;~

.... ~

ESL-IE-81-04-17

HIGH PERFORMANCE TRAYS AND HEAT EXCHANGERS

IN HEAT PUMPED DISTILLATION COLUMNS
M. W. Wisz, R. Antonelli, E. G. Ragi

Union Carbide Corporation

Linde Division
Tonawanda, New York

the categories of revised operating conditions, luse

of more efficient equipment, or a difference inlthe
process by which a column is driven. Among the!
former, changes in the pressure and temperaturei
levels of the solumn may ease the separation an4
permit utilization of a lower grade heating med~um.
Product specifications sho~~d be relaxed where i
possible but, more importantly, use of an effec~ive
control system will help to assure that no morei
energy than necessary is used to produce specif
cation products. Additional or more efficient ~rays
will reduce reflux requirements while lower del~a
T's in heat exchangers can substantially reduce I
energy,costs. Improvements in system efficiency
can also be obtained through change in the procss
such as utilization of multi-effect distillatio~
columns, where the overheads of a high pressurel
column is utilized to drive the reboiler of a lGwer
pressure column. Finally, a vapor recompressio,
cycle (heat pump) makes use of the column overh~ads
to boil the column bottoms. These are just som of
the many routes that can be used to improve thel
overall energy efficiency of a distillation sys~em.
Union Carbide, being both a designer and operatj'r,
has employed many of these concepts in both gra s
roots plants and the debottlenecking of existin
units.

ABSTRACT
Vapor recompression of distillation columns
overheads, followed by subsequent condensation in
the reboiler results in substantial operating cost
savings compared to conventional steam driv;n
reboiler systems. The use of high performance heat
exchangers and distillation trays permits additional
energy savings by lower reboiler temperature dif
ferences, and reduced reflux requirements for a
fixed column height, due to closer tray spacings.

This paper surveys the heat pump systems cur

rently in operation using high performance UCC MD
trays and High Flux tubing. Design considerations
for high or low pressure level towers, with single
or dual stage compression equipment are discussed,
along with the various control methods. Factors
affecting startup, part load, and off design
operation of the equipment are also reviewed.
INTRODUCTION
The philosophy used to design plants 5-10 years
ago is no longer valid due to the rapid increase in
the cost of energy which has been estimated to have
risen, in some cases, by an order of magnitude since
the early 70's.(1) The classic design approach has
been based on the availability of low cost fuels
which caused capital investment to be the dominant
variable in the economic analysis. Although invest
ment costs cannot be ignored, today's economics
favor higher capital costs in order to reduce energy
consumption and improve overall system efficiency.
This is usually at the expense of a more complex
system, such as a vapor recompression system, which
is discussed below.
The major consumers of energy in refining or
petrochemical plants are the distillation columns,
where crude streams are refined to salable final
products. Distillation is the most widely used
separation operation due to its relative simplicity. (2)
Heat at a high energy level is supplied at the re
boiler and is rejected in the overheads. This,
however, also makes distillation operations energy
inefficient, and it comes as no surprise that the
majority of a plant's operating cost may be attri
buted to it. Development of an effective method for
reducing the energy consumed, particularly for dif
ficult separations, will result in substantial
operating cost savings.
The methods used to decrease the energy usage of
distillation columns are varied. These may fall into

The vapor recompression scheme mentioned a!ove

may be one of the most attractive means for red~cing
operating costs for difficult sep~rations. Thejheat
pump has been used in industry for many years, put
only recently have its economic advantages in m~ny
applications become overwhelming, due to increa~ed
energy costs. As a result, interest in this tYfe of
system has increased significantly as evidencedlby
the work of many individuals (I, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)lwho
have investigated and reported on the use of vafor
recompression schemes in the past few years.
!

Proceedings from the Third Industrial Energy Technology Conference Houston, TX, April 26-29, 1981

91

Heat pumps are extremely competitive when fom

pared to conventional systems (i.e., steam rebo~ler/
cooling water condenser) where close boiling co~
pounds are being separated. These compounds inr
herently have low relative volatilities and req~ire
large amounts of heat to produce each pound of I
product. Expensive heating media provide great~r
justification for the use of a vapor recompress~on
cycle. The separation of components with low r~la
tive volatilities is ideally represented by the! super
fractionation of a propylene-propane mixture in~o a
polymer grade product. This separation can require
100-300 trays depending upon the pressure level' and
product purities required. (8) Propylene-propane
columns with pressure levels of 40 to 320 psia

ESL-IE-81-04-17

can be found with product purities of 99.5% to 99.7%+,

the system to lower compressor horsepower by sub

cooling the reflux stream. This lowers the amount
of flash recycled to the compressor.
HIGH EFFICIENCY PROCESS EQUIPMENT
Union Carbide has developed two specific types
of equipment that can reduce operating costs regard
less of the schemes used, but which are extremely
well suited to a heat pump application. Both are
well proven technologies, with numerous successful
applications in the petrochemical industry.

p. 17G PSIA

a.
CW
TIN- 8S-F

High Flux tubing has a porous metallic film which

is metallurgically bonded to the heat transfer sur
face to promote nucleate boiling. (9) Whereas on
non-enhanced tubing, bubbles originate at random
sites, the multitude of pores which function as
sites for vapor generation in the High Flux surface
result in boiling heat transfer coefficients 10-30
fold greater than obtained by bare tubes. As a
result of achieving higher boiling coefficients, the
controlling heat transfer resistance is shifted to
the hot (or condensing) side, This often requires
complementary enhancement of the condensing side to
balance heat transfer resistances and to achieve
optimum overall coefficients. Suitable methods for
enhancement of the condensing side include the use
of extended areas (fluted tubes), turbulence pro
motion, or high tube side velocities. Overall heat
transfer coefficients of 3 to 8 times the conven
tional values are achieved in this manner. As an
example, Figure 2 shows the performance of High Flux
versus non-enhanced heat exchange equipment for an
externally fluted tube condensing propylene and

P'27G PSIA
T. 112- F

FIGURE
TYPICAL

VAPOR

RECOMPRESSION

High Flux Tubing

CYCLE

PROCESS FLOW ARRANGEMENT FOR C HEAT PUMPS

3
The most common recompression cycle, t~e con
cept of which is illustrated in Figure 1,(7 differs
from the conventional system by the addition of a
compressor, which raises the overhead vapor to a
pressure high enough to be used as the condensing
heating medium in the reboiler. In addition, the
pressure level of the column itself can then be lower
than that required for a conventionally-driven system.
This has the effect of making the separation easier
by significantly improving the relative volatility of
the components. The overhead vapor, after being com
pressed, is desuperheated and partially condensed
against cooling water in a trim cooler, removing an
amount of heat approximately equivalent to the input
due to compression. The stream is then totally con
densed in the reboiler/condenser. The exit stream,
which is condensed propylene, is split into product
and reflux fractions. The reflux stream (at a higher
pressure than column conditions) is fed back to the
column and will flash upon entry. The flashed vapor
portion of the reflux stream combines with the vapor
from the top tray and comprises the flow at the com
pressor suction. Depending upon the thermal quality
of the feeds and product streams, additional heat
exchange equipment, besides the reboiler-condenser
and trim cooler, may be necessary. For example, in
the severe case of a highly subcooled feed and vapor
propylene product, heat input may actually be needed
in the system to maintain a balance. Typically, more
than enough heat is present, due to the vapor from
the reflux stream being recycled. In some cases,
additional exchangers are used to remove heat from

1000

700

},,

,..:
"

Ii

500

:I:

;; 400

....
ID
I

....z

w
U

u:

""'-----HIGH

FLUX PERFORMANCE
TUBE)

(20'

300

200

"
w

o
U

II:
W

"</)

II:

100

....

....

. - - - - - - - - -TYPI CAL

<t
W

:I:

...J
...J

<t
II:
W

CONVENTIONAL PERFORMANCE

50

30

20

15

10

LMTO - 'F.

FIGURE
PERFORMANCE

OF

CONOENSING

EXTERNALLY

C3 He

AT

2
FLUTEO

HIGH

150 PSIA, BOILING

Proceedings from the Third Industrial Energy Technology Conference Houston, TX, April 26-29, 1981

92

FLUX
C3 He

TUBE

0"

;.~

ESL-IE-81-04-17

amount of vapor being compressed is reduced. Th~,

ability to design at low tray spacings will also!
allow a difficult separation such as in a propylr ne
propane splitter to be performed in one column I
versus two, thereby resulting in significant cap~tal
savings. Column diameters with MD trays are alSr'
typically smaller because the downcomer arrange
ment (i.e., downcomers terminating in the vapor I
space) eliminates the need for receiving pans. ~his
maximizes the amount of tower area used as activj'
area for vapor passage.
\

boiling propane on the inside. At a temperature

difference of 100F., the High Flux tube achieves
overall coefficient of approximately 400 BTU/Hr.
ft. 2 OF. and results in a 4.6 fold improvement over
the bare surface tube. The higher overall co
efficients achieved by High Flux tubes result in
fewer or smaller units and/or allow operation at
lower temperature differences. This is highly
desirable in vapor recompression systems where delta
T has a major effect on the compression ratio and
resulting operating costs. Studies on the vapor
recompression system indicate the optimum High Flux
design to be a single shell unit with a delta T of
100F. This results in minimum horsepower require
ments. Figure 3 shows a High Flux vertical thermo
siphon reboiler awaiting installation for use in a
large propylene-p,ropane heat pump unit in Europe,
which has been successfully operating since early
1980.

I
0 : . : .

..............

".

II
VAPOR

"It"

b.

now

PATHS fOA

IltO TltAYS

A number of engineering contractors and

1
operating companies have employed Union Carbide'\s
High Flux and Multiple Downcomer tray technolog~es
to improve performance, decrease utilities and I
lower operating costs in their designs. Howevet"
experience is not limited to supplying heat exc~ange
and distillation tray equipment, and responsibi~ity
has been undertaken for the equipment, process ~nd
control system design when required.

PLUX IlIIOILIII POll LAMI C, IPLI TTlII

"IAT

AND LIQUID

,1ItII,

HEAT PUMP APPLICATIONS

Multiple Downcomer Trays

The vapor recompression cycle can utilize 4ither

one or two stages of compression. The two stag~
system will be more energy efficient, but proce~s
complexity will be increased. Questions concer~ing
system reliability, balancing of flows, and easd of
control will need to be addressed. Although laJge
size plants can justify the additional complexi~y
of a two stage heat pump system, the optimum fr~m
the standpoint of simplicity and reliability is !the
. l

I
s1ng
e stage'
un1t.

In the distillation column itself, Multiple

Downcomer (MD) trays also permit a more favorable
balance of investment and operating costs over con
ventional trays. The Multiple Downcomer tray, as
shown in Figure 4, makes use of downcomers dis
tributed across the tray deck. The downcomers,
fabricated as elongated troughs, collect liquid and
distribute it to the tray below and also act as the
primary mechanical support for the tray. Each suc
cessive tray is rotated 90 0 to provideCredistribution
of the liquid and vapor from tray to tray. The
vapor flows up through the perforated deck material
while the liquid issues through spouts in the bottom
of the downcomer directly onto the froth of the tray
below. This eliminates the need for the downcomer
liquid to overcome the head of liquid at the tray
inlet as on a conventional tray, and results in tray
spacings closer than conventional trays (12-14"
versus 18-24"). Thus, lower reflux ratios are
achievable due to the additional theoretical trays
which can be supplied within a given ' column height
limitation. In the vapor recompression system, this
results in lower horsepower requirements because the

a.

Single Stage of Compression

I
Ii

I
Union Carbide has designed two energy effidient
heat pumps since 1976, utilizing a single stage!of
compression at the process conditions discussed!
below. Both units were designed to produce pol~er
grade propylene with purities in excess of 99.5~.
One of these units has been successfully operat~ng
in the Gulf Coast since 1979, while startup of ~he
second unit is expected in late 1981.
The pressure level of the single stage system
is dependent upon the cooling water temperature :and

Proceedings from the Third Industrial Energy Technology Conference Houston, TX, April 26-29, 1981

93

ESL-IE-81-04-17

the temperature differences on the heat exchange

equipment. With an assumed cooling water temperature
of 85 0 F. and an allowable rise of 20 0 F., the com
pressor discharge conditions are a pressure of
approximately 275 psia with a dew point of l12 0 F.
The actual conditions are somewhat higher since the
discharge is superheated. The trim cooler removes
the superheat and partially condenses the propylene
stream. This two phase stream then enters the
reboiler/condenser. Using High Flux tubing to
achieve a 100F. delta T and minimize the compression
ratio results in a bottoms temperature of 102 0 F.,
which corresponds to approximately 190 psia, the
bottoms being mainly propane. Accounting for the
pressure drop through the maximum number of MD trays
that could be supplied in one column results in a
head pressure of 175 psia.

The control scheme for a heat pump can be de

signed to be no more complex than a conventional
steam/cooling water system which relies on flow and
level controllers to set the various column flow
rates. This type of scheme has the advantage of
relative simplicity but must be somewhat overdriven
to account for minor upsets in product purity and
recovery. Although this may be typical of cornmon
operating practices, it does waste some of the
benefits to the heat pump system. Additional ins
trumentation for feedback and feedforward control
can be added to the system to make it operate in a
manner so that design purities and recoveries are
obtained at the minimum energy requirement. Union
Carbide's design of the control scheme for two C3
heat pump units provided the degree of simplicity/
complexity that was required to produce a high
grade propylene product.

The lower pressure level of the heat pump sys

tem along with the use of high performance equipment
results in significantly lower heat and utility
requirements than can be achieved in a high pressure
conventional system. The heat required to perform
the same separation at a head pressure of 175 psia
is less than 85% of that needed by the conventional
system which operates at 280 psia, as set by the
requirement for condensation against cooling water.
Lower operating costs are obtained due to elimination
of the majority of steam and cooling water require
ments. Table I compares utility requirements for
these two systems and shows the advantage of the
heat pump system. The estimated energy savings are
approximately $1,340,000 per year for this size
plant. Larger size plants will exhibit greater
benefits. For example, in one plant producing
70,000 lbs/hr. of propylene, the savings in switch
ing to a heat pump system using High Flux was
estimated to be in excess of $2,300,000 per year.

The startup of these units is fairly straight

forward, with only the normal level of difficulties
expected at the start of any new system. The
majority of the problems can be reduced by proper
purging of the system and subsequent rejection of
all inert components. These compounds can accu
mulate in the system and prevent the design con
ditions from being met. Most cornmon is the buildup
of non-condensibles in the reboiler/condenser
which impairs effective heat transfer. After
purging and rejection of any inerts in the system,
the column should be pressurized to prevent thermal
shock upon addition of the propylene feed. The
compressor is run on total recycle with the trim
cooler keeping the system from building up excess
energy. Liquid level is built up in the column
bottoms and vapor is allowed to be fed to the re
boiler/condenser. Vaporization of the bottoms
liquid starts to bring the unit on line. As the
level in the bottoms drops, more feed is added.
The condensed vapors from the reboiler-condenser
go to the column as reflux. After pressurization,
startup of this type unit can be completed in 3-8
hours. In bringing the system down for short
periods of time, no specified techniques are
needed, as much of the equipment is kept running
as long as possible. Short shutdowns (I-day) will
not require removal of the liquid from the column
if it is insulated, since a large volume of liquid
is involved and heat leak will be slow. For
longer periods, process liquid should be drained
from the system.

TABLE I

COMPARISON BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL

PROPYLENE PROPANE SPLITTER

AND HEAT PUMP WITH HIGh

EFFICIENT PROCESS F.QUIPMF,NT

Convent iona]

Vapor
Recompression

Cycle

System

Vnlve

Tra.y Type
Tray Spacinl{,

18

In.

IR.3

Reflux Ratio

Ba re Tube

Rplloj lC'Ts

I!P<.lt Duty,

10

BTU/Ar

or

Overhend Temp ..

CondC!n~ill~ Tt1mp.

OF

Reboiler Della T, OF
2
Overall

}\rt~a,

COf'~~~/':[~~\'t2 OF

82.0

b.

112

]35

10
9,100

KW

St.eam F'lnw,

Lbs/lir.

.no

46,21,:)

$5/l000 Ibs. RteQ.m

EnerKY COF;t

$!pcr ypar

Operalin~ Savjnr;l':,

1.85 x lOfi

$/YI~ar

$.O;'/KW

.51

Two Stages of Compression

The heat pump description up to this point in

time has been for a system with a single stage of
compression. We will now"describe how a customer
used the Union Carbide products somewhat differently
in a heat pump design. The propylene c~lumn was
designed with a single stage of compression, a
head pressure of 130 psia, and produced a polymer
grade product. A single column w~th approximately
200 MD trays spaced at 13 inches was used to
perform the split. Th~ 13.0' diameter column was
shop fabricated and erected with the trays in
place. High Flux tubing was not originally spe
cified for this unit. Conventional heat exchange
equipment was used and the temperature difference
in the reboiler/condenser was 40 0F. The potential

102,0

Propyl fOnt>

270

100

Ttlhe~

1,270

Compres~or,

Opcrllt.inr, Cust,

12.6

J16.R

3,325

Ft

14
lIh!:h Flu,,"
37.6

Stcl\rn

Fluid

180

41. B

1 :3~

Rolloms Tl!mp .. or
Condf't1sin~

llebn11 (>r

Multiple Downcomer

140

NumlJcr of Tr:lYR

10

1 .3'1 x 10

Fi,'d as nll\ximum within hf'l~ht n'!:-;tl'ie-tlon.

Proceedings from the Third Industrial Energy Technology Conference Houston, TX, April 26-29, 1981

94

ESL-IE-81-04-17
i

of $450,000 using an assumed value of $300/horser

I
power.
I

for significant improvement existed with this high

temperature difference. It required that the column
be operated at a pressure of 130 psia with the
entire overhead stream compressed to 290 psia, such
that the heat of compression could be removed with
cooling water. This resulted in a compression ratio
of 2.23 and an associated horsepower of 6200.

TABLE I I
COMPARISON OF SINGLE STAGE
HEAT PUMP VERSU~ TWO S'l'AGE
SYSTf:M WITH HIGH FLUX TUBING REV/1MP

2 NO. STAGE

I ST. STAGE

B<'f()Tf>

Ileut Pump.

ProeC!'ilj Type
Staji!;f'~ of

TRIM
. COOLER

DISTILLATION
TOWER

Comprf':"fiion

H{'ud rr~ssur(", p~ j a

l~O

Propylene Condenser. psta

290

Prurylcn(' Condpn~wr. or

120

Battaml-' Temper.atuTf", Or'

RO

llt'boilf'T nelto. T, of

40
R6.0

Ilpbui If'T Duty, MMnTU/Hr

RnTf' Tube

rtf-hoi 1('1' '{'YPC"

Hchoi IPT Arc,l

Ov('ra 11 U '
o

Ft

nTO/IIT.

1H, 313

12, RRn

H 2 of

2 - fiR"

Hpboilt'r Si7.<>

x 10'

:20n

Numher nf 1'ray!'" , <1l1prO)l.

Mlll t iplf'

Tray Typf>

nOwn(~ompr

Pt'odllct

Flow,

Ib:--/hr.

..I---

anrt R. 000

PRODUCT

_ f,H" x lf1

lill! {iplf'
nflWIH'/'nwr

:,(;,000

6,200

'1,700

Ih~.

200

47,(\(,\0

I'OWPT S:tvin~~s, at $0.05/KW

II-~I

96.6
JliJ!,"h Flux

"!iO.O(I\)

REBOILER - CONDENSER

SUMMARY
FIGURE
CONVERSION
TRAYS

TO

OF

SINGLE

TWO

STAGE HEAT PUMP WITH

STAGE

SYSTEM

USING HIGH

Although not universally applicable due to It he

availability of waste heat and other separation I
constraints, the heat pump process can be a verY,
useful energy saver under correct conditions. ~n
the current worsening energy situation, low cos~
heat is scarce and methods for in.proving system i
efficiencies, such as the heat pump, are requirdd.
Although Union Carbide's vapor rec'ompression
i
designs have been with systems separating C3 co~
pounds, the heat pump scheme should be equally !
advantageous for units separating close boiling i
compounds such as C4 's ~iso/normal), xylenes, e~c.
The continuing rise in en~rgy costs may, in facti,
make the heat pump scheme \economical in the fut~re
for systems which today would not seem to be
i
favored by it.
i

LIN DE (j<)
FLUX

A switch to a slightly more complex unit was

made in the mid-70's to improve the energy effi
ciency of the unit (see Figure 5). At this time,
reboilers with High Flux tubing were substituted
for the existing units in order to lower the tempera
ture difference on the reboiler/condenser and de
crease operating costs. In addition to the first
stage of compression, a second stage was added. The
first stage now only needed to compress the overhead
stream to a pressure level high enough to be able
to boil the bottoms, independent of the cooling
medium used to reject the heat of compression. A
portion of the discharge from the first stage is
compressed to a higher level so that the heat of
compression can be removed in the trim cooler. The
remainder of the first stage discharge is used to
boil the bottoms. A comparison of the two systems
can be found in Table II. With the drop in tempera
ture difference from 40 o F. to l5 0 F. and the addition
of the second stage, a reduction in the compression
ratio of the first stage from 2.23 to 1.69 was
obtained. Column pressure levels were increased
slightly and approximately 20% higher product flows
were achieved. The overall horsepower was reduced
from 6200 to 4700 at the new product rates. The
yearly savings in operating costs is on the order

REFERENCES
(1)

Kenney, N.F., "Reducing the Energy Demand elf

Separation Processes," CEP, March 1979,
I
pp. 68-71.

(2) Mix, T.J., Dweck, J.S., Weinberg, M.,

Armstrong, R.C., "Energy Conservation in

Distillation," CEP, April 1978, pp. 49-55.

(3) Wolf, C.W., Weiler, C.W., Ragi, E.G.,

"Energy Savings Prompt Improved Distillation,"
Oil and Gas Journal, 9/1/75, pp. 85-88.

Proceedings from the Third Industrial Energy Technology Conference Houston, TX, April 26-29, 1981

95

ESL-IE-81-04-17

(4)

Wolf, C.W., "High Flux Tubing Conserves Energy,"

July 1976.

(5)
(6)

(7)

Quadri, G.P., "Use Heat Pump for P-P Splitter,"

Hydrocarbon Processing, Vol. 60, No.2, Feb.
1981.

Null, H.R., "Heat Pumps in Distillation,"

CEP, July 1976, pp. 58-64.

(8)

Null, H.R., "Heat Pumps Reduce Distillation

Energy Requirements," Oil and Gas Journal,
2/9/76, pp. 96-98.

Kirkpatrick, R.D., "MD Trays Can Provide Savings

in Propylene Purification," Oil and Gas Journal,
April 3, 1978, pp. 72-83.

(9)

Gottzmann, C.F., O'Neill, P.S., Minton, P.E.,

"High Efficiency Heat Exchangers," CEP .2.,
No.7, July 1973.

Proceedings from the Third Industrial Energy Technology Conference Houston, TX, April 26-29, 1981

96