Plate column design

maximum feed rate = 10000 kg/h

Miimum feed rate = 7000 kg/h
No of stage = 16
Slope of bottom operating line = 5
Slope of top operating line = 0.57
Top composition = 94 % mol acetone
Bottom composition = 0 Essentially water
Reflux ratio, R = 1.35
Mole fraction of acetone in feed = 0.033
MW of acetone = 58
MW of water = 18
Column efficiency = 0.6
Delta P per plate assumed = 100 mmW
Density of water, ρL = 1000 kg/m3
Gravitational constant, g = 9.81 m/s2
Column pressure = 101.4 kPa
At base temp 106 deg C
ρL = 954.0 kg/m3
ρV = 0.7 kg/m3
Surface tension, σ = 0.057 N/m
At top temperature 57 deg C (98% w/w acetone)
ρL = 753 kg/m3
ρV = 2.05 kg/m3
Molecular wt = 55.6 kg/kgmol
Surface tension, σ = 0.023 N/m
Plate spacing = 0.5 m (Initial estimate)
Liquid surface tension = 0.02 N/m
% of maximum flooding for design = 0.85
Down comer area = 12 % of total
Turn-down = 70 %

Flow rates

Avg mol wt of feed = 19.32 kg/kmol

kmol/h of Feed = 672.88 kmol/h
Top product, D = 23.62 kmol/h
Therefore L0 = 31.89 kmol/h
Vapour rate, V = 55.51 kmol/h
Bottom product, B = 649.26 kmol/h
Vapour rate, Vm' (below feed) = 162.31 kmol/h
Liquid rate, Lm' (below feed) = 811.57 kmol/h

Physical properties

No of stages
Column pressure drop
Column top pressure
Column bottom pressure
= 25
= 24525 N/m2
= 101.4 kPa
= 125925 N/m2
= 1.26 bar

Column diameter

Liquid vapour factor FLV bottom = 0.13736056394869

Liquid vapour factor FLV top = 0.02974091310553
base K1 = 0.075 (From fig 11.27 RC-6 for abo
top K1 = 0.09 (From fig 11.27 RC-6 for abo

correction for surface tension

base K1
Top K1
base flooding velocity, uf
top flooding velocity, uf
base design velocity, ûv
top design velocity, ûv
= 0.09247625532649
= 0.09255120498902
= 3.36491600580968 m/s
= 1.77137559856702 m/s
= 2.86017860493823 m/s
= 1.50566925878197 m/s

max volumetric flowrate (based on design velocity)

base = 1.12717975590894 m3/s

top = 0.41822366981434 m3/s

Net area required

bottom = 0.39409418487461 m2
top = 0.27776596179739 m2

Column Cross-sectional area

base = 0.44783430099388 m2
top = 0.31564313840613 m2

Column diameter

base = 0.75511611127974
top = 0.63394741567656

Select same dia above and below the feed

OD of column = 812.8 mm
ID of column = 794 mm
Thickness = 9.52 mm

Liquid flow pattern

maximum volumetric liquid rate = 0.004254 m3/s

Provisional plate design

Column dia, Dc = 0.79 m

Column area Ac = 0.50 m2
Downcomer area, Ad = 0.06 m2 (12% of column area)
net area, An = 0.44 m2
Active area Aa = 0.38 m2
Hole area Ah 10% of Aa = 0.038 m2
lw/Dc = 0.76 (Please see Fig 11.31 pg 573
Weir length, lw = 0.60 m
Take weir height, hw = 50 mm
Hole dia = 5 mm
Plate thickness = 5 mm

Check weeping

maximum liquid rate = 4.06 kg/s

minimum liquid rate = 2.84 kg/s
maximum weir liquid creast, h ow = 27.57 mm liquid
minimum weir liquid creast, how = 22 mm liquid
At minimum rate hw + how = 72 mm

Constant K2 (In Fig 11.30) = 30.6 (depend on the depth of clea

Minimum design vapour velocity,ûh = 14 m/s
Actual minimum vapour velocity = 20.97 m/s

Plate pressure drop

maximum vapour velocity through = 29.95 m/s

holes, ûh
Plate thickness /hole dia = 1
Ah/Ap ≈ Ah/Aa = 0.1
orifice coefficient, C0 = 0.84 (From Fig 11.34 for plate thic
Dry plate drop, hd = 48.94 mm liquid
residual head, hr = 13.10 mm liquid
total plate pressure drop, ht = 139.62 mm liquid (hd+(hw+how)+hr)

Downcomer liquid back-up

Height of the bottom edge of the = 40

appron above the plate, hap
Aap = 0.024 m2
Head loss in downcomer, hdc = 5.15 mm
Back-up in downcomer, hb = 222.35 mm
Back-up in downcomer, hb = 0.22 m
1/2 * (lt + hw) = 0.28 m
Back-up in downcomer is less than 1/2*(l t + hw). So plate spacing is acceptable.

Check residence time

Downcomer residence time, tr = 3.11 sec

Downcomer residence time, tr is greater than 3 sec so, satisfactory.

Check entrainment

Actual velocity based on net area, u n = 2.52

Flooding velocity, uf = 3.36

% flooding = 74.8
Fractional entrainment, ᵠ = 0.018 (from fig 11.29 for %flooding
Fractional entrainment, ᵠ is much less than 0.1, so entrainment is OK.
As the % flooding is well below the design fiure of 0.85, the column
dimeter could be reduced, but this would increase the pressure drop.

Trial Layout

Unperforated strip round plate edge = 50 mm

Calming zone
weir length / column dia (lw/Dc)
Angle subtened by chord, θc
Angle sutended by the edge of the
plate
Mean length unperforated edge
= 50 mm
= 0.76
= 99 ⁰
= 81 ⁰
= 1.05 m
strip
Area of unperforated edge strips
Mean length of calming zone, approx
Area of calming zone
Total area of perforation, Ap
Hole area / perforated area A h/Ap
Pitch of hole / Pitch dia, lp/dh
hole pitch / hole dia should be between 2.5 to 4.0
Area of hole
Number of holes
= 0.053
= 0.65 m
= 0.065 m2
= 0.26 m2
= 0.1456
= 2.6 (From Fig 11.33 RC6)
= 1.96349540849E-05 m2
= 1916.52544

Key points
Plate spacing
1 Plate spacing from 0.15m to 1 m (6" to 36" is normally used.). Spacing
chosen will be depend upon column dia and operating condition.
2 Close spacing is used with small diameter column where there is space
restriction is there. Plate spacing of 0.3m to 0.6m is normally used.
And 0.5 meter is taken as initial estimate.
3 A larger spacing is needed between certain plates to accommodate
feed and side streams arrangements.
Column diameter
1 Factor that determines the column diameter is vapour flowrate.
The vapour velocity must be below which would cause excessive
entrainment or a high pressure drop.
Plate contactors
1 Cross flow plate is the most common type of plate contactor used in
distillation. In cross flow plate the liquid flows across the plate and
vapour up through plate.
2 Sieve plate, Bubble cap plate and valve plate. Sieve plates are
chepaest and are satisfactory for most application. Valve plates
shall be considered if spacified turn down ratio cannot be met
with sieve plates. Bubble cap should only be used where very
low vapour rates have to be handled. And possitive liquid seal is
essential at all flow rates.
% mol acetone
Essentially water

m (Initial estimate)

34710
13301
13950
3400
65361
(From fig 11.27 RC-6 for above F LV, pasted here)
(From fig 11.27 RC-6 for above F LV, pasted here)
m2 (12% of column area)

(Please see Fig 11.31 pg 573 RC6, pasted here)

(depend on the depth of clear liquid on the plate)

(From Fig 11.34 for plate thickness/ hole dia = 1 and A h/Ap = 0.1)

mm liquid (hd+(hw+how)+hr)

(from fig 11.29 for %flooding 74.8 and F LV = 0.14)

0.05
(From Fig 11.33 RC6) 0.0050006424