Traditional trays and packing can be limited when it comes to gas and liquid hydraulic capacity as well as mass transfer capabilities. Thanks to an innovative contacting principle, which addresses flooding and entrainment which limit tray capacity, operators are now better able to utilize trays to promote mass transfer within a mixing box. On top of those mixing boxes, swirl tubes separate gas and liquid thereby allowing the solvent to flow back to the tray.
Macroscopically, on the column scale, liquid and gas flow counter-currently. However, on each tray within each element, gas, and liquid are actually flowing co-currently. The working principle of the trays brings two significant advantages:
Higher gas and liquid handling capacity as turbulence and high velocities are needed in the mixing boxes Improved mass transfer as near equilibrium is reached within the mixing boxes due to large liquid /gas ratio and the intense mixing.
On some applications, there is up to 80% capacity increase and an increased ability to manage higher CO2 concentrations. Additionally, the smaller column (30% diameter reduction, 50% weight reduction), which improves constructibility. For offshore units, the robust design is resistant to sloshing (due to tilt and yaw), and a compact column design with low plot space.
