Principles and Practices of Process Equipment and Plant Design

Prof. S. Ray
Department of Chemical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Module - 02
Lecture - 26
Bubble Cap Tray Design

Welcome to the class again. You have already been given inputs on how to design sieve
trays. Today’s session starts on designing Bubble Cap Trays. It is not only the trays, it has
to cover the bubble cap tower itself, which is not very different from the others, but let's
move on with that.

(Refer Slide Time: 00:52)

First, we see one thing that in case we have to design a tray, the basic inputs that are
required are the vapour and liquid related items like the flow rate, the density, the viscosity
and the surface tension. These are the four things that you require. If you are talking about
the deliverables, there will be two sets of deliverables, the one set will be the process
parameters.
For example, % flooding, % approach to flooding, tray efficiency, entrainment and such
things and you will also be delivering quite a good amount of mechanical details which
includes the bubble cap type. You do not manufacture normally bubble cap. You specify
the type, their dimensions, the slot details, their size, the numbered on each particular tray.

If you are having a sufficiently large tray, it will be built in segments. But naturally, you
have to provide the tray layout showing the location of the caps basically. The vapour
disperses in this case. You have to provide the weir heights possibly. You will be having
a single weir at the outlet. But in some cases, you may require an inlet weir also that also
we have discussed earlier.

You have to discuss and give the details of the downcomer. The type and its dimensions.
You definitely for the tray has to specify the tray spacings which is expected to be different
in the feed tray top section and the bottom section at least. There will be different tray
spacing when you have your manhole for man entry as well.

These will belong to the tower. You have to wave out or specify the nozzles, their size,
orientation, elevation at which they are to be on the shell. You have to provide the
manholes, the same thing about it that means, orientation and elevation and the size. You
have to give certain specific dimensions on the trays. For example, the clearance of the
downcomer from the tray deck. You have to specify the elevation of the column bottom
as well.

The elevation of the column bottom depends on how you are going to take out your
material. Basically, it is required to provide the minimum required NPSH for the bottom
material to be pumped out. So, these are the list of deliverables in case of any sort of trade
hour design.
(Refer Slide Time: 03:39)

Let us have a look at the bubble cap first. This is the cap. This cap is mounted on a riser.
This part you can forget. The vapour goes up this way, comes out through the slots and
bubbles up. The mechanism of working we have seen but let us see to function properly.
Certain essential things have to be obeyed.

Firstly, there has to be submergence of this which means, your vapour dispersion has to
remain submerged. So that only the bubbles come out and the interaction is between the
bubble and a pool of the liquid which is surrounding it. The cap has got usually either
trapezoidal or rectangular slot.

The vapour comes out through these slots. So, quite naturally, the liquid level in the slot
will get depressed to a particular level like this up to this level. So, this part of it is vapour,
this part of it is vapour and below that it is liquid. So, there is something called slot
submergence.

The top of the slot has to remain under the liquid level all the time and when there is no
flow. The minimum level of liquid is the outlet weir elevation. So, quite naturally, this is
the static slot seal that means, a minimum level of liquid above the top of your slot. Now,
in the case of the flowing liquid, quite naturally there will be a level of liquid over the weir
and above the cap. There will be some amount of liquid. From here up to the top of the
slot will be your dynamic slot seal.

Similarly, if you look at the bottom of your slot, you will find that there is a rim. There is
a solid rim which is called a shroud ring. The shroud ring typical thickness is around 6
mm, a quarter of an inch. You will also note one thing that means, whenever you have this
type of slots with which are wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. The top width is
roughly half of what you have at the bottom. You can also have triangular slots, but those
are not very common.

(Refer Slide Time: 07:08)

We will go further and have a look at the functioning of the bubble cap over the zone of
liquid flow rate and the vapour flow rate. This is very similar to what you have seen in the
case of the other disperser which is basically your sieve tray. What you find that in this
case also you would like to maxima. You have a zone of satisfactory performance.

Your satisfactory performance is possible in this zone. Quite naturally, if you would like
to have the minimum number of caps, you would prefer to have your design operating in
this zone with a fairly high amount of vapour flow rate as well as a liquid flow rate. This
would make a fewer number of bubble caps necessary for your tray.

I am not going into the details of the malfunctions. These are very obvious. For example,
if you have a very high flow rate, your slots will open 100% and if you increase it further,
there is no scope of opening further amount of the slot opening. So, what happens is you
have almost a jet of vapour that is coming out through your slot which will reduce your
contacting quality. So, you do not want to overload your slots and you would like always
to operate below your overloaded slot limit.

It will also lead to excessive entrainment particularly if you have a low liquid rate and a
high vapour flow rate. You will have insufficient slot submergence with low weir height
and if you have a low amount of vapour rate also. So, you have poor vapour distribution
in this, and you have dumping as well. So, we know now that our preferred zone of
operation is here with a fair amount of flow of vapour and the liquid both tending to be
high.

(Refer Slide Time: 09:32)

Now, there is something. If you are making a column, tray spacing directly influences the
total height of the column that means the column cost. Typical tray spacing lies between
450 and 750 mm. Most common is in fact, 600 mm. Typical standard values are 450, 600,
750 mm. You can have lower tray spacing also particularly in smaller columns.

If you reduce the gap between the trays, the chance of entrainment of liquid along with the
vapour would go up. But, there are quite a few other things on which your tray spacing
would depend.

In large diameter columns, more than one and one and a half meter diameter column, the
tray spacing is normally kept 600 mm onwards. Because to fix the trays, someone has to
go in and crawl between the trays. For inspection, he has to go in over there. For smaller
diameter columns, below 1.2 mm. Typical tray spacing could be 450 mm. It may not be
necessary to crawl between the trays in narrow towers because it is accessible from outside
if you have a proper manhole somewhere.

In cryogenic columns, the tray spacing is typically low. I have mentioned that if you have
a lower tray spacing, the chance of entrainment is more. In the case of the oxygen plant
that means, in the air separation plant, the liquid has got a very low surface tension and
naturally, the chance of entrainment is very low and people have gone for very low tray
spacing as low as 75 mm. You have a very big advantage over there that means, if you
have a low tray spacing, you have a lower height of the column and cryogenic columns
have to be very heavily insulated and so, naturally, if you have a lower tray spacing, lower
exposed surface and your heat inlet to the system is also low.

Whenever you have a draw off tray which is a chimney tray or a feed tray or a reflux entry,
normally you require a minimum of 750 mm of the tray spacing or it will be at least 1.5
times the tray spacing.

Now, if your typical tray spacing is 1200 mm, you usually will be in a position to provide
around 20-inch manholes and in tall trays, you require at least a manhole after 8 to 10
trays. The tray spacing above the chimney tray, the standard is to keep one and a half
meters of tray spacing. That means, from the chimney tray to the tray upper one, the gap
should be about 1500 mm.
The height of the top dome of your column will be up to the tangent line. I had explained
what exactly is a tangent line in the last interaction session should be a minimum of double
the tray spacing or it should be 1200 mm from the top tray deck minimum. Sometimes the
tray constructions and the tray spacing is also limited for indoor installation where there is
an existing shed and there is limited headroom.

So, these are the basic considerations for deciding the tray spacing. Overall you will have
an idea that tray spacing in industrial columns will be of the order of 600 mm. Higher ones
will be required for the draw of feed tray and reflux entry and for providing manholes
every 8 to 10 trays.

(Refer Slide Time: 14:22)

Now, we need to find out the diameter. There are two techniques for finding the diameter
of bubble cap trays. The first is proposed by Souders and Brown. This is a very standard
and classical procedure. The procedure depends on or rather relies on an empirical
relationship of estimating the 𝑚
̅ 𝑉,𝑚𝑎𝑥 . The 𝑚
̅ 𝑉,𝑚𝑎𝑥 is the maximum allowable vapour mass
flux. I have put in bold that it is based on the total tower area, it is not the active area.
So, your Souders-Browns equation is based on the total tower area which is a capital D.
Quite naturally, if I know my mass flow rate of vapour and if I can estimate my maximum
allowable vapour mass velocity. If I divide these two, what I get is a tray area and from
there, the expression of D. It is just geometry. The basic thing, the most basic empirical
thing which is used here is the C and another constant which is given here.

You will notice one thing, it is ρV multiplied by 𝜌𝐿 − 𝜌𝑉 . It is not ρV upon 𝜌𝐿 − 𝜌𝑉 and the
C is an empirical constant that depends on this Kcorr factor which is given here depending
on the application. It is to be corrected for σ, the surface tension of the liquid. You will
notice one thing if surface tension goes up, C goes up, your allowable mass velocity goes
up. Your diameter comes down for the same 𝑚
̅ 𝑉,𝑚𝑎𝑥 .

Now, C is a function of the tray spacing as well. So, what you have here is the different
tray spacing that is standard. The expression of C is here, and this is found out from the
values which is given here. So, what you have here is the value of C which you find from
here, which you ultimately get from your Kcorr, and sigma. Evaluate the 𝑚
̅ 𝑉,𝑚𝑎𝑥 and then,
find out the diameter.

I have a question here for you, why should the column diameter depend on TS? We see
here the relationship makes it dependent on the TS. Basically, they are related in this way
if you see, if I have a very narrow column with a small D, my chance of entrainment is
more. But if I have to have a reasonable amount of tray efficiency, I must have a larger
TS. That means, if I have for my service a larger diameter tower, I can go for a lower tray
spacing and vice versa is also true. So, that is the answer.
(Refer Slide Time: 18:16)

The Souders-Brown method is based on the design of standard bubble cap tray design and
layout. The C factor may vary along with the tower and needs to be estimated for the top,
bottom and intermediate positions. So that the maximum diameter required in a particular
section is determined and normally, that is the tower diameter which is kept for the other
trays which may or may not require blanking of certain of the vapour dispersers.

Now, I reiterate that the 𝑚

̅ 𝑉,𝑚𝑎𝑥 term is based on the total tower cross-section. It is not the
active area or any other net area as in other vapour disperser designs.

Now, to take care of uncertainties in the design conditions. D may be multiplied by a factor
of 1.05 to 1.25 and arrive at a conservative (higher) tray diameter.

You generate a higher value of D which will lead to lower entrainment and a better
fractionation. The factor that can be reached can be 1.05 to 1.15 for towers operating in
the pressure range 0.35 to 17 kg/cm2 or normally. The value is taken higher for vacuum
towers.
(Refer Slide Time: 20:15)

The other method for designing is from Fair and Mathews. You should refer to the book
Design of Equilibrium Stage Processes by B. D. Smith, where the procedure is written by
Fair himself. Fair defines a factor FLV.

His definition is based on the flow rate, the mass flow rates, and the densities related this
way by this expression. Then, what he does? He finds out another constant Csb. sb
definitely stands for Souder-Brown. But, he never mentions it anywhere at least in this
stage and for different tray spacings. The constants for finding out the Csb are different.

Once the Csb is available, based on the Csb and the value of the densities and the surface
tension of the liquid and also another parameter j which is the value of the approach to
flooding basically percentage approach to flooding. The conservative value of Uv,n is found
out which is used in finding out the diameter.

Uv,n is used in this expression and this expression gives you the volumetric flow rate of the
vapour from where you find out the D. So, this is how you find out the diameter by
following the Fair and Mathews procedure.
(Refer Slide Time: 22:47)

The steps of calculations, in this case, are the compilation of the inputs. Computing the
FLV value, corresponding to FLV estimating the Csb for a chosen TS. We will note that here
that the Csb values are different from the C of the Souder-Brown equation. C considers
negligible entrainment and involves a total tower area for calculation. This is a major
difference what you have.

That means C is based on the total area of calculation this is as per Souders and Brown.
Whereas, in this case, it is not meant for that. It is based on the net tray area which has
already been defined to you as An which is for a single pass tray is equal to A of the tray
minus A of the downcomer that means. This basically is an area that is available for the
vapour to approach the upper tray. So, it is the net tray area that is used. Typically, the
approach to flooding is around 70 % or 80 % for higher diameters.

We already know that the weir length typically which is taken is about 76 to 78 % of the
diameter which makes k, which is a correction for the downcomer area to be around 0.12
or other 12 %. So, your D is given by this expression which is there in the previous slide
as well.
It is customary to check the diameter for the top tray, bottom tray and feed tray and add up
the largest of the D as a tower diameter. Normally, varying a tray diameter varying a tower
diameter at different elevations is uneconomic because it involves a good amount of
increase in the manufacturing cost, but in the case of very large columns like the crude
columns, it is done. The crude column typically will have a narrower top and a bottom
section and a fatter middle section.

(Refer Slide Time: 25:29)

The Fair’s correlation is about 15, ±15 % accurate and the basic correlation is for σ is equal
to 20 and we already have told you about the correction if the deviation is from σ is equal
to 20. The bubble tray where height should be below 15 % of the tray spacing, which is
very common. I mean in most of the cases, you will find that the weir height will be
something around 50, 60 mm whereas, your tray spacing is much much higher. Bubbling
area covering most of the area between the weirs.

When the TS is smaller, the height of the two-phase which is a froth plus liquid layer and
not the blow-off process is decisive for the highest feasible gas load. For safe operation,
the froth level must always be less than TS. Now, flooding may be on the tray which is by
the entrainment flooding or it could be in the downcomer which is called downcomer
flooding and it has already been discussed when the other type of vapour disperser has
been told to you.

(Refer Slide Time: 26:57)

So, to complete this what you further require is to check for the entrainment. That means,
you have found out already the diameter, you have decided on the tray spacing now, let us
see what all things are still left. We have to find out the percentage entrainment and its
effect on the efficiency. You have to find out the slot operating opening under operating
conditions.

The liquid gradient on the tray has to be evaluated. The downcomer the procedure to
evaluate the downcomer is already told to you in the when the vapour disperser of your
sieve tray has been covered. We need to find out how to estimate the pressure drop across
the tray and definitely. We have to decide the outlet weir length and height. This will be
covering in the next class.

Thank you.