between which the column can operate without
substantially affecting its primary separation objective (i.e. fractionation efficiency) or over which
acceptable tray performance is achieved. The tray efficiency stays at or above the design value throughout
the turndown range.
Tray Sizing
The sizing procedure is an iterative calculation. A preliminary design is set, and then refined by checking
against the performance correlations until an adequate design is achieved. The sizing calculations are
performed at the point where column loading is expected to be highest and lowest for each section, i.e.,
II. Above every feed, product drawoff, or point of heat addition or removal.
III. Below every feed, product drawoff, or point of heat addition or removal.
V. At any point in the column where the calculated vapour or liquid loading peaks
The sizing is done at all above load points and detailed sizing is checked at all above load points. All design
parameters given in the design procedure below are calculated at all above load points at turndown and
turn-up loads so that the feasibility of design for varied loads is tested.
a) Preliminary determination of tower area:
The methods used for determining tower diameter are:
C Factor Method
Nomograph Method
FRI Tray design handbook
However in this technical guideline we are describing method using C-Factor Method.
C-Factor Method:
The following calculations are done at all the loading points mentioned above and diameters are found
separately. If the difference in calculated diameter at different sections exceeds 20 percent, different
diameters for the sections are likely to be economical. The section having different diameter should be at
least 20ft in length else same diameter can be maintained.
i. Tray Area
Assume appropriate values for following parameters (based on system requirements) for preliminary
diameter calculation.
Assumption: The starting values for these can be dH=1/4, S=24, h ct=2
iv. Downcomer Area Calculation Calculate downcomer area (AD) from clear liquid velocity in
downcomer using following formula:
Where,
Value of VCL obtained from table below. No derating factor is required for this calculation, as VCL values
have taken care of foaming
Downcomer Layout:
Check the % of Downcomer area with respect to tower area:
The Fractional area should around 10% but avoid less than 8% in normal circumstances. Note that AD
should in no circumstance be less that 5% of AT
AN = AT AD
AB = AT ADT ADB
? = sin-1(h/R)
w = 2*R COS (?) or w = 2*(R2 h2)0.5
?/2 = ?/2 ?
Sector area = ASECT = ? R2 * ? / (2 * ?)
Area of triangle (ABC) = ATRI. = w*h/2
Where,
Lw = Weir Length = w* (1-fractional weir blockage)
wdc = Downcomer Width = R -h
AD = Adc = Downcomer Area
Fractional weir blockage is the fraction of total weir length that is available for liquid flow by using picket
and fence type of weir. Blocked (Picket fence) weirs are used for handling low liquid loading.
Down-comer area
AD = ASECT ATRI
Two Pass Tray:
Two pass trays have alternating arrangements of one center-downcomer and two side-downcomers.
The side downcomer area can be calculated as that for single pass tray. It should be noted that side down-
comers are on both sides.
Center downcomer calculations can be done as follows in similar manner as side down-comer:
? = sin-1 (h/R)
w = 2*R COS (?1) or w = 2*(R2 h2)0.5
? = 2*(?/2- ?)
Sector area = ASECT = ? R2 * ? / (2 * ?)
Area of center downcomer = Area of circle -2*area of sector + 2*Area of Triangle Area of downcomer =
?*R2 2* ASECT + h1*w1
In case of more than two pass trays we have to define one more parameter, i.e. off-center downcomer
location from centerline. This needs to be done on a case-by-case basis.
Liquid Flow Path Length (FPL):
ForSinglePassTray:
FPL= (tray diameter) minus (side DC width of the tray) minus (bottom width of DC of tray above)
Where,
C) Detailed Design
Flooding Check:
ii. Clear Liquid height at the transition from the froth to spray ((hct)
2. Jet Flood: Fairs correlation
The Fair correlation has been standard of the industry for entrainment flood prediction. Fairs
correlation tends to be conservative, especially at high pressure and liquid rate.
Flow Regime
Entrainment
Downcomer residence time
Pressure Drop
Downcomer backup
Froth Regime
This is the most commonly encountered flow regime in operating columns. The froth formed under this
regime is described as one where the size and shape of bubbles is non-uniform and with rather large size
distribution, as well as travelling at varying velocities. The liquid surface is either wavy or it presents
oscillations. This is a liquid continuous flow regime.
Spray Regime
This regimes occurs at relatively high vapour velocities (i.e. large vapour flow rates) and low liquid loads,
characteristics which are typical of vacuum systems. The vapour velocity is so large, that the liquid phase
is completely disrupted and is no longer a continuous phase on top of the tray; liquid is a dispersed
phase present only in the form of drops, and therefore the continuous phase is the vapour.
Emulsion Regime
This flow regime is typically encountered in high-pressure systems and relatively high liquid loads. The
shearing action of the high velocity liquid tears off the vapour bubbles leaving the orifices on the tray.
Most of the gas is emulsified in small bubbles within the liquid, with the mixture behaving as a uniform
two-phase fluid, obeying the Francis weir formula. This is a liquid continuous flow regime.
The determination of regime on tray given below is only for information and has no use in sizing.
Where,
Lw weir length in inches, AB Active area ft2
p pitch in inches
hc clear liquid height, inches
5. Entrainment:
If entrainment is excessive, column diameter or tray spacing are usually increased. As recommended
value, the entrainment from the tray should not exceed about 0.10 lb liquid entrained per pound of
liquid flow.