Patent ID: 8449727
Filing Date: 2013-05-28
Classification: B01D,B01J

Abstract:
1. A method of determining a flood point of a packed column for liquids and vapors of variable physical properties comprising: (a) providing a reference data set of two-phase pressure drop values as a function of gas and liquid flow rates for a reference liquid and a reference gas at several liquid flow rates through a reference packed column; (b) converting the reference data set to dimensionless two-phase pressure drop values as a function of the density of the liquid phase of a subject packed column thereby making the two-phase pressure drop values at flood inversely proportional to the density of the liquid phase; (c) providing a known flood point value for one liquid flow rate in the reference data set; (d) setting working flood point values for higher liquid flow rates at values lower than the known flood point value; (e) setting working flood point values for lower liquid flow rates at values higher than the known flood point value; (f) expressing gas flow rates for liquid flow rates as fractions of the working flood point value for each respective liquid flow rate in the reference data set; and (g) at a constant two-phase pressure drop value: resulting in determining a flood point of the subject packed column at any liquid flow rate and at any liquid density.