The impact of heat transfer on Murphree tray efficiency

This work features the experimental determination of heat transfer coefficients and Murphree tray efficiencies on a diabatic (heat-transferring) distillation tray. The present investigation, focussing on the impact of heat transfer on sieve tray performance, is part of a long-term project on heat integrated distillation columns (HIDiC). Heat transfer coefficients and tray efficiencies have been determined experimentally for the methanol/water system in a 150 mm diameter distillation column. The heat-transferring tray was operated in both heating and cooling modes, with heat fluxes up to 50 and 100 kW m−2, respectively. The experimental data from these diabatic experiments were compared with data obtained from the same column in adiabatic mode and were correlated with the vapour velocity and the heat flux to/from the tray.