3 replies to this topic

[mailtobala]

Dear all,

I w'd like to get some links or reference materials for the detailed design procedure for VALVE tray & BUBBLE CAP tray design for a stripping column.

I found a some thing for Bubble cap design in a text book called " Design of equilibrium stage process" by Smith.
But that is not enough for me.

I havenot found out any materials for Valve tray design.

I hope some one will help me for this.

Thanks in advance.

Regards
bm

[Art Montemayor]

BM:

If you want to learn how to mechanically design valve trays & bubble cap trays for a stripping column you will have to simply rely on the available theory text books. No one out in the real world, doing a real-life application of a stripping column is going to design his/her own trays. That is not practical - nor is it economically efficient. The only way to really learn how to do it is to work for a company who does it for a living - such as Koch or Glitsch.

I bring this practical comment up because it seems that just about every Engineering student from a developing country who writes in, always seems to indicate that it is the norm to design and fabricate your own specialized equipment - like steam ejectors, filters, bubble cap trays, heat exchangers, etc., etc. This is not the case in countries such as in Europe and North America. I know because I've been there and seen what economic and developing conditions are and what they are driven to do. Developing countries (yes, even China and India) are driven to try to reduce their hard currency exchange and seek a fast and rapid way to design and build their own equipment. This is good. It's good for the development of the country and for the rest of the world. However, in order to do that a development price has to be paid. Some academic professors seem to teach that all one has to do is to read Don Kern and one is ready to design and build competitive and sound heat exchangers. A similar thing also happens with respect to column trays. What these academics seem to forget is that millions of $ were spent to develop the products that they seek to imitate. There is no short cut to learning the "know-how", the expert empirical factors and contingencies that are required to succeed in making a successful product with repeated success.

I mention this because if you are a student (as I suspect you are) in a developing country, then you are hard pressed to come up with real-life examples of the type of equipment you read about and much less have the opportunity to actually work with them in a lab environment or in a real plant. This is a definite handicap for an engineering student in a developing country. I know the feeling well; I've been there and empathize. The only real solution I see to obtain real, credible and practical knowledge and hands-on experience in the equipment design of specialized units is to get involved in world-scale projects or travel to those countries where the opportunity exists or can be obtained. Otherwise, you have to remain content to read and apply theory only.

I wish you luck in obtaining as much information as you can in the field of simultaneous heat and mass transfer.

[process equipment]

Dear mailtobala,

There are so many literatures that can help you out designing a distillation column. One of the good book that can guide you in practice is "Chemical Engineering Design" from Coulson & Richardson's. I also find that book easy reading and understanding, giving some examples how to calculate and design separation units.

I hope this will help you for your assignment

PE

[Zauberberg]

Hello Mailtobala,

The book where you can find most of the things you asked about, is Henry Kister's "Distillation Design".
Keep on mind that unit operations design is very tough job, as Mr Montemayor said, and it requires very intensive practice history. This book, however, is worth reading, in any case.

But, if you do not need to sign the project execution (= the guarantee that equipment will work at the field), there's nothing to be affraid of in process design:)

Best wishes!