Used column calculating theoretical plates

[v8landy]

Hi

I am looking on the second hand market for a new distillation column to replace a bubble cap 12m height 34 actual plates 20 theoretical.

I am looking for something better, possibly packed. When looking on the second hand market, they never list theoretical plates, how can I calculate this from what data they do give/what data do I need?

 

[EmmanuelTop]

Of course they cannot give you the number of theoretical plates, since future application of the tower will determine the actual number of theoretical stages. It means that type of service, operating conditions, vapor-liquid equilibrium, reflux and reboiling rates will affect the number of theoretical plates required.

Your existing tower has an overall efficiency of approx. 60% (divide No. of theoretical plates with the No. of actual trays) and this can serve you as a guidance number for rating columns in the market (actual trays X efficiency) - if operating conditions of the tower are more or less the same. Anyway, I'd strogly suggest not to do this tower rating estimation job by yourself; ask for assistance from vendor/consulting companies. I would do it that way.

Best of luck,

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

 

[v8landy]

I realised that after I sent, i.e coloumn is based on what we do!
So how do I know it is X times better than the current one (which is not hard when current one is rusting away and bubble caps all blocked)?

Contact packing supplyers for there info?

 

[EmmanuelTop]

You can contact Koch-Glitsch or Sulzer in order to get a budgetary quote for column internals replacement. Prepare the complete input data from your side (column throughput, feed composition, minimum acceptable product purities, tower operating/design pressure, reboiler and condenser capacities etc.) and float this inquiry to the vendor. Also, there is an option to do all this through engineering/consulting company.

But, if your existing tower is experiencing severe fouling and corrosion you are maybe looking for culprits in the wrong direction. I don't believe bubble-cap design is the cause of column malfunctioning and chances that internals replacement will solve the problem are very small. This is just based on my experience, I don't know the full story here.

Regards,

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html