It would be interesting to hear if you had an upset or pressure surge to damage the trays.
Gamma Scanning the tower will let you know the status of the trays (if they are in place, missing or damaged) as well as any fluid operating characteristics of the tower if the trays are in place (liquid...
If you are having problems with the operation of the tower as described you may want to conduct a Gamma Scan of the tower to confirm or reject possibilities. From your initial question, yes it did appear that the trays were fouling off, after you mentioned the damaged downcomers and the upsets...
Gents,
Jason5000 makes some good points on Gamma Scanning. The scanning crew should be a good reference to suggest the best procedure, with your consultation, to obtain good results.
In the first example, the tower was most likely scanned in an unflooded operating condition to verify that the...
Jan,
If you are now thinking that the trays may be fouled or damaged, a Gamma Scan of the tower may help to resolve this issue.
Scanning Technologies works in several countries around the world. Visit their website at www.scanningtech.com for more information on this service.
Scanning Technologies provides Gamma Scanning services as well as Tracerco/TruTec. I would suggest Gamma Scans be performed across all of the active areas of the trays as one section may be giving you problems and the other side not.
To evaluate antifoam use, Gamma Scanning can be performed...
I formerly worked for Tracerco and they definitely have the technology to tag the feeds, one at a time, and perform a distribution study through your vessel to provide the required information. They use short lived radioisotopes and will perform all of the necessary calculations to ensure the...
You may also want to consider using some Gamma Scanning to inspect the operation of the columns before you shut down. This may reduce the number of columns you actually need to enter for inspection/repair or can indicate the extent of the repairs that will be required so you can plan time...
You may want to look into Neutron Backscatter technologies. They are based on the hydrogen content of the process fluids and can determine interfaces such as oil/water/vapour as well as emulsion layers. The one drawback is the depth of investigation is limited to about 4 inches from the...
Everyone has noted excellent comments about post installation inspections. At the end of it all the responsibility is yours to ensure that all has been installed correctly. If something goes wrong as epoisses mentions, it can cost a lot of money and possibly another shutdown or two to fix...
I've worked as a wireline hand and MWD over the past 10 years for a few different companies in Canada and abroad. My advice to any MWD new people is to become an avid reader or take up something constructive on the computer (courses, programming, etc.) this will help to pass the time.
The work...
imans,
Gamma Scanning will indeed tell you if there is tray damage and also problems in packed beds.
Check out our website at www.scanningtech.com for more information on the service and to request information.
We offer the same services as Tracerco and TruTec at more cost effective...
This does not involve the calculations but to actually see the extent of flooding on the trays or liquid in the downcomers you could use a service called a Gamma Scan. It is non-invasive and is done while on-line. It can tell you the height of liquid on trays, flooding, foaming, entrainment...
