DISTILLATION

TRAY SPACING
The vertical distance between adjacent trays
varies between 450 and 900 mm in the columns
generally employed in the chemical process
industries (CPI).
Spacing involves a tradeoff between column
height and column diameter: with greater tray
spacing, the column height increases while the
required diameter decreases. In most cases, the
two effects cancel each other from an economic
standpoint. There are, however, additional con-
straints that govern tray spacing; the relevant
guidelines appear in the Table.
Multiple passes are used when the liquid load
is relatively high for a single pass. The capaci-
ties of the tray and the downcomer rise, and the
pressure drop across the tray becomes smaller.
However, the tray efficiency declines because the
liquid path becomes shorter; the latter effect may
also complicate the provision of tray manways
(discussed in more detail below). Trays contain-
ing more than two liquid passes are prone to
liquid and vapor maldistribution because of non-
symmetrical panels. If possible, trays having odd
numbers of passes should not be used.
GUIDELINES FOR
SELECTION OF TRAY PASSES
Set the number of passes such that liquid loads
do not exceed 70 m
3
/h per meter of weir
length
After the number of passes has been selected,
check the path length. If that length works out
to be less than 400 mm, the installation of inter-
nal manways is not feasible. If employment of
multiple passes becomes mandatory, it may be
necessary to adjust the column diameter in order
to arrive at the minimum path length of 400 mm
To avoid short liquid paths, adhere to the follow-
ing guidelines: for column diameters of 1,200
to 2,100 mm, a maximum of two passes; for
diameters of 2,100 to 3,000 mm, a maximum
of three passes; for diameters above 3,000 mm,
use four passes at most
DOWNCOMERS
Downcomers are conduits having circular, seg-
mental or rectangular cross sections that convey
liquid from a tray to the one immediately below.
Various types appear in Figure 1. The version
most often found in process plants is the straight,
segmental vertical downcomer. It is simpler and
less expensive than sloped downcomers. On the
other hand, the sloped versions make the best use
of the column cross-sectional area for downflow
they maximize the active area on the lower of
the two trays, and at the top of the downcomer,
there is adequate space for the liquid and vapor
to separate from each other.
RECOMMENDED
DOWNCOMER VELOCITIES
Minimally foaming liquids: 0.120.21 m/s
Liquids with medium foaming tendency: 0.09
0.18 m/s
Highly foaming liquids: 0.060.09 m/s
DOWNCOMER AREAS,
CLEARANCES
For the cross-sectional area of the
downcomers,values less than 5 to 8% of the
column cross-sectional area should not be
specified
For single pass trays, the downcomer width
should not be less than 10% of the column
diameter
The downcomer clearance should be less than
the outlet weir height
DOWNCOMER SEALING
In general,to achieve a proper downcomer seal,
the bottom edge of the downcomer should be
about 10 mm below the top edge of the outlet
weir. (This statement is more of a guideline than
a rule). According to another guideline, the
downcomer clearance should be selected such
that the liquid velocity under the downcomer
does not exceed 0.450.50 m/s. The best down-
comer clearance can only be specified by the
tray vendor.
OUTLET WEIRS
The purpose of an outlet weir is to keep the liquid
level on the tray at the intended value. Proper
functioning of a weir is especially important if the
tray operates in the froth regime, the most com-
mon flow regime for distillation in the CPI.
Weir heights in the froth regime are therefore
restricted to 5080 mm.
The preferred weir height for columns operat-
ing in the spray regime is 2025 mm.
Weir loadings should fall within the range of
15 to 70 m3/h per meter of weir length.
PRESSURE DROP
For trays to function reasonably close to their best
efficiency point, the dry-tray pressure drop must
be roughly equal to the hydraulic-tray pressure
drop. Guidelines for seal pans (Figure 2):
To forestall problems due to solids accumula-
tion, the clearance between the seal pan floor
and the bottom downcomer should exceed the
clearance normally employed under the tray
downcomers. It should be at least 50 mm
The distance that the downcomer extends
downward within the seal pan should be about
the same as the clearance between downcomer
bottom and pan floor
The distance between bottom tray floor and
seal pan floor should be 150 mm greater than
the normal tray spacing
TRAYS
Vapor load:

C u
S S
V
L V
=

Liquid load:

Q
L
L
L
W
=
Downcomer load:

Q
L
A
D
D
=
NOMENCLATURE
A
D
Downcomer entrance area
C
S
Vapor load
L Liquid volumetric flowrate, or moles of
liquid in kettle
L
W
Length of outlet weir
Q
L
Liquid load
Q
D
Downcomer load
u
S
Superficial vapor velocity
Density
GENERAL SUBSCRIPTS
V Vapor
L Liquid

FIGURE 1. Of these three types of downcomers,

the segmental version is the one in widest use at
chemical process plants
FIGURE 2. Note the adverse effects of improper
clearance (too large or too small) for the down-
comer feeding Tray #11
Reference
Mukherjee, S., Tray Column Design: Keep Control of
the Details, Chem. Eng., September 2005, pp. 5258.
GUIDELINES FOR SELECTION OF TRAY SPACING
Description Tray Spacing, mm Comments
Column diameters larger
than 3,000 mm
> 600 The tray support beams restrict crawling
space available; hence the large tray spac-
ing
Column diameters between
1,200 mm and 3,000 mm
600 This spacing is sufficiently wide to allow a
worker to freely crawl between trays
Column diameters between
750 mm and 1,200 mm
450 Crawling between the trays is seldom re-
quired, because the worker can reach the
column wall from the tray manways
Fouling and corrosive service > 600 Frequent maintenance is expected
Systems with a high foaming
tendency
At least 450 mm, but pre-
ferably 600 mm or higher
Required to avoid premature flooding
Columns operating in spray
regime
At least 450 mm, but pre-
ferably 600 mm or higher
Required to avoid excessive entrainment
Columns operating in froth
regime
< 450 Lower tray spacing restricts allowable vapor
velocity, thereby promoting froth-regime
operation