Effect of Tray Spacing on Tray Performance

At the 2007 AIChE Spring Meeting, FRI presented information on the effect of deck open area and hole size on tray performance.  The theme of tray design effects on performance is extended to tray spacing. The impact of three tray spacings on capacity, efficiency, pressure drop and rangeability will be described and illustrated.  We will also show that the impact of tray spacing on tray capacity is other than TS**0.5.  FRI is currently performing additional research work in air-water and hydrocarbon systems regarding closely-spaced trays.