A new model has been developed for the prediction and correlation
of mass-transfer rates in
distillation columns containing random packings. Emphasis is
placed on the characteristics of
the newer “high-efficiency” random packings: IMTP, CMR, Fleximax,
and Nutter. These
packings are of the high void fraction, through-flow type and have
become quite popular for
new designs as well as for retrofits. In building the model use
has been made of a large bank
of experimental data from the laboratories of Fractionation Research,
Inc., and the Separations
Research Program (SRP) at The University of Texas at Austin. The
model is based on an earlier
SRP study of liquid holdup and gas pressure drop in beds of random or
structured packing
(Stichlmair et al. Gas Sep. Purif.
1989,
3, 19]. The only packing parameter needed is a
“packing
characteristic” which has a value of about 0.030 for a 2-in. Pall and
Raschig rings and about
0.050 for the 2-in. nominal size of the high-efficiency packings listed
above. The model was
found to fit 95% of 326 experimental values of height equivalent to a
theoretical plate (HETP)
to within ±25% and all values within ±30%.
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