Experimental Characterization and Modeling of High Performance Structured Packings

Abstract

Results are presented of the total reflux distillation experiments carried out with the newest generation of J. Montz corrugated sheet structured packings, including metal sheet packings (B1-250MN, B1-350MN, B1-500MN), expanded metal packings (BS-500MN), and wire gauze packings (A3-500M), using a 0.59 m i.d. column and chlorobenzene/ethylbenzene as a test system. It appears that by combining appropriately the dimensions and design of corrugations and the corrugation inclination angle, either efficiency or capacity, or occasionally even both, can be enhanced significantly, depending on the type of the packing. This allows leaner columns in new designs and more capacity and other benefits in retrofit situations. The Delft model, with appropriate enhancement of the turbulent vapor flow mass transfer coefficient and the flow direction change related pressure drop, proved to be capable of approaching closely measured efficiency and pressure drop both qualitatively and quantitatively. The exception in this respect is the pressure drop of B1-500MN, with a significant underprediction that is more pronounced at 1 bar than at 0.1 bar, while the trend as well as the predicted points of onset of loading are close to observed ones.

Characterization of New Wire Gauze High‐Capacity Structured Packing with Varied Inclination Angle

“…In order to enhance the compatibility, the principal test system is a binary isopropanol/methanol mixture. Furthermore, this well‐established mixture is one of the recommended systems for total reflux distillation tests , . As previous studies have shown , , hydrodynamic tests define a maximum liquid load of the distillation at a total reflux condition.…”

Augmenting distillation by using membrane based vapor–liquid contactors: An engineering view from Delft

“…For conventional corrugated sheet structured packings this corresponds roughly to a pressure drop of approximately 3 mbar/m. For new generation of so-called "high capacity/performance" structured packings higher pressure drops are adopted, usually 5 mbar/m [20,21,25]. Practically, this means that in cases where the pressure drop is not critical, a capacity increase can be achieved effectively simply by replacing, for instance conventional B1-250 with a B1-250M packing.…”

Experimental validation of a flexible modeling approach for distillation columns with packings

“…Neither equation forms nor parameter values are fitted to any kind of experiments with structured packings. Nonetheless, Olujic et al use their model equations to calculate k V values for all kinds of packing types . This is assumed to be possible simply by incorporating certain geometric characteristics of the gas flow channels like their length per packing segment and their hydraulic diameter …”

“…Nonetheless, Olujic et al use their model equations to calculate k V values for all kinds of packing types. 22,23 This is assumed to be possible simply by incorporating certain geometric characteristics of the gas flow channels like their length per packing segment and their hydraulic diameter. 12,13 Using the same case study as for the comparison of k Lvalues, Olujic et al 12 also present calculation results for k V for all three model types (Delft model, BS model, and SRP model).…”

“…21 together with the definitions of dimensionless numbers being part of this equation (Eqs. [22][23][24] form the total set of equations being used for the description of mass transfer within the RNEQ approach. No further equation has to be solved in this respect…”