A new and applicable method to calculate mass and heat transfer coefficients and efficiency of industrial distillation columns containing structured packings

Most of the methods developed for efficiency estimation of distillation columns were based on the empirical mass transfer and hydraulic relations correlated to laboratory data. Therefore, these methods cannot estimate efficiency of industrial columns with sufficient accuracy. In this paper, a new and applicable method was developed for calculation of efficiency (and mass and heat transfer coefficients) of distillation columns containing structured packings. This method has potential advantages; e.g., it can calculate efficiency without using any empirical mass transfer and hydraulic correlations and models, and without the need to estimate the operational and hydraulic parameters of column. Therefore, it will be free of errors, limitations, and complexities of such empirical items. In addition, precision of the method does not decrease with increasing complexity of operating conditions and design parameters of column. The method can be used for efficiency calculation of any structured packing, including new ones, in distillation columns.

► A new method for calculation of mass and heat transfer coefficients and efficiency.
► Usable for efficiency estimation of any structured packing in distillation columns.
► Applicable to any column with any amount of flow rates, diameter, and height, as well as with any number of components.
► Free of errors and restrictions of empirical mass transfer and hydraulic correlations.
► No interfacial area estimation is required.