Experimental Investigations on Operation Limits Using a Large-Scale Test Facility

At the Institute of Plant and Process Technology of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the project focuses on the fluid dynamic investigation of different tray configurations on a pilot plant scale. The measurements for this purpose are carried out in a column located at the chair, which has a diameter of 1.2 m and is operated with water and air.

Besides the description of the fluid dynamics of the trays, the behavior at the load limits will be investigated. By installing a suitable entrainment collector, the liquid entrainment at the upper load limit can be measured. Furthermore, a special weeping collector allows the measurement of locally resolved weeping at the lower load limit. Additionally, the sensor array developed by HZDR can be used for investigating locally resolved flow fields on the trays.

© Lehrstuhl für Anlagen- und Prozesstechnik, TUM

Within the scope of the project, numerous different tray configurations will be studied. After validation of the plant design using sieve trays, a wide range of different types of fixed valves will be tested. In addition to comparative studies on different valve types and different relative free hole areas, the influence of using push valves will also be considered.

Based on these extensive experimental studies, modeling of the performance of high-performance trays will be carried out and further questions of tray configurations will be investigated.

Further details are available on the website of the research institution: