Field hydrotest of packed/trayed column in-situ condition with internals in place

[makrands9]

thread794-264881

Dears,

Have anyone came across the situation, wherein field hydrotest of tall packed column & trayed column is carried out in-situ condition without removing packed beds (structured packing, trough distributors, chimney trays, etc. in place) & trays (valve trays)?

 

[jojoyohan]

I've worked on plant designs where we would pneumatically test the plant including packed and trayed distillation columns in the field. Unpacking and repacking them would be a nightmare logistically and very expensive. Drying them out after a hydrotest would also be an issue since the surface area tends to hold onto water for a while.