US20080017497A1 - Distillation Column - Google Patents
Distillation Column Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20080017497A1 US20080017497A1 US11/569,604 US56960405A US2008017497A1 US 20080017497 A1 US20080017497 A1 US 20080017497A1 US 56960405 A US56960405 A US 56960405A US 2008017497 A1 US2008017497 A1 US 2008017497A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- channel
- peak
- strip
- inverted portion
- main
- Prior art date
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J19/00—Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus
- B01J19/32—Packing elements in the form of grids or built-up elements for forming a unit or module inside the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J2219/00—Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus
- B01J2219/32—Details relating to packing elements in the form of grids or built-up elements for forming a unit of module inside the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
- B01J2219/322—Basic shape of the elements
- B01J2219/32203—Sheets
- B01J2219/32213—Plurality of essentially parallel sheets
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J2219/00—Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus
- B01J2219/32—Details relating to packing elements in the form of grids or built-up elements for forming a unit of module inside the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
- B01J2219/322—Basic shape of the elements
- B01J2219/32203—Sheets
- B01J2219/32224—Sheets characterised by the orientation of the sheet
- B01J2219/32227—Vertical orientation
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J2219/00—Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus
- B01J2219/32—Details relating to packing elements in the form of grids or built-up elements for forming a unit of module inside the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
- B01J2219/322—Basic shape of the elements
- B01J2219/32203—Sheets
- B01J2219/32237—Sheets comprising apertures or perforations
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J2219/00—Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus
- B01J2219/32—Details relating to packing elements in the form of grids or built-up elements for forming a unit of module inside the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
- B01J2219/322—Basic shape of the elements
- B01J2219/32203—Sheets
- B01J2219/32248—Sheets comprising areas that are raised or sunken from the plane of the sheet
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J2219/00—Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus
- B01J2219/32—Details relating to packing elements in the form of grids or built-up elements for forming a unit of module inside the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
- B01J2219/322—Basic shape of the elements
- B01J2219/32203—Sheets
- B01J2219/32255—Other details of the sheets
- B01J2219/32262—Dimensions or size aspects
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J2219/00—Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus
- B01J2219/32—Details relating to packing elements in the form of grids or built-up elements for forming a unit of module inside the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
- B01J2219/324—Composition or microstructure of the elements
- B01J2219/32408—Metal
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J2219/00—Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus
- B01J2219/32—Details relating to packing elements in the form of grids or built-up elements for forming a unit of module inside the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
- B01J2219/328—Manufacturing aspects
- B01J2219/3281—Pleating
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J2219/00—Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus
- B01J2219/32—Details relating to packing elements in the form of grids or built-up elements for forming a unit of module inside the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
- B01J2219/332—Details relating to the flow of the phases
- B01J2219/3325—Counter-current flow
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49396—Condenser, evaporator or vaporizer making
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a distillation column comprising at least one cross-corrugated packing module comprising a plurality of strips with their channel orientations inverted from one strip to the next, the strip being made of a sheet material and being of the type comprising corrugations that form alternately first main peaks directed along a first direction and second main peaks directed along the opposite direction, the corrugations defining channels, each channel lying between two first or second adjacent main peaks forming edge peaks of the channel, and each channel having two channel legs that are joined together by a top main peak, the channels having a general orientation that is inclined to a general flow direction of the said liquid, the strip furthermore comprising at least one inverted portion which lies entirely within the cross section of one of the channels and which joins together the two channel legs, the inverted portion comprising a first intermediate peak oriented-in the opposite direction to the top main peak of the channel.
- packing is understood to mean a device intended for mixing a phase and/or for bringing several phases flowing co-currently or countercurrently into contact with one another.
- a heat and/or mass exchange and/or a chemical reaction may in particular take place in the packing.
- One particular application of the invention lies in the columns separating gas mixtures, especially air distillation columns.
- modules comprise corrugated metal sheets placed vertically, the corrugations of which sheets are oblique with respect to a general fluid flow direction in the installation and are inclined alternately, generally crossed at 90°, from one sheet to another.
- the packing modules are slipped into the distillation column so that the sheets of one module are angularly offset with respect to the sheets of an adjacent module about the axis of the column, generally by 90° from one module to another.
- a packing strip of this type is known from document EP-A-1 029 588, the corrugations of which form peaks and valleys joined together by corrugation legs defining channels.
- This strip includes inverted portions, also called “serrations”, which lie within each channel, each inverted portion forming a single intermediate peak. The inverted portion defines an angle of 90° with each corrugation leg to which it is joined.
- this strip When this strip is manufactured by bending a thin flat metal sheet, the material forms tears or pleats.
- the finished packing strip therefore deviates from its desired geometrical shape, thereby reducing the mass or heat exchange performance of the finished strip.
- the object of the present invention is to alleviate the above drawbacks and to propose a packing strip that is easy to manufacture from a thin flat metal sheet and results in substantial heat and/or mass exchange.
- the subject of the invention is a column according to claim 1 .
- the strip of the column according to the invention includes one or more of the following features:
- the subject of the invention is also a process for manufacturing a strip made of folded metal sheet, of the type comprising corrugations that form alternately first main peaks directed along a first direction and second main peaks directed along the opposite direction, the corrugations defining channels, each channel lying between two first or second adjacent main peaks forming edge peaks of the channel, and each channel having two channel legs that are joined together by a top main peak, the channels having a general orientation that is inclined to a general flow direction of the said liquid, the strip furthermore comprising at least one inverted portion which lies entirely within the cross section of one of the channels and which joins together the two channel legs, the inverted portion comprising a first intermediate peak oriented in the opposite direction to the top main peak of the channel, the inverted portion furthermore including a second intermediate peak oriented in the direction of the top main peak, as defined above, characterized in that the process comprises the following step:
- FIG. 1 is a schematic view, in longitudinal section, of a mass and/or heat exchange column according to the invention, comprising cross-corrugated packing modules;
- FIG. 2 is a plan view of part of a packing strip of a column according to the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of part of the strip of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the strip along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2 , on a larger scale.
- FIG. 1 shows a mass and/or heat exchange column EC according to the invention, having a vertical general axis X-X.
- the column EC is for example a cryogenic distillation column, especially an air distillation column.
- the column EC comprises, at its upper end UE, a liquid inlet LI emerging in a liquid header LH which distributes the liquid over the cross section of the column EC, and a vapour outlet VO. At its lower end LE, it comprises a vapour inlet VI and a liquid outlet LO.
- the column EC furthermore includes a cylindrical shell S.
- the column EC defines a general fluid flow direction D f , which runs vertically.
- a packaging module PM 1 which favours the spreading of the liquid transversely to the X-X axis, is placed in the shell S directly below the header LH.
- a module PM 1 is known per se and is for example a packing module comprising a cross-corrugated packing with perforations or striations.
- a plurality of packing modules PM 2 according to the invention is placed in the shell S beneath the module PM 1 .
- a bottom support BS holds the packing modules PM 1 , PM 2 in place.
- Each packing module PM 2 comprises a multitude of corrugated packing strips 2 .
- the strips 2 have a mid-plane P (see FIG. 4 ) lying parallel to the general direction D f .
- the strips 2 of a module PM 2 are placed against one another and in such a way that the planes P lie parallel to one another.
- the planes P of the packing strips of two adjacent modules PM 2 are angularly offset about the X-X axis, preferably by approximately 90°.
- FIG. 2 shows part of a packing strip 2 .
- the strip 2 has two parallel edges, an upper edge 4 and a lower edge 6 , which lie perpendicular to the direction D f .
- the strip 2 also has corrugations 8 which form alternately first main peaks 10 , directed in one direction (see FIG. 4 ) relative to the general mid-plane P of the strip 2 , and second main peaks 12 , directed in the opposite direction relative to the plane P.
- the second peaks 12 form valleys.
- the corrugations 8 form identical but alternately inverted channels 14 , each channel lying between two first 10 or two second 12 main peaks.
- the channels 14 are open alternately in one of the two aforementioned directions and then in the other.
- the intermediate main peak 12 or 10 forms the top main peak of the channel 14 in question, whereas the two adjacent peaks 10 or 12 form the channel edge peaks.
- Two adjacent main peaks 10 , 12 are joined together by a channel leg 16 of straight section.
- the channels 14 , and consequently the peaks 10 , 12 lie along a channel direction D c that is inclined at an angle ⁇ to the edges 4 , 6 (see FIG. 2 ).
- the directions D c of two adjacent strips 2 of a module PM 2 are inverted one with respect to the other.
- each channel 14 has a first circular arc 18 of radius of curvature r 1 , which forms the top main peak 10 .
- a main straight section 20 of the channel leg 16 is joined tangentially to this circular arc 18 on either side of the latter.
- This straight section 20 has a length d 1 measured between the join 24 (see below) and the circular arc 18 .
- the two straight sections 20 make an angle ⁇ between them.
- the strip 2 furthermore includes, in each channel 14 , a multitude of identical inverted portions 22 .
- FIG. 4 shows one of these inverted portions 22 .
- the inverted portion 22 lies entirely within the cross section of the channel 14 , that is to say that the portion of the strip 2 , which lies inside the thickness e of the corrugation legs 16 , does not form part of the inverted portion 22 .
- the inverted portion 22 joins the two legs 16 of the channel 14 together and is joined to them at two joins 24 . It forms a first intermediate peak 26 directed in the opposite direction to the top peak 10 of the channel, and two intermediate peaks, a second intermediate peak 28 and a third intermediate peak 30 , which are oriented in the direction of the top main peak 10 and lie on either side of the intermediate peak 26 .
- the cross section of the inverted portion 22 comprises three circular arcs 32 , 34 , 36 .
- the circular arcs 34 , 36 have the same radius of curvature r 2 and form the second 28 and third 30 intermediate peaks, whereas the circular arc 32 has a radius of curvature r 3 (>r 2 ) and forms the first intermediate peak 26 .
- Extending between the circular arc 32 and each of the circular arcs 34 , 36 is a straight section 38 of the inverted portion 22 , which straight portion is joined tangentially to each of the circular arcs 32 , 34 , 36 .
- the straight sections 38 have the same length d 2 .
- the circular arcs 34 , 36 are joined tangentially to the channel legs 16 . As a consequence, there is little stressing of the metal sheet during deformation.
- Each of the two straight sections 38 makes an angle a with the adjacent corrugation leg 16 .
- the developed length of the inverted portion 22 is identical to the developed length of the two main straight sections 20 and of the circular arc 18 .
- the material is not stretched, or only slightly so, during bending.
- the channel 14 has a height h which is measured between the top main peak 10 of the channel and a plane Q defined by the two adjacent main peaks 12 .
- the first intermediate peak 26 lies approximately at the location of the barycentre B of the cross section of the channel. It is at this point that there is the highest concentration of mass or the highest temperature of a gas flowing in the channel 14 . Consequently, the strip 2 results in substantial heat and/or mass exchange.
- channel 14 and the inverted portion 22 are symmetrical with respect to a plane of symmetry A, perpendicular to the planes P and Q, the plane of symmetry being defined by the top main peak 10 and the first intermediate peak 26 .
- the radii of curvature r 1 , r 2 , r 3 of the corrugation 8 and of the inverted portion 22 are preferably at least 1 mm and in particular at least 2 mm, thereby making it easier to form the inverted-portion 22 without material rupture.
- the strip 2 according to the invention is manufactured according to a process comprising the following steps:
- the strip 2 Owing to the presence of at least one second intermediate peak, the strip 2 is only slightly deformed at the joins 24 . There is therefore little likelihood of the strip 2 tearing at these joins. Because the developed length of the corrugation 8 is the same as that of the inverted portion 22 between the joins 24 , the finished strip 2 is smooth and has a thickness e which is approximately the same over its entire surface. In addition, a risk of the strip 2 fracturing during bending is low.
- step (b) is carried out before step (a).
- steps (b) and (c) are carried out at the same time. Thus, it is unnecessary to synchronize the cutting and bending tools for the inverted portion.
- the intermediate peak 26 is placed close to the barycentre B of the cross section of the channel 14 , for example at a distance from this point B of less than 0.20 times the height h of the channel 14 .
- the intermediate peak 26 remains within a high concentration or high temperature region.
- the packing strip 2 also includes the following features:
- the invention also relates to a cryogenic distillation installation and in particular to an air distillation installation comprising at least one packing module as defined above.
Abstract
This distillation column comprises a cross-corrugated packing module formed from strips having corrugations that define channels (14), each channel lying between two main peaks (12; 10) and each channel having two channel legs (16) that are joined together by a top main peak (10; 12). The strip (2) comprises an inverted portion (22) which lies within the cross section of one of the channels (14) and which includes a first intermediate peak (26) oriented in the opposite direction to the top main peak (10; 12). The inverted portion (22) includes a second intermediate peak (28; 30) oriented in the direction of the top main peak (10; 12). Application to air distillation installations.
Description
- The present invention relates to a distillation column comprising at least one cross-corrugated packing module comprising a plurality of strips with their channel orientations inverted from one strip to the next, the strip being made of a sheet material and being of the type comprising corrugations that form alternately first main peaks directed along a first direction and second main peaks directed along the opposite direction, the corrugations defining channels, each channel lying between two first or second adjacent main peaks forming edge peaks of the channel, and each channel having two channel legs that are joined together by a top main peak, the channels having a general orientation that is inclined to a general flow direction of the said liquid, the strip furthermore comprising at least one inverted portion which lies entirely within the cross section of one of the channels and which joins together the two channel legs, the inverted portion comprising a first intermediate peak oriented-in the opposite direction to the top main peak of the channel.
- The term “packing” is understood to mean a device intended for mixing a phase and/or for bringing several phases flowing co-currently or countercurrently into contact with one another. A heat and/or mass exchange and/or a chemical reaction may in particular take place in the packing. One particular application of the invention lies in the columns separating gas mixtures, especially air distillation columns.
- Mentioned in the prior art are air distillation installations comprising cross-corrugated packing modules, which are also called “packs”. The modules comprise corrugated metal sheets placed vertically, the corrugations of which sheets are oblique with respect to a general fluid flow direction in the installation and are inclined alternately, generally crossed at 90°, from one sheet to another.
- The packing modules are slipped into the distillation column so that the sheets of one module are angularly offset with respect to the sheets of an adjacent module about the axis of the column, generally by 90° from one module to another.
- To improve the exchange between a liquid and a gas, which are flowing through the packing module, it has been proposed in the prior art to have openings that are made in the corrugated metal sheets. These openings lead to a change in the flow of the gas from one side of the metal sheet of the packing to the other and improve exchange with the liquid.
- A packing strip of this type is known from document EP-A-1 029 588, the corrugations of which form peaks and valleys joined together by corrugation legs defining channels. This strip includes inverted portions, also called “serrations”, which lie within each channel, each inverted portion forming a single intermediate peak. The inverted portion defines an angle of 90° with each corrugation leg to which it is joined.
- When this strip is manufactured by bending a thin flat metal sheet, the material forms tears or pleats. The finished packing strip therefore deviates from its desired geometrical shape, thereby reducing the mass or heat exchange performance of the finished strip.
- Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,196 also describes a corrugated packing strip provided with inverted portions, which has the same drawbacks.
- The object of the present invention is to alleviate the above drawbacks and to propose a packing strip that is easy to manufacture from a thin flat metal sheet and results in substantial heat and/or mass exchange.
- For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a column according to
claim 1. - According to particular embodiments, the strip of the column according to the invention includes one or more of the following features:
-
- the inverted portion comprises a third intermediate peak oriented in the direction of the top main peak, the second and third intermediate peaks lying on either side of the first intermediate peak;
- seen in cross section taken perpendicular to the orientation of the channel, the inverted portion is joined at a point to each of the channel legs and the developed length of the channel and the developed length of the inverted portion, which are measured between the two points, are approximately identical;
- the cross section of the inverted portion comprises a first circular arc, which forms the first intermediate peak, and second and third circular arcs, which form the second and third intermediate peaks, and lying between the first circular arc and each of the second and third circular arcs is an intermediate straight section of the inverted portion, which straight section is joined tangentially to the associated circular arcs;
- the cross section of the channel comprises a main circular arc that forms the top main peak and two main straight sections which join tangentially to the main circular arc;
- the radius of curvature of the main circular arc is equal to the sum of the radii of curvature of the first, second and third circular arcs and the angle between each of the intermediate straight sections and the associated main straight section is equal to the angle between the main straight sections;
- the channel has a height which is measured between the top main peak of the channel and a plane lying between the two adjacent main peaks of the channel and the distance between the top main peak and the first intermediate peak is approximately equal to ⅔ times the height; and
- the strip is made of a bent metal sheet.
- The subject of the invention is also a process for manufacturing a strip made of folded metal sheet, of the type comprising corrugations that form alternately first main peaks directed along a first direction and second main peaks directed along the opposite direction, the corrugations defining channels, each channel lying between two first or second adjacent main peaks forming edge peaks of the channel, and each channel having two channel legs that are joined together by a top main peak, the channels having a general orientation that is inclined to a general flow direction of the said liquid, the strip furthermore comprising at least one inverted portion which lies entirely within the cross section of one of the channels and which joins together the two channel legs, the inverted portion comprising a first intermediate peak oriented in the opposite direction to the top main peak of the channel, the inverted portion furthermore including a second intermediate peak oriented in the direction of the top main peak, as defined above, characterized in that the process comprises the following step:
-
- (a) a flat metal sheet is bent, thus forming a corrugated metal sheet comprising the channels;
- (b) at the location of at least one inverted portion of the strip, two slits are cut in the sheet, across a line of top main peaks; and
- (c) the portion located between the two slits is bent in the inverse manner to the corrugation, thus forming the inverted portion.
- A better understanding of the invention will be gained by reading the following description, given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic view, in longitudinal section, of a mass and/or heat exchange column according to the invention, comprising cross-corrugated packing modules; -
FIG. 2 is a plan view of part of a packing strip of a column according to the invention; -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of part of the strip ofFIG. 2 ; and -
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the strip along the line IV-IV ofFIG. 2 , on a larger scale. -
FIG. 1 shows a mass and/or heat exchange column EC according to the invention, having a vertical general axis X-X. The column EC is for example a cryogenic distillation column, especially an air distillation column. - The column EC comprises, at its upper end UE, a liquid inlet LI emerging in a liquid header LH which distributes the liquid over the cross section of the column EC, and a vapour outlet VO. At its lower end LE, it comprises a vapour inlet VI and a liquid outlet LO. The column EC furthermore includes a cylindrical shell S.
- The column EC defines a general fluid flow direction Df, which runs vertically.
- A packaging module PM1, which favours the spreading of the liquid transversely to the X-X axis, is placed in the shell S directly below the header LH. Such a module PM1 is known per se and is for example a packing module comprising a cross-corrugated packing with perforations or striations.
- A plurality of packing modules PM2 according to the invention is placed in the shell S beneath the module PM1. A bottom support BS holds the packing modules PM1, PM2 in place.
- Each packing module PM2 comprises a multitude of
corrugated packing strips 2. Thestrips 2 have a mid-plane P (seeFIG. 4 ) lying parallel to the general direction Df. Thestrips 2 of a module PM2 are placed against one another and in such a way that the planes P lie parallel to one another. The planes P of the packing strips of two adjacent modules PM2 are angularly offset about the X-X axis, preferably by approximately 90°. -
FIG. 2 shows part of apacking strip 2. - The
strip 2 has two parallel edges, an upper edge 4 and a lower edge 6, which lie perpendicular to the direction Df. - The
strip 2 also hascorrugations 8 which form alternately firstmain peaks 10, directed in one direction (seeFIG. 4 ) relative to the general mid-plane P of thestrip 2, and secondmain peaks 12, directed in the opposite direction relative to the plane P. In this case, thesecond peaks 12 form valleys. - The
corrugations 8 form identical but alternately invertedchannels 14, each channel lying between two first 10 or twosecond 12 main peaks. Thechannels 14 are open alternately in one of the two aforementioned directions and then in the other. The intermediatemain peak channel 14 in question, whereas the twoadjacent peaks main peaks channel leg 16 of straight section. Thechannels 14, and consequently thepeaks FIG. 2 ). The directions Dc of twoadjacent strips 2 of a module PM2 are inverted one with respect to the other. - In cross section, taken perpendicular to the direction Dc, as shown in
FIG. 4 , eachchannel 14 has a firstcircular arc 18 of radius of curvature r1, which forms the topmain peak 10. A mainstraight section 20 of thechannel leg 16 is joined tangentially to thiscircular arc 18 on either side of the latter. Thisstraight section 20 has a length d1 measured between the join 24 (see below) and thecircular arc 18. The twostraight sections 20 make an angle γ between them. - The
strip 2 furthermore includes, in eachchannel 14, a multitude of identical invertedportions 22. -
FIG. 4 shows one of these invertedportions 22. The invertedportion 22 lies entirely within the cross section of thechannel 14, that is to say that the portion of thestrip 2, which lies inside the thickness e of thecorrugation legs 16, does not form part of the invertedportion 22. Theinverted portion 22 joins the twolegs 16 of thechannel 14 together and is joined to them at two joins 24. It forms a firstintermediate peak 26 directed in the opposite direction to thetop peak 10 of the channel, and two intermediate peaks, a secondintermediate peak 28 and a thirdintermediate peak 30, which are oriented in the direction of the topmain peak 10 and lie on either side of theintermediate peak 26. - The cross section of the
inverted portion 22 comprises threecircular arcs circular arc 32 has a radius of curvature r3 (>r2) and forms the firstintermediate peak 26. Extending between thecircular arc 32 and each of thecircular arcs inverted portion 22, which straight portion is joined tangentially to each of thecircular arcs - Advantageously, the
circular arcs channel legs 16. As a consequence, there is little stressing of the metal sheet during deformation. - Each of the two straight sections 38 makes an angle a with the
adjacent corrugation leg 16. - The developed length of the
inverted portion 22 is identical to the developed length of the two mainstraight sections 20 and of thecircular arc 18. Thus, the material is not stretched, or only slightly so, during bending. - Moreover, the
channel 14 has a height h which is measured between the topmain peak 10 of the channel and a plane Q defined by the two adjacentmain peaks 12. The distance d4 between the topmain peak 10 and the firstintermediate peak 26 is approximately ⅔ of the height h. In other words: - Thus, the first
intermediate peak 26 lies approximately at the location of the barycentre B of the cross section of the channel. It is at this point that there is the highest concentration of mass or the highest temperature of a gas flowing in thechannel 14. Consequently, thestrip 2 results in substantial heat and/or mass exchange. - In addition, the
channel 14 and theinverted portion 22 are symmetrical with respect to a plane of symmetry A, perpendicular to the planes P and Q, the plane of symmetry being defined by the topmain peak 10 and the firstintermediate peak 26. - In order for the criterion of identical developed lengths to be respected, the following geometrical condition has to be satisfied.
- In the case (not shown) in which α=γ:
r 1=2 r 2+r 3. - In the case shown in
FIG. 3 , the angles α and γ are not the same. In this case, the following conditions have to be satisfied: - The radii of curvature r1, r2, r3 of the
corrugation 8 and of theinverted portion 22 are preferably at least 1 mm and in particular at least 2 mm, thereby making it easier to form the inverted-portion 22 without material rupture. - The
strip 2 according to the invention is manufactured according to a process comprising the following steps: -
- (a) a flat metal sheet is firstly bent, thus forming a corrugated sheet that includes the
channels 14; - (b) two slits are then cut in the sheet at the location of each
inverted portion 22; - (c) finally, the portions lying between two slits are bent in the opposite manner to the corrugation, thus forming the
inverted portions 22.
- (a) a flat metal sheet is firstly bent, thus forming a corrugated sheet that includes the
- Owing to the presence of at least one second intermediate peak, the
strip 2 is only slightly deformed at the joins 24. There is therefore little likelihood of thestrip 2 tearing at these joins. Because the developed length of thecorrugation 8 is the same as that of theinverted portion 22 between the joins 24, thefinished strip 2 is smooth and has a thickness e which is approximately the same over its entire surface. In addition, a risk of thestrip 2 fracturing during bending is low. - As a variant, the slits are cut before the flat sheet is bent, so that step (b) is carried out before step (a).
- Also as a variant, steps (b) and (c) are carried out at the same time. Thus, it is unnecessary to synchronize the cutting and bending tools for the inverted portion.
- According to a variant (not shown), the
intermediate peak 26 is placed close to the barycentre B of the cross section of thechannel 14, for example at a distance from this point B of less than 0.20 times the height h of thechannel 14. Thus, theintermediate peak 26 remains within a high concentration or high temperature region. - Depending on the embodiments, the
packing strip 2 according to the invention also includes the following features: -
- in cross section taken perpendicular to the orientation of the
channel 14, theinverted portion 22 is continuous over its entire developed length; - the
inverted portion 22 joins thechannel legs 16 without a sharp edge; - the second 34 and third 36 circular arcs are joined to the
channel legs 16 tangentially; - the
channel 14 has a height h which is measured between the topmain peak main peaks channel 14 has a barycentre B, and the firstintermediate peak 26 of theinverted portion 22 is located at a distance from the barycentre that is less than 0.20 times the height h; - the
channel 14 and theinverted portion 22 are symmetrical with respect to a plan of symmetry A defined by the topmain peak 10 and by the firstintermediate peak 26; - the thickness e of the
strip 2 is approximately the same over its entire surface.
- in cross section taken perpendicular to the orientation of the
- The invention also relates to a cryogenic distillation installation and in particular to an air distillation installation comprising at least one packing module as defined above.
Claims (10)
1-9. (canceled)
10. A distillation column comprising at least one cross-corrugated packing module comprising a plurality of strips with their channel orientations inverted from one strip to the next, the strip being made of a sheet material and being of the type comprising corrugations that form alternately first main peaks directed along a first direction and second main peaks directed along the opposite direction, the corrugations defining channels, each channel lying between two first or second adjacent main peaks forming edge peaks of the channel, and each channel having two channel legs that are joined together by a top main peak, the channels having a general orientation that is inclined to a general flow direction of the said liquid, the strip furthermore comprising at least one inverted portion which lies entirely within the cross section of one of the channels and which joins together the two channel legs, the inverted portion comprising a first intermediate peak oriented in the opposite direction to the top main peak of the channel, wherein the inverted portion furthermore includes a second intermediate peak oriented in the direction of the top main peak.
11. The column of claim 10 , wherein the inverted portion of the strip comprises a third intermediate peak oriented in the direction of the top main peak, the second and third intermediate peaks lying on either side of the first intermediate peak.
12. The column of claim 10 , wherein, seen in cross section taken perpendicular to the orientation of the channel, the inverted portion of the strip is joined at a point to each of the channel legs and in that the developed length of the channel and the developed length of the inverted portion, which are measured between the two points, are approximately identical.
13. The column of claim 11 , wherein the cross section of the inverted portion of the strip comprises a first circular arc, which forms the first intermediate peak, and second and third circular arcs, which form the second and third intermediate peaks, and in that lying between the first circular arc and each of the second and third circular arcs is an intermediate straight section of the inverted portion, which straight section is joined tangentially to the associated circular arcs.
14. The column of claim 10 , wherein the cross section of the channel of the strip comprises a main circular arc that forms the top main peak and two main straight sections which join tangentially to the main circular arc.
15. The column of claim 13 , wherein the radius of curvature of the main circular arc is equal to the sum of the radii of curvature of the first, second and third circular arcs and in that the angle between each of the intermediate straight sections and the associated main straight section is equal to the angle between the main straight sections.
16. The column of claim 10 , wherein the channel has a height which is measured between the top main peak of the channel and a plane lying between the two adjacent main peaks of the channel and in that the distance between the top main peak and the first intermediate peak is approximately equal to ⅔ times the height.
17. The column of claim 10 , wherein the strip is made of a folded metal sheet.
18. A process for manufacturing a strip made of folded metal sheet, of the type comprising corrugations that form alternately first main peaks directed along a first direction and second main peaks directed along the opposite direction, the corrugations defining channels, each channel lying between two first or second adjacent main peaks forming edge peaks of the channel, and each channel having two channel legs that are joined together by a top main peak, the channels having a general orientation that is inclined to a general flow direction of the said liquid, the strip furthermore comprising at least one inverted portion which lies entirely within the cross section of one of the channels and which joins together the two channel legs, the inverted portion comprising a first intermediate peak oriented in the opposite direction to the top main peak of the channel, the inverted portion furthermore including a second intermediate peak oriented in the direction of the top main peak, wherein the process comprises the following steps:
a) a flat metal sheet is bent, thus forming a corrugated metal sheet comprising the channels;
b) at the location of at least one inverted portion of the strip, two slits are cut in the sheet, across a line of top main peaks; and
c) the portion located between the two slits is bent in the inverse manner to the corrugation, thus forming the inverted portion.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
FR0451108A FR2871073B1 (en) | 2004-06-04 | 2004-06-04 | BAND FOR CORRUGATED CROSSOVER TRIM MODULE, PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME, AND CORRESPONDING CORRUGATED CROSSOVER TRIM |
FR0451108 | 2004-06-04 | ||
PCT/IB2005/001509 WO2005119147A1 (en) | 2004-06-04 | 2005-05-30 | Distillation column |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20080017497A1 true US20080017497A1 (en) | 2008-01-24 |
Family
ID=34946566
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/569,604 Abandoned US20080017497A1 (en) | 2004-06-04 | 2005-05-30 | Distillation Column |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20080017497A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1756497B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4625075B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1965205B (en) |
ES (1) | ES2662435T3 (en) |
FR (1) | FR2871073B1 (en) |
PL (1) | PL1756497T3 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2005119147A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP3127605A4 (en) * | 2014-04-01 | 2017-09-20 | IHI Corporation | Method for manufacturing filler and filler |
US20170331230A1 (en) * | 2014-12-17 | 2017-11-16 | Etl Systems Limited | Connector Assembly and Related Methods and Assemblies |
Families Citing this family (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2913353B1 (en) | 2007-03-09 | 2010-05-21 | Inst Francais Du Petrole | HIGH PERFORMANCE STRUCTURE TRIM FOR FLUID CONTACT COLUMN AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE. |
CA2755761C (en) * | 2009-03-18 | 2016-08-30 | Sulzer Chemtech Ag | Mass transfer apparatus including a structured packing |
JP5621104B2 (en) * | 2010-09-02 | 2014-11-05 | 株式会社エプシロン | Regular packing for gas-liquid contactor |
WO2019191375A1 (en) | 2018-03-28 | 2019-10-03 | Norell, Inc. | Multi-channel distillation column packing |
US20220134304A1 (en) * | 2019-02-25 | 2022-05-05 | L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et I'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude | Method for manufacturing an apparatus for exchanging heat and material |
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- 2004-06-04 FR FR0451108A patent/FR2871073B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2005
- 2005-05-30 US US11/569,604 patent/US20080017497A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2005-05-30 ES ES05750225.4T patent/ES2662435T3/en active Active
- 2005-05-30 WO PCT/IB2005/001509 patent/WO2005119147A1/en active Application Filing
- 2005-05-30 CN CN200580018048.4A patent/CN1965205B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2005-05-30 EP EP05750225.4A patent/EP1756497B1/en not_active Not-in-force
- 2005-05-30 JP JP2007514180A patent/JP4625075B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2005-05-30 PL PL05750225T patent/PL1756497T3/en unknown
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US3374994A (en) * | 1963-03-04 | 1968-03-26 | Ici Ltd | Packing units for gas-liquid contact apparatus |
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EP3127605A4 (en) * | 2014-04-01 | 2017-09-20 | IHI Corporation | Method for manufacturing filler and filler |
US10265676B2 (en) | 2014-04-01 | 2019-04-23 | Ihi Corporation | Method of manufacturing packing and packing |
US20170331230A1 (en) * | 2014-12-17 | 2017-11-16 | Etl Systems Limited | Connector Assembly and Related Methods and Assemblies |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP4625075B2 (en) | 2011-02-02 |
FR2871073B1 (en) | 2007-04-13 |
PL1756497T3 (en) | 2018-05-30 |
CN1965205B (en) | 2013-01-23 |
JP2008501502A (en) | 2008-01-24 |
WO2005119147A1 (en) | 2005-12-15 |
EP1756497B1 (en) | 2018-01-10 |
ES2662435T3 (en) | 2018-04-06 |
FR2871073A1 (en) | 2005-12-09 |
EP1756497A1 (en) | 2007-02-28 |
CN1965205A (en) | 2007-05-16 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: L'AIR LIQUIDE, SOCIETE ANONYME A DIRECTOIRE ET CON Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:WERLEN, ETIENNE;LECLERQ, FRANCOIS;LEBAIN, GILLES;REEL/FRAME:019481/0275 Effective date: 20061113 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |