Packed towers

• Packed towers, used for continuous contact of liquid and gas in

both countercurrent and cocurrent flow, are vertical columns
which have been filled with packing or devices of large surface

2
 Packed column versus Tray column
Plate columns
• Plate columns can handle wide range of gas and liquid flow rates.

• Plate efficiency can be predicted more accurately

• Plate column operation is considerably smooth.

• Cooling arrangement can be provided in plate column.

• Plate column provide stage-wise contact.

• When the liquid cause fouling or deposition of solids, even though the tray is
blocked up, it is easier to clean it and manholes can be provided over the plate.

3
 Packed column versus Tray column
Packed column
• Packed columns are more suitable for low capacity operations, vacuum
operations (lower pressure drop), separating heat sensitive materials
(lower liquid hold-up), corrosive materials, and foaming systems.

• They provides continuous contact between the vapor and liquid phases.

• Modern high capacity packings are available in practically any material.

• Total weight of packed column is less due to use of low weight and high
capacity packing.

4
 Packed column versus Tray column
Disadvantages
Plate columns
• Foaming system reduces the performance of plate columns (use of anti-foam).
• Liquid hold up is very high. Therefore pressure drop is very high.
• For corrosive liquids, cost of plate column is too high.
• Supporting structure required is costly.

Packed column
• HETP and HTU prediction may not be very accurate.
• Packed columns are not suitable for very low liquid rates.
• Provision of cooling arrangement is difficult in packed columns.
• Removal of side stream is not possible in packed column.
5
6
7
 Packings

Regular
Random (Structural)

8
 Packing properties
• Provide for large interfacial surface area between liquid and gas (large
specific area, ap, m2/m3).

• Possess desirable fluid-flow characteristics (wettability, large voidage, ε,

and small drag coefficient. CD)

• Be chemically inert to fluids being processed at the operating condition.

• Have structural strength to permit easy handling and installation.

• Represent low cost.

9
10
11
12
 Random packings
Random packings are simply dumped into the tower during installation and allowed
to fall at random.

• Common types

1. Raschig ring

2. Pall ring

3. Lessing ring

4. Partition ring

5. Saddles

6. Tellerette
13
Raschig ring

14
Pall ring

15
Lessing ring

16
Partition ring

17
Saddles (Berl, Intalox and super Intalox)

18
Tellerette

19
Regular (Structural) packings

• The regular packings offer the advantages of low pressure drop

for the gas and greater possible fluid flow rates, usually at the
expense of more costly installation than random packing.

20
21
22
23
Raschig rings.

24
Multibeam support plate
25
Multibeam support plates
26
Bed limiter 27
Mist eliminator

28
Liquid distribution and packing irrigation: (a) inadequate, (b) adequate.
29
 Liquid distribution
• Adequate initial distribution of the liquid at the top of the packing is important.

• Dry packing is of course completely ineffective for mass transfer and various devices
are used for liquid distribution.

• For small tower diameters, perforated pipes and for large diameters weir-through
type liquid distributor is recommended.

• For large towers (d > 1.2 m) at least 50 points of introduction of liquid for each 1 m2
of tower cross section and a greater number for smaller diameters is necessary.

• In the case of random packings, the packing density, i.e., the number of packing
pieces per unit volume, is ordinarily less in the immediate vicinity of the tower walls.
30
 Liquid distribution
• This leads to a tendency of the liquid to segregate toward the walls and the
gas to flow in the center of the tower (channeling).

• This tendency is much less pronounced when the diameter of the

individual packing pieces is smaller than at least 1/8 the tower diameter.

• Tt is recommended that if possible, the ratio dp/T =1/8 to 1/15.

• Redistribution of the liquid is necessary from 3 to 10 times the tower

diameter, but at least every 6 or 7 m.

• With proper attention to liquid distribution, packed towers are successfully

built to diameters of 6 or 7 m or more.
31
Liquid distributors

32
Perforated pipes liquid distributor
33
Perforated pipes liquid distributor
34
Weir-trough liquid distributor
35
Weir-trough liquid distributor
36
Liquid distributors
37
Multipan MTS-109 two-stage
liquid distributor (Nutter Eng.,
Harsco Corp.)
38
Spray nozzle liquid distributors 39
Liquid Collectors

40
Liquid Redistributors

41
Packed tower design

42
Typical gas pressure drop for
counter-flow of liquid and
gas in random packings.
43
Typical gas pressure drop for counter-flow of liquid and gas in random packings.
44
45
Characteristics of random packings

46
Pressure drop (Ergun equation)

Packing effective diameter

47
 Mass transfer coefficients

For the gas phase

For the liquid phase

ds : the diameter of a sphere of the same surface as a single packing particle (not the same as dp).
εLO : The operating void space in the packing

48
 Liquid hold-up

 Holdup refers to the liquid retained in the tower as films wetting the packing and
as pools caught in the crevices between packing particles.
 It is found that the total holdup ϕLt is made up of two parts

ϕLt : Total liquid hold-up, volume liquid/packed volume.

ϕLs : Static liquid hold-up, volume liquid/packed volume.
ϕLO : Operating, or moving liquid holdup, volume liquid/packed volume.

49
 Liquid hold-up
 εLO : The operating void space in the packing

 aA: The interfacial specific mass transfer area for absorption and desorption, m2/m3

aAW : The interfacial areas for absorption and desorption with water or very dilute
aqueous solutions below loading (Shulman graphs)

50
 Liquid hold-up

aV: The interfacial specific mass transfer area for vaporization of pure liquid in a gas,
m2/m3

W: indicates Water as the liquid.

In distillation operation, aA should be used.

51
The Shulman data for water/air system

52
53
 Procedure
1. Select the proper packing type, size and material based on the operation, tower
diameter and materials in contact and read the packing specifications from the table
(Table 6.3).
2. Specify the liquid and gas mass flow rates and liquid and gas superficial mass
velocities.
3. From the Shulman data (Table 6.4) obtain aAW.
4. From Table 6.5 obtain ϕLs , ϕLsW and ϕLtW and then ϕLOW , ϕLO and ϕLt .
5. Obtain aA and εLO.
6. Calculate the mass transfer coefficients for the liquid and the gas phases.

54
 ‫)‪Continuous-Contact Equipment (Packed Towers‬‬

‫‪ ‬در اين برج ها‪ ،‬تماس مايع و گاز به صورت پيوسته است‪.‬‬
‫‪ ‬درون اين برج ها از قطعاتي به نام پركن يا آكنه پر شده است تا سطح تماس بين فازهـاي‬
‫گاز )بخار( و مايع را افزايش دهد‪.‬‬
‫‪ ‬افت فشار كمتري نسبت به برج هاي سيني دار دارند‪.‬‬
‫‪ ‬ارزان تر هستند‪.‬‬
‫‪ ‬ماندگي مايع در اين دستگاه ها كم است‪.‬‬
‫‪ ‬براي مواد حساس به دما مناسبند‪.‬‬
‫‪ ‬براي تقطيرهاي تحت خﻼء ايده آل هستند‪.‬‬

‫‪5/18/2021‬‬ ‫‪55‬‬
 ‫نفوذ بين فازها‬

N A  k y  y A ,G  y A ,i   k x  x A ,i  x A , L  y A,i  mx A,i
56
 N A  NB FG  k y , FL  k x
‫بخش غني سازي‬

d  Gy  d  Lx 
NA   k y  yi  y    k x  x  xi 
a dZ a dZ

Ze  Gy 2 d  Gy   Lx 2 d  Lx 
Z e   dZ  
k y a  yi  y   Lx a k x a  x  xi 

0  Gy a

‫ رابطه ي مشابهي بـراي بخـش عـاري سـازي نيـز مـي تـوان‬

.‫نوشت‬
‫ بر حسب مقاومت هر فاز تصميم گيري مي شود كـه از كـدام‬
.‫انتگرال استفاده شود‬
5/18/2021 57
 ‫اگر مقاومت در فاز گاز باشد يعني ‪ mk y  k x‬آنگاه تمام محاسبات بـر اسـاس فـاز گـاز‬
‫صورت مي گيرد‪.‬‬

‫‪G‬‬ ‫‪y2‬‬ ‫‪dy‬‬

‫‪H tG ‬‬ ‫‪Z e  H tG ‬‬ ‫‪ H tG N tG‬‬
‫‪k y a‬‬ ‫‪ya‬‬ ‫‪yi  y‬‬

‫اگر مقاومت در فاز مايع باشد يعني ‪ k x  mk y‬آنگاه تمام محاسبات بر اساس فـاز مـايع‬
‫صورت مي گيرد‪.‬‬

‫‪L‬‬ ‫‪x2‬‬ ‫‪dx‬‬

‫‪H tL ‬‬ ‫‪Z e  H tL ‬‬ ‫‪ H tL N tL‬‬
‫‪k x a‬‬
‫‪xa‬‬ ‫‪x  xi‬‬

‫‪5/18/2021‬‬ ‫‪58‬‬
 ‫اگر مقاومت در بين دو فاز تقسيم شده باشد و نتوان يك فاز را به عنوان كنتـرل كننـده در‬
‫نظر گرفت آنگاه بايد از ضرايب كلي انتقال جرم استفاده كرد‪.‬‬

‫اگر ‪ mk y  k x‬بهتر است محاسبات بر اساس فاز گاز صورت گيرد‪.‬‬

‫‪y2‬‬ ‫‪dy‬‬
‫‪Z e  H tOG ‬‬ ‫‪ H tOG N tOG‬‬
‫‪ya‬‬ ‫‪yi*  y‬‬

‫‪G‬‬ ‫‪mG‬‬ ‫‪y2‬‬ ‫‪dy‬‬

‫‪H tOG ‬‬ ‫‪ H tG ‬‬ ‫‪H tL‬‬ ‫‪,‬‬ ‫‪N tOG  ‬‬
‫‪K y a‬‬ ‫‪L‬‬ ‫‪ya‬‬ ‫‪yi*  y‬‬
‫‪1‬‬ ‫‪1 m‬‬
‫‪ ‬‬
‫‪K y k y k x‬‬
‫كه در آن ‪ m‬شيب خط تعادل است‪.‬‬

‫‪5/18/2021‬‬ ‫‪59‬‬
 .‫ بهتر است محاسبات بر اساس فاز مايع صورت گيرد‬m k y  k x ‫اگر‬

x2 dx
Z e  H tOL   H tOL N tOL
xa x  xi
*

L L x2 dx
H tOL   H tL  H tG , N tOL  
K x a mG xa x  xi*
1 1 1
 
K x k x mk y

.‫ شيب خط تعادل است‬m ‫كه در آن‬

5/18/2021 60
 Diffusing− Non−diffusing system

NA x y
NB  0  1 X  Y
N 1 x 1 y

Ls  L2 1  x2   L1 1  x1   L 1  x  Gs  G2 1  y2   G1 1  y1   G 1  y 

d  Gy   1  yi 
NA   FG ln  
ds  1 y 

ds  adV
dV  1 dZ  dZ d  Gy   1  yi 
NA   FG ln  
ds  adV  adZ adZ  1  y 
61
  G   y   dy  dy
d  Gy   d  s y   Gs d    G    G
 1 y  1 y 
s
 1  y  2  1 y
 

Z y1 Gdy
Gdy  1  yi  Z   dZ  
 FG ln   0 y2  1  yi 
1  y  adZ  1  y  FG a 1  y  ln  
 1  y 
FL FL a
 1  yi   1 x  1  yi  1  x  FG  1 x  FG a
FG ln    FL ln      
 1 y   1  xi  1  y  1  xi   1  xi 

y  yi  1  yi   1  y 

Z 
y1 Gdy 1  yi   1  y  1
y2 FG a 1  y   1  yi  y  yi
ln  
 1 y 
62
 Z 
y1 Gdy 1  yi   1  y  1
y2 FG a 1  y   1  yi  y  yi
ln  
 1  y 

1  yi   1  y   y  yi
1  y iM 
 1  yi   1  yi 
ln   ln  
 1 y   1 y 

G G G y1 1  y iM dy
H tG     cte. N tG  
FG a k y a 1  y iM kG aPt 1  y iM y2
1  y  y  yi 

y1 1  y iM dy
Z  H tG   H tG .N tG
y2
1  y  y  yi 
63
 Z 
x1 Ldx 1  x   1  xi  1
x2 FL a 1  x   1  x  xi  x
ln  
 1  x i 

1  x   1  xi  xi  x
1  x iM  
 1 x   1 x 
ln   ln  
 1  xi   1  xi 

L L L x1 1  x iM dx
H tL     cte. N tL  
FL a k x a 1  x iM k L aC 1  x iM x2
1  x  xi  x 

x1 Ldx
Z   H tL .N tL
x2  1 x 
FL a 1  x  ln  
 1  xi 
64
65