Placement of nozzles in process equipment

By Pramod Dixit

Type of process equipment

Columns Heat exchangers Air fin coolers Tanks Vessels Separators Bullets and spheres

Understanding tray geometry

(most of the time controversy arises in columns being complex)

Nozzle Types
Process nozzles Instrumentation nozzles Utility connections Safety connections ( safety valves, rupture disc) Man-holes and hand holes

Process Nozzles
Feed Intermediate Liquid or Vapor or Mixed feed Reboiler liquid outlet Reboiler vapor inlet Reflux inlet Product outlet Sampling connection

Maintenance & Utility Nozzles

Manhole Hand hole Drain Steam Nitrogen

Instrument Nozzles
Level Gauge Level controller Temperature Gauge / transmitter Pressure Gauge/ transmitter Differential pressure recorders/ transmitter Level switch Safety valve

PG / TG connections
Pressure gauge Thermowell to be in liquid . Pressure measuring nozzle in vapor phase always

Thermowell

Thermowell

Placement of PG & Thermowell

Pressure gauge, 6 to 8 below the tray

Thermowell preferred, in down comer 4 above the tray

Alternate thermowell 2 above tray plate

Feed inlet devices #1

Mix feed or vapor feed

Feed inlet devices (shoepetentor)

Partial liquid withdrawal

Seal Pan

Draw off pan

Partial liquid withdrawal nozzle to be flush with pan plate

Intermediate Liquid feed for high delta T case

Insulating plate for avoiding temperature shocks

Bottom levels

Vapor in

LT

LG

Partial withdrawal from a chimney tray

Partial draw off nozzle

Manhole to see that man can enter in the column

Reboiler return to column (preferably to be parallel to seal pan)

Both are Wrong way
Right way

Vapor stream should not directly hit the seal pan

Reboiler return to column

Prefer Vapor inlet parallel to seal pan

Type of mistakes in nozzle placement

Reboiler out and product out interchanged Themowell clashing with down comer Thermowell not in liquid phase. Level instrument wrong placement. Feed to reboiler pan wrongly oriented. Demister below safety valve. Liquid draw off not getting liquid. Not able to enter thru manhole.

Manhole & hand hole

Manhole ( a suggested spacing 900mm min for man to enter)

Hand holes One at top of packed bed for filling the packing Other at lower level for packing removal

Placement of demister

Manhole Size min18

Multi layer distributor

Such distributors need larger head room for a man to work in side based on the design

Nozzle close to Demister

Small vertical vessels

Level instruments to clear the legs

JET MIXER in Tank

Jet nozzles

Swirl type jet mixer

Side entry mixer for Tank

CFD of mixer

Recommended orientation of mixers

Mounded bullet outlet

LPG outlet nozzle

Fire proofing & water spray on bullet dome

Nozzles on Bullet Dome

Fireproofing on Bullet Dome

3 Phase separator

Cut section of 3 phase separator

Setting of level instruments in 3 phase separator

Vessel shell Range for ILG & ILT Weir
HH water H igh water NLL water Low water Low low water LLL oil HHL Oil NLL oil LL oil

Set points of level switches Range for LG & LT