(329a) Tray Pressure Drop Model Development

Fractionation Research, Inc., (FRI) first developed correlations for tray pressure drop in 1959 and continues to improve the models based on ongoing research. Pressure drop influences the design and selection of the distillation column and internals. The literature has documented extensive research made in modeling clear liquid height and dry pressure drop over the years. Previous FRI correlations and most correlations in the literature work well only for a narrow range of operating conditions and tray designs on which these correlations are based. This work discusses the parameters affecting the tray pressure drop, and limitations to the pressure drop correlations for sieve trays and valve trays. Different models are compared with each other and with experimental data, which provides a pathway for future model development.