Application of Packed Bed Column Distillation in Industry

Application of packed bed column distillation in industry Packed column bed distillation is used to enhance contact between vapor and liquid instead of trays packing. It is more preferable to use packed bed column over tray packing when the most cost-efficient distillation column when the diameter of the column is less than 0.6 m. Packed bed column also has the advantage of a smaller pressure drop and is, therefore, useful in vacuum fractionation. Not only that, packed bed column is the best option when handling corrosive chemicals because packing can be made from inert materials, cheap ceramic packing material, or other chemicals resistant packing element . Moreover, it is good to be used to separate thermally sensitive liquids. For foaming liquid, the handling of foaming liquid in packed column is more appropriate because of the relatively low degree of agitation by the gas. However, if solid particles are present in the liquid, the cleaning of a packing section is much too complicated and expensive compared with the plate discharge. The packed bed column is not suitable for working under stressed conditions of temperature variations and pressure because the packing elements are easily breakable. For operation of too low liquid flow, contact efficiencies are decreased because the wetting of packing material may not be adequate. For too high liquid flow rate, it is not economical. Packed bed column is often used to recover solvents. The packed bed distillation columns pictured below to the left are used the in petrochemical industry. The picture below to the right shows a pilot plant packed bed column.

In petrochemical industry, the example of processes involve with distillation from hydrocarbon mixtures are splitting of gas condensate into naphtha and low sulphur gas oil, splitting off spec low flash petroleum products into gasoline component and gasoil component, producing clean gasoil from dark gasoil, splitting pipeline interfaces into gasoline component and gasoil component. Packed bed column is also used in a pilot plant. A pilot plant is a small industrial system which is operated to generate information about the behavior of the system for use in design of larger facilities. The pilot plant can be used for training personnel for a full-scale plant. Pilot plants are used to reduce the risk associated with construction of large process plants.

(Copyright Sulzer Chemtech Ltd., Switzerland)

The packed columns shown below are used in an ethanolamine plant. In this plant, the overhead vapors from the main water distillation column are used as a heat source for the ammonia stripper boilers in the operation of main ammonia absorber.

(Copyright Sulzer Chemtech Ltd., Switzerland)

http://encyclopedia.che.engin.umich.edu/Pages/SeparationsChemical/DistillationColumns/Distill ationColumns.html

http://www.hyper-tvt.ethz.ch/contactors-comparison.php http://www.odfjell.com/TollDistillation/Documents/PID%20Flyer%20062010.pdf