Gas liquid contact column

design

Distillation
Absorption
Stripping

Equipment Design

1.
2.

Chemical Eng Design

Mechanical Design

Chemical Eng Design

Process selection
Type of equipment
Size calculation (height, diameter)
Unit Internals

Mechanical design

Material selection
Thickness calculation - P, T
Fabrication methods- welding etc
Supports for the unit

Data Distillation column design

1.
2.

Feed rate, composition and condition

Product specifications

Calculation
1.
Optimum reflux ratio
2.
Number of equilibrium stages required
; Height
3.
Column diameter
4.
Column Efficiency

Determination of the number

of stages required
For a binary mixture
a)
Sorels method (1893)
b)
Ponchon and Savarit method
(1921/22)
c)
Lewis method (1922) CMO
d)
Mc-Cabe and Theile method (1925)
CMO

Determination of the number

of stages required
For a multi-component mixture
a)
Fenske, Underwood and Gilliland
method (short cut method (1932,
1948)
b)
Lewis and Matheson method (1932)

Number of equilibrium stages required,

Feed tray location, L and G rates are
known after above calculations.
Actual number of trays depends on the
tray efficiency



1.
2.

Unknowns;
Column diameter
Packing type or
Tray type size, down comer, weir
size, hole size etc.

Practical problems
Foaming
Expansion of a liquid when aerated.
Foaming is desirable to a certain degree
since it increases the interfacial contact
area.

Priming (excessive foaming)

Foam build up high enough to enter the
tray above through the holes or caps in
the tray- reduces the efficiency.

Priming (excessive foaming)

Entrainment
The liquid carried away with the vapour
from a plate to the plate above. It
carries liquid of lower volatility to the
plate above and hence decreases the
efficiency and the distillate is
contaminated.

Flooding
Excessive entrainment or liquid backup in the
down comer. Sharp increase in the pressure
drop and sharp decline in the efficiency of
separation.

In commercial columns- 80-85% flooding is
maintained.

If foaming is expected 50-60% flooding is
recommended.

Flooding

Normal

flooding

http://www.emersonprocess.com/rosemount/document/notes/
3051S_ASP_Distillation_Column_Flooding.pdf

Weeping
When gas rate is low in perforated
columns.
When the liquid head on a plate is equal
to the pressure holding it on the plate
the liquid starts flowing through the
perforations- This is weeping

Weeping

Dumping Excessive weeping- affects

the operation seriously.

Dumping

Coning when the liquid rate is low the gas

rising through the opening of the tray may
push the liquid away- gas liquid contact is
poor.

Bubble cap tray

Ideal column

Video

This is an example of flooding and

weeping in a distillation column. It is
caused by the liquid tube not being low
enough to allow the previous tray's
liquid level to cover the opening and
the vapor goes up the tube instead of
the cap causing a pressure difference.