Value creation
Koch-Glitsch engineers and application specialists have the knowledge and experience to create solutions to boost your unit performance and reduce life cycle cost.

While capacity is of primary interest, operators also want to address concerns with energy efficiency, product purity, operation reliability, and the environmental impact of processing operations. To maintain profitability, increased product recovery and reduced energy usage are needed to control rising manufacturing costs. Processes can be modified to maximize product yield and reduce the quantity of waste streams.

Koch-Glitsch designs and manufactures a wide range of styles of trays, packing, mist eliminators, and liquid-liquid coalescers to provide the characteristics needed. Reviewing a process with an equipment design company of proven expertise can help in making the best equipment choice for a particular application and requirements. Using proprietary design techniques combined with its diverse line of equipment and the extensive knowledge and experience of its engineers, Koch-Glitsch can provide a well-designed tower or separator that meets the specified requirements.
Using proprietary design techiques combined with its diverse line of products and the extensive knowledge and experience of its engineers, Koch-Glitsch can provide a well-designed tower or separator that meets the specified requirements.
 

Process design
Each process situation is unique with specific issues and characteristics. Koch-Glitsch’s highly skilled engineers have a broad range of experience in numerous applications and industries and a deep understanding of Koch-Glitsch equipment performance. This combination allows Koch-Glitsch to provide the most suitable equipment to meet the requirements of a specific application.

Process simulations support improved  analysis, design, and optimization of technical processes and unit operations. Koch-Glitsch engineers can perform extensive calculations for a wide range of chemical processes. Process simulations can be used to:

  • Evaluate process improvements
  • Optimize existing plant processes to improve plant yields
  • Accelerate process troubleshooting
  • Detect and remedy process bottlenecks
  • Improve process design and equipment sizing
  • Provide internal column loads for calculations

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling has become an integral part of optimizing design and performance of large size and/or complex columns and separators. Koch-Glitsch engineers have used CFD modeling for many years to evaluate and optimize design of internals to meet desired performance levels. CFD can simulate the actual tower or vessel configuration and process conditions to provide a more complete picture of vapor and liquid flow to enhance performance. For new equipment, optimized CFD designs can result in smaller vessel size with associated savings in foundations and support structures.

CFD analysis is an important tool to improve design of inlet feed devices in refining applications, which can improve operational reliability and profitability.

CFD is also used to obtain a more complete picture of column performance when troubleshooting existing installations. CFD analysis can show parts of systems or phenomena occurring that is not otherwise visible and is used in combination with other diagnostic tools such as tower scans and process simulations.

Where liquid holdup is of concern, for unstable products such as peroxides, ethylene and propylene oxide, as well as very expensive products such as pharmaceuticals, flavors and fragrances, and heavy water, dense sheet metal structured packing or wire gauze packing are often used. Such packing styles provide a lower liquid holdup compared to trays or random packing.
Operations
Koch-Glitsch has extensive knowledge and experience in the design of tower internals and has provided solutions for reliable unit operation for severe conditions such as fouling, coking, erosion, corrosion, and frequent upsets. To apply the appropriate technologies, Koch-Glitsch engineers work with each client to obtain the specific characteristics of the application that must be addressed.
  • Rugged construction to provide increased resistance to corrosion and erosion
  • Large openings and open structures to provide easier passage for large particles
  • Proper wetting and liquid push to flush solid materials to areas where they can exit

For moderately fouling systems, large diameter fixed valves, such as VG-10 or the patented PROVALVE® fixed valve, can reduce the tendency to foul. The unique design of the PROVALVE tray combines fouling resistance with high capacity. Its rugged, durable construction reduces the potential for fouling and provides long tray life.

For extreme fouling services, Koch-Glitsch provides SUPERFLUX® trays, which are designed to increase run time in fouling applications. The PURGE™ downcomer configuration has been shown to resist fouling for services such as polymer slurry, acrylonitrile, and butadiene services.

FLEXIGRID® severe service grid has no horizontal surfaces so the packing drains freely and liquid and solids do not accumulate. The large blade spacing provides large flow channels so solid particles may pass through more easily. Increased packing thickness gives it a greater life in corrosive or erosive systems.

The new high performance severe service grid packing combines the efficiency of structured packing with the robustness and fouling resistance of grid packing. The gaps between the sheets provide improved fouling resistance. The rugged design reduces damage caused by tower upsets or erosion. The increased element height significantly shortens installation and removal time. In addition, panels can be easily removed and cleaned.

When additional uplift protection is required, the entire grid packing bed can be held together with tie rods to form a continuous structure that is highly resistant to mechaical damage and upset.

The fouling resistant FLEXICHEVRON® mist eliminator can offer the best solution if the process contains solid particulates; viscous or tarry liquids; or if large slugs of liquid occur.
With trays, foaming can cause excessive entrainment or limit the capacity of the downcomers. Packing is less sensitive to foaming than trays and therefore is the preferred device for such applications.
For temperature sensitive products with a tendency to polymerization or decomposition, structured packing provides the lowest pressure drop of any mass transfer device, which allows operating at the lowest possible bottom temperature.

Turnarounds
Response teams, located strategically around the world, are ready to provide comprehensive services for turnarounds and shutdowns on short notice to help you meet schedules.

Koch-Glitsch leads the industry with its on-time performance for emergency supply of mass transfer and mist elimination equipment. Combined with engineering designs and construction technologies, Koch-Glitsch can provide its clients with the flexibility needed to adjust quickly, efficiently, and appropriately to project changes.
Koch-Glitsch has developed a number of mechanical features to simplify the installation of trays under different circumstances.

FLEXILOCK® tray construction is a patented tray joint from Koch-Glitsch that allows rapid installation of trays. By eliminating the requirement for hardware between adjacent tray panels, it can provide error-free deck installation and dramatically reduce installation time. FLEXILOCK tray construction can be used to strengthen joint and uplift tolerance and cancel vibration-induced panel shifting.

OMNI-FIT® technology is a set of mechanical engineering designs that can facilitate column revamps and provide performance improvements. The innovative tray designs can minimize or eliminate welding on an existing tower to minimize turnaround time and avoid heat treatment for stress relieved vessels.

HORIZON® technology is a set of mechanical construction techniques developed specifically for in-shop installation of trays with the vessel in the horizontal position.

SATURN® technology is a patented technology that can be used to reduce the total installed cost of new distillation columns, especially those with multi-pass crossflow trays, with its combination of innovative tray designs and simplified tower attachments.

The design of SPEED-WAY® manways makes it easy to add quick opening manways without replacing existing trays. The manways provide the ability to tunnel through a column on a routine basis and inspect and clean quickly during turnarounds.