(156d) Performance Comparison of HETP Correlations for High-Capacity Structured Packings

Previous performance studies on HETP correlations have been conducted using structured packings with relatively low nominal packing areas. Further, the previous studies generally did not include high-capacity structured packings with new geometrical features such as MellapakPlus 252Y, 452Y, and 752Y. This is in part due to the lack of publicly available higher capacity structured packing test data. Therefore, many of the existing HETP correlations in the literature are developed using experimental data with structured packings of low nominal areas. In this study, a performance comparison and comprehensive evaluation of several HETP correlations from the literature will be presented. The HETP correlations from the literature selected for these evaluations include Gualito (1997), Billet and Schultes (1999), Delft (2004), and Hanley (2012). The performance of these correlations was evaluated on experimental HETP data across the pre-loading regime. Experimental HETP data collected for this study represented pressures ranging from 0.10 – 1.62 bar. Both aqueous and non-aqueous test systems were included in the overall evaluation. An analysis of the results and observed strengths and weaknesses of existing literature models in predicting HETP for high-capacity structured packings will be presented.