Measuring the level of tower bottoms

The level measurement in the bottom of any distillation column is a critical measurement task in refineries. Tower internals damage due to the failure of level control technologies for residual bottoms is one of the most common issues in refineries. However, this is not the only way that reliable bottoms level measurements can save costs and increase efficiency in the refining process. In the atmospheric distillation process as well as in vacuum distillation, crude oil is separated ...

Minimize recycle and coke carryover with the coker main fractionator washspray header design

Coker Main Fractionator flash zone design is critical to reliable operation of the column and maintaining product quality. This section commonly experiences problems related to the presence of unstable heavy liquid and carryover of solids. Successful operation often hinges on the design of the wash liquid distributor. Although Sulzer utilizes several styles of wash liquid distributors, this bulletin focuses on the spray header design. The spray distributor design is a careful ...

New design features enhance separation performance

The Shell Schoepentoeter™ is a vane-type inlet device for feeding high momentum gas-liquid mixtures into separators or distillation columns. The Schoepentoeter has two main functions: separating the liquid from the vapor and evenly distributing the vapor in the gas compartment of the vessel. While Schoepentoeters have been recognized as the primary choice of radial inlet device in many separator vessels, performance in distillation columns has been challenged by proponents ...

On budget, on time, offline

Flawless project execution will not prevent a unit shutdown due to selecting the wrong metallurgy for a challenging crude slate. No matter how well it is fabricated and installed, a shell and tube exchanger with cold, high viscosity vacuum resid on the tube side will have poor heat transfer performance. On-time shipping and installation of a too-small desalter will not prevent crude column overhead corrosion if the centerline velocity is overly optimistic for the design crude. A ...

Opportunity or Annoyance?

Price differentials between conventional and opportunity crudes compel refiners to process increasing percentages of lower valued opportunity crude. However, as many refiners have learned the hard way, opportunity crudes are tied to unique processing challenges. Furthermore, existing crude unit configurations may limit high profit opportunity crude to a disappointingly small proportion of the total unit blend. Processing a changing slate of opportunity crudes of varying compositions ...

Polymer production technology

Sulzer Chemtech is the world‘s most renowned supplier of equipment and related solutions in the field of static mixing. The combination of engineering expertise and many years of application know-how enables Sulzer Chemtech to provide global solutions for improved polymer product quality. All Sulzer Chemtech products and services rely on a successful integration of three main competencies: • Static mixing know-how • Piloting & scale up • Process & ...

Process technology

Sulzer Chemtech, a member of the Sulzer Corporation, with headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland, is active in the field of process engineering, employing 3'000 persons worldwide. Sulzer Chemtech is represented in all important industrial countries setting standards in the fields of mass transfer and static mixing with its advanced and economical solutions. Sulzer Chemtech is organized into four business units, one of which is the Process Technology group. This business unit ...

Safeguard packed column efficiency with proper liquid distribution

Initial liquid distribution directly affects the efficiency of structured and random packing beds. As such, some form of flow test should be conducted to validate distributor performance prior to column startup. Steady state water flow testing is the most common method of testing distributors. It can be conducted in the shop or in the field to verify the design, manufacture and installation. Three Common Types of Liquid Distributor Flow Tests • Liquid Range Test with ...

Separator technology reduces refinery operating costs and downtime

A US refining company contacted us to discuss a separation problem in the feed to an alkylation process. Caustic entrainment from their selective hydrogenation unit was poisoning the hydrofluoric acid catalyst in the alkylation unit. The continuous phase feed to the alkylation unit consisted of ~180m3/hr of mixed C4 hydrocarbons, mainly butanes and butylenes, with varying levels of 10 – 20% caustic solution entrained as a dispersed aqueous phase. Sulzer was commissioned ...

Structured grid packing

Structured grid packings have traditionally been used for high severity services. Grids have a high open area, relatively low surface area, and a robust construction to withstand process upsets and to resist fouling. There are two main types of grids, categorized by structure - conventional grid and corrugated, high-efficiency grid. Developed first, conventional grids have a structure made from vertical members and angled flaps. The simple construct is fouling resistant, but has ...

Structured packings for distillation, absorption and reactive distillation

This brochure was reviewed and supplemented recently. It therefore provides a complete, up‑to‑date overview of packings available from Sulzer Chemtech. Also included is a summary covering the essential column internals and our technical services. More detailed product information, you will find in the following brochures: - Internals for Packed Columns The brochure contains a comprehensive summary of the selection of internals supplied by Sulzer Chemtech, and ...

Suspension crystallization technology

Suspension crystallization technology completes Sulzer‘s existing portfolio of melt crystallization technology consisting of falling film and static crystallization. Based upon careful evaluation of the technologies, our clients can be sure to receive the ideal process for their separation challenge, be it one of our crystallization technologies or even a hybrid process. Suspension crystallization is a highly selective, low energy consuming and solvent-free separation ...

Three cost effective ways to strengthen trays against uplift

Several common operating conditions cause tray damage, including high liquid levels, free water flashing at the bottom of the column, and excessive pressure drop. The result can be an expensive shutdown causing lost production and profit. Increasing tray thickness can be a first approach for strengthening the tray, but this can increase the material cost of the trays by 50% or more. Sulzer commonly uses three simple cost effective alternatives to increase tray strength in new ...