(358a) Trayheart - Professional Hydraulic Column Design

Hydraulic design of tray or packed columns and liquid distributors is a daily task in process engineering. Reliable models for predicting fluiddynamics in columns already exist. Nowadays they are commonly used in form of individual, stand alone, often self-developed, software programs. Why haven't these models been collected in an up-to-date software package up to now? Based on this idea an advanced computer program ? named TrayHeart - has been developed for vendor-independent design, rating and debottlenecking of columns. The program includes different common and proved models for sieve, bubble cap, shower deck, (classic and caged) valve and dual-flow trays as well as for structured and random packings. Also FRI models are implemented - for FRI members only. Due to its professional standard, even advanced applications such a multipass trays, distributors, notched weirs, sloped downcomers, recessed seal pans or calming zones are part of the program's functions. Additionally construction details (e.g. support rings, mechanic strength, assembly aspects and resulting inactive areas) are taken into account during all calculations. The liquid distributor module offers e.g. Moore&Rukovena distibutor quality calculation. Even the selection of mass transfer equipment is supported by the "ColSelect" module, which suggests internals on the basis of rigorous calculations. As a result detailed fluiddynamic calculations (main parameters like flooding factors, pressure drop, entrainment and up to 30 other values) are provided for each tray or column section in form of a well structured screen or paper output. Additionally e.g. operating borders, distributor quality and column sketches can be visualized graphically. Thus, the engineer takes advantage of a modern fast GUI and a unique software environment for all types of columns and their calculations. Due to the large capability of the software the presentation will focus on the fluiddynamic analysis and design of column internals on the basis of stream profiles that can easily be imported from thermodynamic simulators like e.g. ASPEN Plus. The software yet already is used by several German companies (e.g. BASF, Bayer, Degussa, Wacker, Siemens A&D).