Abstract
Raschig Super-Pak is a novel development in structured packing product technology that is fundamentally different to the well known corrugated perforated or non-perforated, textured sheet metal structured packings. It comprises of a systematic sequence of smooth sinusoidal waves above and below the plain of the metal sheet. Tests at the Ruhr University of Bochum showed that the new open structure resulted in very high capacities low pressure drops and excellent mass transfer efficiencies.
Encouraged by these early successes, total reflux distillation tests with Raschig Super-Pak 300 were conducted at the Separations Research Program, University of Texas at Austin. Results in terms of useful capacity, (more suitable parameter for column design than hydraulic capacity), mass transfer efficiency, pressure drop and pressure drop per theoretical stage are presented. Comparisons with the conventional and high capacity structured packings tested under identical conditions as shown in figure 1 will be discussed in detail.
Overall Raschig Super-Pak 300 exhibits higher useful capacities and lower pressure drops compared not only with conventional 45o corrugation angle 250m2/m3 specific surface area structured packings but also with the high capacity counterpart types as well. Remarkably these gains were achieved without any adverse effects on mass transfer efficiency as reflected in the lower pressure drop per theoretical stage of Raschig Super-Pak 300 compared to the 250m2/m3 specific surface area structured packings. These highly encouraging results provide industry with an alternative choice for smaller column diameter and/or higher capacity: the Raschig Super-Pak.
Figure 1: Mass transfer efficiency (HETP) comparison at total reflux.
SRP test column, 0.43 m I.D., 3.124 m bed height, system: cyclohexane/n-heptane
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