Prospectus

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DSP-25 Performance of Structured Packing Modified for Dividing Wall Columns Expected Benefit toMembers: Dividing wall columns (DWC) are becoming more common in commercial applications, especially for applications associated with the production of chemicals. It would be of value to the industry to demonstrate the performance (e.g. efficiency, pressure drop and capacity) of semicircular layers of packings with wall wipers manufactured for dividing wall columns to aid in development. This is not a demonstration of an operating DWC. Instead, we propose do standard FRI performance tests to demonstrate the impact of semicircular shapes of packed beds on efficiency, pressure drop and capacity. Present Situation and Proposed Research: It is proposed to install a divided wall bed into the 4-foot diameter section of the LP Column and repeat the test for the same packing in the 8-foot section of the LP Column to evaluate the impact of the sharp corners at the edges, with wall wipers, of semicircular layers of packings. Proposed Internals and Test System: A commercial structured packing with a commonly used specific surface area of about 250 m 2 /m 3 with o/p-xylene system at 75 and 760 mmHg; and C6/C7 at 23.5 psia in the LP column, 4 foot and 8-foot section. Estimated Unit Time: Total 12 weeks unit time, including 6 weeks for revamps and 6 weeks for data collection. Estimated Additional Costs (Beyond Unit Time): Unknown. Background and Discussion: None. Developmental Research Idea

PROSPECTUS

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