Subdue solids in towers

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1995 · Chemical Engineering Progress; (United States)

OSTI ID:6536121

Sloley, A W; Martin, G R

Many distillation, absorption, and stripping columns operate with solids present in the system. The presence of solids may be either intentional or unintentional. But, in all cases, the solids must be handled or tolerated by the vapor/liquid mass-transfer equipment. Such solids should be dealt with by a combination of four methods. From most favorable to least favorable, these are: (1) keep the solids out; (2) keep the solids moving; (3) put the solids somewhere harmless; and (4) make it easier to clean the hardware. The key precept for all these approaches is the realization that solids present in a system just don't disappear. In this article, the authors review the techniques and design issues involved in making a vapor/liquid mass-transfer system operate with solids present. They assume that the solids cannot be kept out, eliminating the first choice. The type of mass-transfer service does not matter. The same principles apply equally well to distillation, adsorption, and stripping. They include equipment design criteria based on the methods outlined above, as well as detailed recommendations for each of the major equipment choices that can be made for mass-transfer devices. Then, they illustrate the approach via an example--a vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) unit having solids as an inherent part of its feed.

• OSTI ID: 6536121
• Journal Information: Chemical Engineering Progress; (United States), Vol. 91:1; ISSN 0360-7275
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
MULTIPHASE FLOW
PARTICULATES
MASS TRANSFER
MAINTENANCE
OPTIMIZATION
PROCESS CONTROL
CONTROL
EQUIPMENT
FLUID FLOW
PARTICLES
320303* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Equipment & Processes