Package assembly, material transfer column and method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mass transfer columns experience gaps between packing disks and stacks due to gas pressure surges or flooding, leading to maldistribution of gas and liquid, which reduces efficiency and causes premature flooding.
Innovation Solution
A packing arrangement where additional corrugated, loose packing sheets are inserted between packing packs to prestress the packing disks radially, ensuring all sheets are parallel to a common preferred plane, preventing gap formation and maintaining continuous contact for fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If packing disks and stacks are arranged in a mass transfer column, then gas and liquid flows are guided and intensive contact between the two phases is achieved, but gas pressure surges or flooding cause displacements of the packing disks and formation of gaps between the packing disks and individual packing stacks
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-compressing the packing packs in the radial direction before operation begins. This pre-compression ensures that the packing packs are firmly pressed against the column wall and against each other, preventing gap formation even when gas pressure surges or flooding occur during operation. The prestressing force is applied through a compression device that acts on the packing packs radially inwardly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of the packing packs by applying a radial prestressing force that compresses the packing packs. This parameter change (applying compressive stress) transforms the packing packs from a state where they can be displaced by gas pressure surges to a state where they are firmly held in position, preventing gap formation and maintaining reliable operation under varying process conditions.
2Reliability
If gaps form between packing disks and packing stacks due to displacements, then the continuous contact between packing elements is interrupted, but this leads to gas and liquid maldistribution and premature flooding
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-compressing the packing packs radially before operation begins. This pre-compression ensures that the packing packs are firmly pressed against the column wall and against each other, preventing gap formation even when gas pressure surges or flooding occur during operation. The prestressing force is applied through a compression device that acts on the packing packs radially inwardly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of the packing packs by applying a radial prestressing force that compresses the packing packs. This parameter change (applying compressive stress) transforms the packing packs from a state where they can be displaced by gas pressure surges to a state where they are firmly held in position, preventing gap formation and maintaining reliable operation under varying process conditions.
3Reliability
If additional corrugated loose packing sheets are inserted between packing packs to prestress the packing disks radially, then gap formation is prevented and continuous contact is maintained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses flexible thin films (corrugated packing sheets) as additional elements inserted between the packing packs. These flexible sheets can deform and adapt to the radial compression, maintaining contact between packing packs while distributing the prestressing force. The corrugated structure provides both flexibility and structural integrity, preventing gap formation without requiring complex rigid support structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The additional corrugated loose packing sheets act as intermediary elements between the packing packs. These intermediate sheets distribute the radial prestressing force evenly across the packing packs and maintain continuous contact between adjacent packs. The intermediary sheets prevent direct mechanical contact between packing packs, allowing for more uniform stress distribution and easier assembly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution prevents gas and liquid maldistribution, enhances the efficiency of mass transfer columns by ensuring continuous contact between packing elements, and maintains optimal performance even under conditions of flooding or gas pressure surges.
Implementation Method 1
additional corrugated, loose, i.e. unconnected, packing sheets are inserted between the packing packs in such a way that the at least one packing disk is prestressed in a radial direction of the container against the latter
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a packing assembly (65) for a material exchange column (1), comprising at least one structured packing plate (36 - 41) and a container (2) in which the at least one structured packing plate (36 - 41) is arranged. The at least one structured packing plate (36 - 41) has packing packets (42 - 56), and each packing packet (42 - 56) has interconnected packing sheets (57 - 62). The packing sheets (57 - 62) are corrugated and have corrugation peaks (74) and corrugation valleys (75), wherein adjacent packing sheets (57 - 62) contact each other at the corrugation peaks (74). Additional corrugated packing sheets (57 - 62) are added between the packing packets (42 - 56) such that the at least one packing plate (36 - 41) is pretensioned against the container (2) in a radial direction (R) thereof, and both the corrugated packing sheets (57 - 62) of the packing packets (42 - 56) as well as the additional corrugated packing sheet (57 - 62) added between the packing packets (42 - 56) are arranged solely on a common preferred plane (VE) or parallel thereto.