Structured Packing Plate Zoning for Fluid Column Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid contacting columns face challenges in ensuring proper assembly of structured packings, leading to entanglement and inefficient fluid exchange due to insufficient contact points between plates, resulting in suboptimal performance.
Innovation Solution
The structured packing design includes a stack of plates with corrugations and fins, featuring longitudinal zones without orifices to maximize good contacts between positive and negative edges, ensuring proper alignment and assembly, and channels oriented at specific angles to enhance fluid interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If structured packings are assembled with multiple plates having corrugations and orifices, then fluid exchange efficiency is improved, but plate entanglement and assembly problems occur due to insufficient contact points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining specific longitudinal zones on each plate where orifices are systematically removed before assembly. This pre-planned configuration ensures that when plates are stacked, they automatically form reliable contact points at the edges without requiring complex alignment procedures during assembly, thus preventing entanglement while maintaining fluid exchange efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating distinct zones on the plates with different orifice configurations. Specifically, longitudinal zones parallel to plate edges are designed without orifices to provide stable contact areas, while other regions maintain orifices for fluid exchange. This localized differentiation ensures both assembly reliability and functional performance.
2Reliability
If plates are assembled with maximum contact points to prevent entanglement, then assembly reliability is improved, but fluid exchange efficiency may be reduced due to blocked flow paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by applying local quality through zoned orifice distribution. Longitudinal zones parallel to plate edges are kept free of orifices to ensure reliable edge-to-edge contact between adjacent plates, preventing entanglement. Meanwhile, orifices are strategically placed in other regions to maintain adequate fluid exchange pathways, thus balancing assembly reliability with fluid exchange efficiency.
3Reliability
If longitudinal zones without orifices are added to plates, then good contacts between plates are maximized, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the plate surface into distinct functional zones: longitudinal zones parallel to edges where orifices are removed to provide contact areas, and other zones where orifices are present for fluid exchange. This systematic segmentation simplifies the design process by providing clear guidelines for orifice placement, reducing overall design complexity while ensuring reliable plate contacts.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to packing formed by a stack of plates comprising corrugations forming a succession of positive and negative ridges. Each ridge includes wings and each wing is formed by at least one band cut into one of the plates so that it remains solidly connected to the plate at at least one side, said band being deformed to create a hole that breaks the continuity of the surface of the plate. According to the invention, the direction of the ridges of one plate forms a non-zero angle in relation to the direction of the ridges of an adjacent plate. Each plate comprises at least one longitudinal zone parallel to one of the edges of the plate and the ridges in said zone do not include a hole, said zones being positioned such that the zones of two adjacent plates are disposed on top of one another to form at least one contact point between a positive ridge and a negative ridge of two adjacent plates.