This Edition Sponsored by Sulzer Chemtech
Issue Highlights
- Rectifier designs in ethanol plants
- Vacuum distillation sees improved technology
Rectifier design for fuel ethanol plants reduces energy
Plants have traditionally used trays in the distillation columns to produce fuels grade ethanol. Trays of various configurations have been adequate in this service and their technology is well founded. The ever-present desire to reduce the energy needed to produce a gallon of ethanol has opened the doors to structured packings being used in the rectification sections of ethanol distillation columns.
Sulzer Chemtech relocates to new, expanded facility
Recognized throughout the world for decades as an innovator in the field of mass transfer products, Sulzer Chemtech opened its first Houston facility in 1998. That was the first step in a series of moves designed to position the company in the U.S. market.
SULCOL: Complimentary design software available for tower internals
Sulzer Chemtech now offers mist eliminators
Regional hardware inventories facilitate column repairs and turnarounds
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Process Puzzler
A contractor has been asked to increase the plant capacity of an existing helical-coil vaporizer. The furnace already has an economizer. The results are disastrous — the plant maximum rate has been reduced by more than 10%. The vaporizer is running so hard the fins of the economizer are starting to burn off. The flame is too long. What can we do to eliminate this dangerous problem and increase the vaporizer rate while accounting for NOx limitations? Although the space between the coils is adequate, there is some concern about the coil skin temperature if we change the flame. What are your thoughts?
E-mail us at ProcessPuzzler@putman.net. Send us your comments, suggestions or solutions for this question by May 4, 2007. We'll include as many of them as possible in the June 2007 issue and all on CP.com. Send visuals — a sketch is fine. E-mail us at ProcessPuzzler@putman.net or mail to ProcessPuzzler, Chemical Processing, 555 W. Pierce Rd., Suite 301, Itasca, IL 60143. Fax: (630) 467-1120. Please include your name, title, location and company affiliation in the response. And, of course, if you have a process problem you'd like to pose to our readers, send it along and we'll be pleased to consider it for publication.
Sponsored Product
Sulzer’s MVGT Trays Provide Up to 40% Increase in Capacity
In low to moderate pressure distillation applications, Sulzer Chemtech's MVG tray technology has proven a capacity improvement of 15-40% over conventional trays, typically with improved efficiency as well. Click here for the whole story.
New Products
Column internals provide optimized performance
Sulzer introduces improved technology for vacuum distillation
Upcoming Events
53rd International Instrumentation Symposium (IIS)
April 30 - May 3, 2007, Tulsa, Okla.
Contractor Management Strategies 2007
May 15 - 16, 2007, Birmingham, U.K.
4th Annual Six Sigma in Sales & Marketing Conference
May 23 - 24, 2007, Chicago
