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Dr. Nabeel Ahmad: Department of Chemical Engineering COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus

The document describes the key components and operating principles of packed towers and tray towers used for gas-liquid absorption processes in chemical engineering. Packed towers contain random or structured packing to maximize gas-liquid contact within a cylindrical shell. Tray towers contain a series of perforated trays to create a countercurrent flow of gas bubbles rising through a cascading liquid. Common tray types include bubble cap, sieve, and valve trays. Towers also include internals like demisters, nozzles, downcomers, and weirs to control phase distribution and separation.

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Furqan Ahmed
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63 views

Dr. Nabeel Ahmad: Department of Chemical Engineering COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus

The document describes the key components and operating principles of packed towers and tray towers used for gas-liquid absorption processes in chemical engineering. Packed towers contain random or structured packing to maximize gas-liquid contact within a cylindrical shell. Tray towers contain a series of perforated trays to create a countercurrent flow of gas bubbles rising through a cascading liquid. Common tray types include bubble cap, sieve, and valve trays. Towers also include internals like demisters, nozzles, downcomers, and weirs to control phase distribution and separation.

Uploaded by

Furqan Ahmed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Dr.

Nabeel Ahmad
Department of Chemical Engineering
COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore campus
Email: [email protected]
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
(CLO) of MTO

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES DOMAIN/


PERFORMANCE CRITERIA TK / GS LEVEL PLO
(CLO) ELEMENTS

Student should be able to describe


Describe the basic principles of mass transfer the basic principles of mass transfer
CLO 1 phenomena in Chemical Engineering processes and phenomena in Chemical TK C 2 1
operations. Engineering processes and
operations.
Student should be able to solve
CLO 2 Solve problems using principles of mass transfer problems using principles of mass TK C 3 1
transfer
Ability to analyze mass transfer
CLO 3 Analyze mass transfer operations and equipment operations and equipment required TK C 4 2
for the separation
Ability to design mass transfer
CLO 4 Design equipment related to mass transfer operation operations and equipment required TK C 6 3
for the separation
Liquid-Gas contacting equipment (Absorption)
The Packed tower
• It consists of a cylindrical shell filled with a suitable packing
material to provide a large interfacial area of contact between the
phases.

• A set of ‘tower internals’ such as packing support, liquid and gas


distributors and redistributors, demister etc are fitted into the
tower.

• The liquid is distributed at the top of the packing and trickles down
through the bed.

• The gas is fed at the bottom. It flows up through the void spaces of
the bed and comes in intimate contact with the liquid flowing
down the packing surface as a film.

• The packing material is held on a support plate having provisions


for gas distribution at and liquid discharge from the bottom of the
packed section.
The Packed tower
The Shell
• It is a cylinder made of steel, or plastics, ceramic materials, or any other suitable material.
• A pipe section may be used as the shell if the diameter is small
• The shell should be strong enough to withstand the weight of the packing and also of the liquid
held in the bed.
• It should not fail under wind load.

Packing
• A variety of packings differing in shape, size and performance are available.
• These may be classified into three categories: (1) random or dumped packings, (2) structured
packings, and (3) Grid packings
• Random packings are just dumped into the shell to give the packing pieces a random orientation.
• Structured packings are stacked in the shell to take the shape of a packed bed.
The Packed tower
Characteristics of tower packings
1. A large surface area: Interfacial area of contact between the gas and the liquid is created in a
packed bed by spreading of the liquid on the surface of the packing. Smaller packings offer a
larger area per unit packed volume, but the pressure drop per unit bed height becomes more.

2. Uniform flow of the gas and the liquid: The packed bed must have a uniform voidage so that a
uniform flow of the gas and of the liquid occurs. The shape of the packing should be such that
no stagnant pocket of liquid is created in the bed. A stagnant liquid pool is not effective for
mass transfer.

3. Void volume: A packed bed should have a high fractional voidages so as to keep the pressure
drop low.

4. Mechanical strength: Sufficient strength to avoid breakage during installation or operation

5. Fouling resistance: Packing should be resistant to fouling or sediments within the bed. Bigger
packings are less susceptible to fouling. Also, packing should not trap fine solid particles that
may be present in the liquid.
Tray and plate tower
• A tray tower primarily consists of a vertical
cylindrical shell and a set of ‘tower internals’.
• Trays or plates on which the gas-liquid contact
occurs.
• Arrangements for flow of the liquid from one tray
to the lower one through the down comer.
• Inlet & outlet nozzles for the two phases.
• In a gas absorption application, the liquid enters
the top tray through a nozzle.
• It flows across each tray and flows into the lower
tray through a ‘down comer’.
• The gas flows upwards and vigorously bubbles
through the liquid on a tray.
• Then forms a turbulent ‘gas-liquid dispersion’ in
which bubble breakage and coalescence occur
continuously.
Tray and plate tower
• Mass transfer from the gas to the liquid (or from
the liquid to the gas) phase occurs depending on
the direction of the driving force.

• In gas absorption, the solute gets transported from


the gas to the liquid phase.

• The reverse occurs in stripping.

• The gas then leaves the froth or dispersion and


enters the next upper tray.

• The liquid flows across a tray and then over a ‘weir’


to enter into the downcomer.

• The downcomer is a region near the wall, separated


by a downcomer plate, in which the bubbles get
disengaged from the liquid.
Tray and plate tower

• Counter current contact

• Each tray act as a stage i.e. liquid to top and gas


from bottom and contact happens

• No of equilibrium stages (ideal stages) required


for the separation are determine by mass balance
and equilibrium considerations.

• Stage efficiency and no of real trays is determine


by mechanical design and conditions of operation.

• Tower less than 1m in dia are rarely used

• Tower more than 10m in dia are mostly used


Tray and plate tower
The shell
• Made of metal or alloy.
• Plastic shell is also used sometimes.
• MOC is selected on the basis of; corrosiveness of fluid, T and P conditions,
and COST
• Shell thickness is measured using ASTM standard vessel design code (e.g.
ASME Section VIII; IS 2825)
• Liquid load and wind stress
• Since the bending moment due to wind load is maximum at the tower
bottom, it is a common practice to use different wall thickness for
different sections of the shell.
• The bottom section has the maximum thickness and the upper sections
have gradually smaller thickness.
• This strategy substantially reduces the weight and cost of the shell
Tray and plate tower
The Tray
• Trays are also called Plates
• It allows the gas to flow through the holes or
passages
• The gas vigorously bubbles through the
liquid to form a gas-liquid dispersion. The
tray holds the dispersion on it.
• Mass transfer between the phases occurs on
a tray.
• Therefore, the trays as a whole constitute
the heart of a column.
• The performance of the column depends
upon the performance of the trays
Tray and plate tower
The Tray
• Bubble cap: Consists of bell shaped cap and a
riser or chimney

• Sieve tray

• Valve tray (flow rate controlling)


1. Principle of mass transfer and separation processes by Binay Dutta
• The opening of value changes with gas flow
rate as show in figure but disk is always held
on a vertical lines
• As gas flow increases, disk raises
automatically.
• It lower down at low gas flowrate to avoid
weeping
• Good choice for highly fouling services due to
self cleaning.
• Gives low pressure drop and cheaper.

Disadvantages
• Sticking of disk on tray if there is any sticky
deposition of disk or tray

1. Principle of mass transfer and separation processes by Binay Dutta


Other parts in absorption column
• Demister/ Mist eliminator:
A mist eliminator, designed for submicron droplet separation. It
removes droplets from air or gas streams. In absorption column,
Mist eliminator are used to prevent the little entrainment of liquid
in the up flowing vapor
• Nozzles:
A tower for contacting a liquid and a vapor ( or a gas) should be
provided with a few nozzles for: feed entry (both gas and liquid);
entry of reflux in case of distillation and for product withdrawal
from the tower.
• Down comer & Weirs:
Downcomer is a passage through which the liquid flows down
from one tray to the next below. The desired depth of the gas-
liquid dispersion is maintained on a tray by using a Weir in a form
of a vertical plate. Downcomer must provide a sufficient residence
time for gas- liquid disengagement. Residence time is usually 3 to
5seconds. However for a foaming liquid considerably higher
residence time is required.

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