In-depth 3D characterization of sieve tray hydrodynamics

Understanding the tray hydrodynamics is important for their effective design as well as for the assessment of their separation performance. Currently, the clear liquid height is considered as one of the most important hydrodynamic parameters [1]. For example, it is utilized to correlate dispersion density, liquid entrainment rate, weeping flux and flow regime transitions. This height is usually measured at a point on the tray floor by continuously flushing out the liquid into the manometer. It is debatable whether such point reading is representative for the true liquid content on large trays or three-dimensional analyses should be performed. For this purpose, a sieve tray column (800 mm dia.) mockup facility is used in this work with air and tap water at respective loadings of 1.4 – 2.0 Pa0.5 and 1.0 – 3.0 m3/h that correspond to the froth regime.

A novel conductivity-based sensor [2] is developed for the 3D two-phase flow quantification at high spatial and temporal resolution. Basically, the local phase holdups at multiple locations along the sensor measurement plane and at different dispersion heights are determined here. It is assessed if the integration of the holdup profiles can lead to better estimates of the clear liquid height. Pressure drops and weeping rates are also measured. Furthermore, stimulus-response experiments with de-ionized water as tracer are performed at selective dispersion heights for identifying the flow profiles via residence time distribution.

These new 3D tray hydrodynamic data may also serve as a reference for establishing CFD models in the future, which so far have largely relied either on clear liquid height data only or on the low resolution data of Solari and Bell [3].

[1] Lockett, M.J., 1986. Distillation tray fundamentals.
[2] Vishwakarma, V., Schleicher, E., Schubert, M., Tschofen, M. and Löschau, M., Deutsche Patentanmeldung DE 10 2018 124 501.7, Sensor zur Vermessung von Strömungsprofilen in großen Kolonnen und Apparaten.
[3] Solari, R.B. and Bell, R.L., 1986. Fluid flow patterns and velocity distribution on commercial‐scale sieve trays. AIChE journal, 32(4), pp.640-649.