The term structured packing refers to a range of specially designed materials for use in absorption and

distillation Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heat ...

columns and

chemical reactor A chemical reactor is an enclosed volume in which a chemical reaction takes place. In chemical engineering, it is generally understood to be a process vessel used to carry out a chemical reaction, which is one of the classic unit operations in chem ...

s. Structured packings typically consist of thin corrugated metal plates or gauzes arranged in a way that force fluids to take complicated paths through the column, thereby creating a large surface area for contact between different phases. Structured packing is formed from corrugated sheets of perforated embossed metal, plastic (including PTFE) or wire gauze. The result is a very open honeycomb structure with inclined flow channels giving a relatively high surface area but with very low resistance to gas flow. The surface enhancements have been chosen to maximize liquid spreading. These characteristics tend to show significant performance benefits in low pressure and low irrigation rate applications.

History

Structured packings have been established for several decades. The first generation of structured packing arose in the early 1940s. In 1953, a patented packing appeared named Panapak, made of a wavy-form expanded metal sheet. The packing was not successful, due to maldistribution and lack of good marketing. The second generation appeared at the end of the 1950s, with highly efficient wire mesh packings, such as Goodloe, Hyperfil and Koch-Sulzer. Until the 1970s, due to their low pressure drop per theoretical stage, those packings were the most widely used in vacuum distillation. However, high cost, low capacity and high sensitivity to solids have prevented wider utilization of wire mesh packings. Corrugated structured packings, introduced by Sulzer by the end of the 1970s, marked the third generation of structured packed columns. These packings offer high capacity, lower cost, and less sensitivity to solids, while keeping a high performance. Popularity of the packings grew in the 1980s, particularly for revamps in oil and

petrochemical Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable so ...

plants. These structured packings, made of corrugated metal sheets, had their surfaces treated, chemically or mechanically, in order to enhance their wettability. Consequently, the packings' wetted area increased, improving performance. In 1994, a new geometry was developed, and called Optiflow. Later, in 1999, an improved structure of corrugated sheet packings, the MellapackPlus, was developed based on CFD simulations and experiment. This new structure, compared with conventional Mellapak, has a lowered pressure drop and maximum useful capacity could be extended up to 50%.

Varieties

Structured packing is manufactured in a wide range of sizes by varying the crimp altitude. Packing surface ranges from (lowest efficiency, highest capacity) to (highest efficiency, lowest capacity).

Applications

Typical applications include vacuum and atmospheric crude oil fractionators, FCC main fractionators and TEG contactors. The separation of

mono- Numeral or number prefixes are prefixes derived from numerals or occasionally other numbers. In English and many other languages, they are used to coin numerous series of words. For example: * unicycle, bicycle, tricycle (1-cycle, 2-cycle, 3-cy ...

, di- and

triethanolamine Triethanolamine, or TEA is a viscous organic compound that is both a tertiary amine and a triol. A triol is a molecule with three alcohol groups. Approximately 150,000 tonnes were produced in 1999. It is a colourless compound although samples m ...

, conducted under vacuum, may also utilize structured packing, owing to its relatively low pressure drop. Tall oil fractionation, the process of separating fatty acids from rosin acids and pitch obtained as a by-product of the Kraft process of wood pulp manufacture, also utilizes structured packing. The packing additionally finds use in the manufacture of

styrene Styrene () is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH=CH2. This derivative of benzene is a colorless oily liquid, although aged samples can appear yellowish. The compound evaporates easily and has a sweet smell, although high concen ...

monomer and the dehydration of

glycol A diol is a chemical compound containing two hydroxyl groups ( groups). An aliphatic diol is also called a glycol. This pairing of functional groups is pervasive, and many subcategories have been identified. The most common industrial diol is e ...

in natural gas processing. Structured packing also finds use in the equipment/processes below: * Air separation * Cyclohexanone/

Cyclohexanol Cyclohexanol is the organic compound with the formula HOCH(CH2)5. The molecule is related to cyclohexane by replacement of one hydrogen atom by a hydroxyl group. This compound exists as a deliquescent colorless solid with a camphor-like odor, w ...

separation *

Xylene In organic chemistry, xylene or xylol (; IUPAC name: dimethylbenzene) are any of three organic compounds with the formula . They are derived from the substitution of two hydrogen atoms with methyl groups in a benzene ring; which hydrogens are s ...

splitters * CO₂ absorbers * H₂S absorbers *

Ethylene oxide Ethylene oxide is an organic compound with the formula . It is a cyclic ether and the simplest epoxide: a three-membered ring consisting of one oxygen atom and two carbon atoms. Ethylene oxide is a colorless and flammable gas with a faintly sw ...

absorbers *

Acrylonitrile Acrylonitrile is an organic compound with the formula and the structure . It is a colorless, volatile liquid although commercial samples can be yellow due to impurities. It has a pungent odor of garlic or onions. In terms of its molecula ...

absorbers *

Oleo Chemicals Oleo is a term for oils. It is commonly used to refer to a variety of things: * Colloquial term for margarine, a.k.a. oleomargarine not just vegetable fats but can be tallow * Oleic acid * Oleo strut, a type of shock absorbers on aircraft landing ...

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Fine Chemicals In chemistry, fine chemicals are complex, single, pure chemical substances, produced in limited quantities in multipurpose plants by multistep batch chemical or biotechnological processes. They are described by exacting specifications, used f ...

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Advantages

Structured packing offers the following advantages as compared to the use of random packing and Continuous distillation#Plates or trays, trays: * Lower

pressure drop Pressure drop is defined as the difference in total pressure between two points of a fluid carrying network. A pressure drop occurs when frictional forces, caused by the resistance to flow, act on a fluid as it flows through the tube. The main de ...

* Higher efficiency (given the same tower height) * Higher capacity * Reduced liquid hold-up

Disadvantages

Structured packing offers the following disadvantages as compared to the use of random packing and trays: * Cost * Greater sensitivity to maldistribution

References