Trays having increased capacity and efficiency are described. The trays have a deck, and downcomers extending through the deck. There are a plurality of bubble promoters on the deck. Each bubble promoter defines a zone on the deck, and the zone has an opening in the deck. The opening is positioned adjacent to a solid support for the tray. The bubble promoters provide areas through which vapor can pass, turning blocked areas of the tray into active areas. Mass transfer columns containing the trays are also described.

A support beam is provided for supporting an internal such as a structured or grid packing within a mass transfer column. The support beam has an elongated web and upper and lower open flanges respectively positioned at upper and lower edge portions of the web. Each of the upper and lower open flanges has reinforcement rails that extend along a longitudinal length of the web and are spaced from opposed first and second faces of the web by spacers to create open fluid flow channels between the reinforcement rails and the first and second faces of the web. The upper and lower open flanges strengthen the web against deflection while minimizing horizontal surfaces that may lead to accumulation and growth of solids that may interfere with fluid flow to and from the internal.

An apparatus for a dividing wall column in an isomerization unit is disclosed. The apparatus includes a at least one primary vertical wall located at a first set of predetermined plurality of trays and configured to separate a feed from a first side cut; one or more walls placed at a second set of predetermined plurality of trays and configured to enable a second side cut wherein each of the one or more walls includes at least one predetermined shape, wherein the dividing wall column produces four cuts wherein one is hexane cut, wherein there are two walls in different sections of the column. The at least one primary vertical wall includes one of a straight wall, an ‘L’ shaped wall, an ‘Γ’ shaped wall, or a zig-zag wall. The one or more walls are mechanically coupled to form a second vertical wall.

A support for a packing column having a support profile with a web section running in the vertical direction and having lower end and an upper end, and having a larger vertical extension than a horizontal extension. The support also has a foot section connected to the upper end of the web section and a head section connected to the lower end of the web section. The head section has an upper face and a sub-section, the width of the upper face being smaller than width of the sub-section and also smaller than the width of the foot section. The support enables a reduced support height and less coverage.

Improvements in grain alcohol distillation plants by incorporating a novel internal arrangement in the wort column and the rectifying column with distributors and accumulators inside thereof, achieving a stable and safe process in wide ranges of operation, guaranteeing the productivity of the plant and the quality of the products. The wort column features detachable perforated plates, easy to access and clean through manholes. By having easily detachable plates and, also, a manhole for each plate with “holder” type connections, the access to the interior of the column for cleaning and maintenance purposes is facilitated. The rectifying column is a special filling column with flow distributors, it has an intermediate alcohol accumulator and a condenser which is an integral part of the column that prevents the use of pumps. The arrangement of distributors and accumulators within the rectifying column favors the operational stability of the plant, allowing a low scale equipment to work similarly to an industrial scale column. The improvements include an integrated automation system with Internet communication for self-management of the plant with remote monitoring and autonomous operation.

A high capacity and high efficiency vapor-liquid contacting apparatus and process is useful in distillation columns and other vapor-liquid contacting processes. The apparatus is characterized by a half module comprising a downcomer against a shell of a vessel for transporting liquid to a subjacent stage which utilizes a demister to effect vapor-liquid separation at the downcomer outlet.

An apparatus for a dividing wall column in an isomerization unit is disclosed. The apparatus includes a at least one primary vertical wall located at a first set of predetermined plurality of trays and configured to separate a feed from a first side cut; one or more walls placed at a second set of predetermined plurality of trays and configured to enable a second side cut wherein each of the one or more walls includes at least one predetermined shape, wherein the dividing wall column produces four cuts wherein one is hexane cut, wherein there are two walls in different sections of the column. The at least one primary vertical wall includes one of a straight wall, an ‘L’ shaped wall, an ‘Γ’ shaped wall, or a zig-zag wall. The one or more walls are mechanically coupled to form a second vertical wall.

A support beam is provided for supporting an internal such as a structured or grid packing within a mass transfer column. The support beam has an elongated web and upper and lower open flanges respectively positioned at upper and lower edge portions of the web. Each of the upper and lower open flanges has reinforcement rails that extend along a longitudinal length of the web and are spaced from opposed first and second faces of the web by spacers to create open fluid flow channels between the reinforcement rails and the first and second faces of the web. The upper and lower open flanges strengthen the web against deflection while minimizing horizontal surfaces that may lead to accumulation and growth of solids that may interfere with fluid flow to and from the internal.

A method for installing trays in a case where a plate tower is horizontally placed or approximately horizontally placed. No manhole is formed on a cylinder body of the plate tower, so as to reduce damage to the cylinder body of the plate tower, thereby improving the airtight performance of the plate tower. Since the trays are installed in a case where the plate tower is horizontally placed or approximately horizontally placed, manual operations are facilitated, manual working is reduced, and the potential safety hazard caused by high-place operations is avoided.

Trays having increased capacity and efficiency are described. The trays have a deck, and downcomers extending through the deck. There are a plurality of bubble promoters on the deck. Each bubble promoter defines a zone on the deck, and the zone has an opening in the deck. The opening is positioned adjacent to a solid support for the tray. The bubble promoters provide areas through which vapor can passing, turning blocked areas of the tray into active areas. Mass transfer columns containing the trays are also described.