Tower Sizing and Pricing

          The program that I have posted on this page can be used to perform preliminay size and cost estimates for distillation columns with internal trays.  It is in Microsoft Excel format (version 5.0 or greater) and runs as an Excel Add-In.   The program assumes cooling water (water entering at 30⁰C and leaving no higher than 45⁰C) is used in the condenser.  LPS (Low Pressure Steam) is assumed to be at 5 barg and 160⁰C, MPS (Medium Pressure Steam) at 10 barg and 184⁰C, and HPS (High Pressure Steam) at 41 barg and 254⁰C.  Here are some other details of the this EXCEL ADD-IN:

• The condenser is priced as a Fixed Head Exchanger

• The reboiler is priced as a Floating Head Exchanger

• Minimal inputs are required for the column sizing and pricing

• Returned values include the cost of the vessel, trays, reboiler, condenser, steam, cooling water, and a local Net Present Value (over 10 years at an interest rate of 10%) for the column operation.  This value can be used for optimization

• Utility prices used are: LPS $3.17/GJ,  MPS $3.66/GJ, HPS $5.09/GJ, and CW $0.16/GJ

• The equipment is prices using correlations developed by G. D. Ulrich in A Guide to Chemical Engineering Process Design and Economics, Wiley, New York 1984.  These correlations have also been reprinted in Analysis, Synthesis, and Design of Chemical Processes by Richard Turton, Richard Baile, Wallace Whiting, and Joseph Shaeiwitz (Prentice Hall, 1998).  These correlations are well developed and provide a good degree of accuracy for a preliminary design.

• Length and diameter of column is also estimated

          If you have any other questions concerning this program or would like to report a bug, please let me know.  

Download the Add-In
The registration code for the Add-In is 112874082778