This paper demonstrates that a newly designed packing structure can be
additively manufactured, and that a more uniform liquid distribution is
achieved with it. Preliminary computational fluid dynamics simulations
eliminate the necessity to manufacture every developed geometry when
optimizing packing structures. This work simulates the liquid flow
inside two packing structures with an enclosing wall at laboratory
scale. The periodic setup permits simulations of the liquid distribution
in a large part of the column even for complex packing structures. A
novel method for the systematic evaluation of the liquid distribution is
applied to the simulation results and subsequently validated with
experimental data. The results are used to improve the liquid
distribution inside laboratory-scale packing structures.
In distillation, additive manufacturing can facilitate the design and fabrication of laboratory‐scale packed columns that overcome the existing miniaturization limits while maintaining scalability. Liquid distribution is one of the appraisal criteria for new packing structures. For this purpose, a flexible 3D‐printed laboratory test rig is presented. The setup offers a wide liquid load operation range from approx. 2.5 to 20 m3m−2h−1 for column diameters of 20–50 mm. First results regarding steady‐state development, initial liquid distribution effect and liquid load variation are shown using a 3D‐printed version of the Rombopak 9M in a 20‐mm diameter column.
This publication presents a general approach for the enhancement of packings regarding scalability, separation efficiency, and fluid dynamic properties using threedimensional (3D) printing. The methodology is used to develop miniaturized, scalable packings for process development, and scale-up applications. For this purpose, a 3D printable computer-aided design version of the Rombopak 9M industrial packing (RP9M-3D), which is known for its positive scalability properties, was created. An initial characterization by means of computational fluid dynamics simulations and mass transfer measurements reveals positive but also negative design properties. These findings are used to create a more advanced, miniaturized packing structure, the XW-Pak. The evolved structure is compared to the RP9M-3D. The simulation and experimental results show that the enhanced packing, which is still in the early stages of development, exhibits higher separation efficiencies with improved scalability properties at the same void fraction and surface area than the RP9M-3D.
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