Acrylonytrile

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	Acrylonitrile Revamps with SUPERFLUX^Ž trays in Acrylonitrile plants can provide more than a 30% increase in capacity compared to conventional trays while allowing run times to be increased significantly. Equipment \| References \| Case Studies \| Technical Papers \| FAQ Koch-Glitsch Equipment Protection against fouling has proven to be the greatest challenge for designing mass transfer equipment in Acrylonitrile (AN) applications. Unit showdowns are frequent and are costly to plant productivity. With the exception of the Quench Column and Absorber, trays are the mass transfer equipment of choice in Acrylonitrile plants. Most plants are initially designed with conventional sieve or valve trays. Fouling considerations often limit the number of options available to users when capacity expansions are desired. The SUPERFLUX^Ž high performance tray by Koch-Glitsch was developed to give designers a superior option to improve capacity and efficiency in fouling applications such as this. In addition, these trays are often installed to provide increased run times when capacity increases are not needed. Back to Top References SUPERFLUX^Ž trays (and the related SUPERFRAC^Ž tray) have been used successfully in over 40 Acrylonitrile installations since the mid 1980s. A large number of these SUPERFLUX^Ž installations are in the Heads Column where fouling problems are typically the greatest. However, these trays have also been installed in the Recovery, Stripper, Drying, Product, Absorber, Water Wash, and Aceto Stripper Columns. FLEXIGRID^Ž (and GLITSCH GRID^Ž) grids have been used with very good success in a large number of AN Quench Columns. Specific references of Koch-Glitsch installations in AN plants are available upon request. Back to Top Case Studies Increase Run Time of AN Heads Column using SUPERFLUX^Ž Trays - Project Report 265 Back to Top Technical Papers High Performance Anti-Fouling Tray Technology and its Application in the Chemical Industry, Presented at the AIChE Spring 2001 National Meeting Research and Development by Computational Fluid Dynamics, Presented at the AICHE Spring 2000 National Meeting Request This Technical Article Back to Top FAQ Q: What is the SUPERFLUX^Ž tray and how does it provide protection against fouling? A: The SUPERFLUX^Ž tray is a high performance crossflow tray that was developed specifically to provide improved performance in fouling applications. A number of different performance-enhancing features are custom applied to the tray to provide the necessary protection from the specific type of fouling. These features include: special downcomer designs, large fixed valve units, directional valves, anti-fouling tray construction, and special weir design. Every detail of the tray design has been adapted to provide the greatest possible resistance to fouling while still maintaining the high performance of a crossflow tray. In addition to (and equally as important as) the tray features, the tray design is enhanced by Koch-Glitschs in-depth knowledge of the fouling mechanisms typical of AN applications. This ensures that items such as tray pressure drop and downcomer velocities on the tray are optimized to minimize fouling. Q: What type of improvements in run lengths are realistic when revamping from conventional equipment to anti-fouling technology? A: Run length improvements in the order of two times that of conventional trays are not uncommon. Of course, run length improvements can vary greatly depending on the specific application within the AN plant, the operation of the specific plant, and the nature of the existing tray design that you are trying to improve upon. Each application should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Refer to the case studies for some examples of run time improvements. Q: What experience does Koch-Glitsch have in using dualflow trays in AN applications? A: Koch-Glitsch is familiar with a small number of installations of dualflow trays in AN applications. Although dualflow trays have been used with good success in many fouling applications, the experience with dualflow trays in AN plants has generally not been favorable. Dualflow trays are an inherently unstable device with very limited operating flexibility. Design of these trays also becomes very difficult in moderate to large diameter columns. Koch-Glitsch is familiar with one particular AN plant revamp that greatly improved column performance by replacing the existing dualflow trays with SUPERFLUX^Ž trays. Back to Top

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