Structured Packing Spacer Elements Pressure Drop
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Structured packings in mass transfer apparatuses face a trade-off between pressure drop and separation performance, with measures to reduce pressure drop often leading to a decrease in mass transfer area and efficiency, particularly in liquid-controlled systems like CO2 absorption from gas streams.
Innovation Solution
The use of structured packing with a reduced number of contact points and strategically arranged spacer elements, such as web-like or rod-shaped elements, to minimize pressure loss while maintaining or improving mass transfer efficiency by maximizing the utilization of the total surface area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the total surface area of structured packing is increased to improve separation efficiency, then mass transfer performance is improved, but pressure drop within the packing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the harmful contact points between adjacent packing layers by introducing spacer elements. These spacers take out the problematic intersection regions where packing layers would otherwise contact each other, thereby reducing pressure drop while preserving the mass transfer surface area for separation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Spacer elements are introduced as intermediary components between adjacent packing layers. These spacers act as mediators that prevent direct contact between packing layers, reducing harmful interactions and pressure drop while allowing the packing structure to maintain its separation efficiency through preserved surface area.
2Stress or pressure
If the number of contact points between packing layers is reduced to decrease pressure drop, then pressure loss is reduced, but mass transfer efficiency may be impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent selectively removes contact points between packing layers by introducing spacers at strategic locations. This extraction of harmful contact regions reduces pressure drop while the spacers are positioned to minimize interference with liquid distribution and mass transfer processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer elements are strategically positioned at specific locations between packing layers rather than uniformly distributed. This local quality approach ensures that contact points are reduced in high-pressure-drop regions while maintaining mass transfer efficiency in areas where liquid flow and contact are critical.
3Productivity
If more packing layers are used to increase total surface area, then separation performance is improved, but material consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By removing harmful contact points through spacer elements, the patent allows for more efficient utilization of each packing layer. This reduces the need for excessive numbers of packing layers, thereby decreasing device complexity and material consumption while maintaining separation performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The introduction of spacer elements changes the structural parameters of the packing system. This parameter change optimizes the relationship between pressure drop and mass transfer area, allowing for reduced material consumption while achieving the required separation performance with fewer or more efficiently configured packing layers.
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 approach reduces pressure loss and material usage while enhancing separation performance in liquid-controlled systems, particularly in CO2 absorption applications, by ensuring maximum liquid wetting and effective mass transfer area utilization.
Implementation Method 1
mass transfer between the more volatile fluid and the less volatile fluid, wherein the mass transfer apparatus is in particular designed as an absorber or a desorber
Implementation Method 2
Gas and liquid phases are brought into contact within the packing's channels, thus facilitating mass transfer between them
Implementation Method 3
the structured packing comprises a first packing layer and a second packing layer... wherein the first packing layer is in contact with the second packing layer via spacer elements... reduces pressure loss
Implementation Method 4
open channels are formed by the wave-like profile, which are bounded by intermediate vertices... the channels are permeable to the less volatile fluid, so that the channel is wettable by the less volatile fluid as a film
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
The invention relates to a device for purifying fluids, comprising a mass transfer apparatus that contains a more volatile fluid and a less volatile fluid. The mass transfer apparatus contains a structured packing having a first packing unit (10) and a second packing unit (100). The first packing unit (10) and the second packing unit (100) have a wave-like profile, wherein open channels (12, 14, 16, 112, 114, 116) are formed by the wave-like profile. The channels (12, 14, 16) of the first packing unit (10) intersect with the channels (112, 114, 116) of the second packing unit, wherein the channels (12, 14, 16, 112, 114, 116) can be traversed by the less volatile fluid so that the channel can be wetted by the less volatile fluid, whereby a film of the less volatile fluid forms on the surface of the channel so that either the more volatile fluid or the less volatile fluid can be purified by means of a mass transfer between the more volatile fluid and the less volatile fluid. The first packing unit (10) is in physical contact with the second packing unit (100) via spacer elements (24, 34, 44, 134, 144).