(179c) Quick and Easy Troubleshooting of a Packed Column: Thermal Imaging As a Novel Method

This paper presents thermal imaging as a successful troubleshooting method for packed distillation towers.  A distillation tower showed poor performance in the top section, indicated by an increased and unstable top temperature.  The methodology of investigation combined surveys drawn from the equipment’s available instrumentation on temperature, pressure and flow, together with taking thermal images to identify possible root causes for the poor performance.  The thermal images explicitly uncovered severe maldistribution throughout the tower, ranging from the top packed bed and pumparound system all the way down the bottom of the tower.  The thermal images clearly show the vapour channeling up one side of the column with the liquid channeling down the other side; there were no indications of flooding.  A damaged holddown grid, pumparound liquid distributor and random packing were identified as the main possible root causes for the poor performance prior to entering the column.  The column internals were inspected and it was found that the random packing in the top bed was fouled together in conglomerates and severely crushed.  Some of the random packing conglomerates was stuck in the holddown grids, possibly contributing to the maldistrubution.  The maldistribution was completely rectified with the installation of a new bed limiter together with new random packing.  This study shows that thermal imaging can effectively be used to troubleshoot packed columns on an industrial scale.