1 reply to this topic

[fydphm]

Hi,

I'm doing a project on distillation column design. We will use skirt as support for the column but can't find any information on how to determine the height of skirt. Any suggestion for the typical value or rules of thumb for the tall column?

Thank you very much.

[Art Montemayor]

fydphm:

You don't use a "rule of thumb" to design a tower structural skirt support.

You use PRACTICAL COMMON SENSE. That's the real strength of engineering as opposed to pure science.

You don't even mention what type / kind of reboiler you are proposing. That, and other maintainence requirements are some of the key features of a distillation system you have to design around. You have to have gravity flow for a thermosyphon or a kettle type of reboiler. Sit down and think about it. Then start sketching out what equipment, pumps, piping, valves, phase separation, requirements are tied to the tower. That forces you to have to raise the tower to a minimal height.

Engineering is not composed of cook book equations. You have to use your INGENUITY. That generic Latin word is where the title of engineering comes from.