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03/25/2002

Revamping an existing plant to increase production with minimum investment is important in today's process industries.
Revamping a process plant is more complex than building a new plant. Revamps require a thorough knowledge and
expertise of detailed material and energy balances.
1
A process simulator is a powerful tool for identifying bottlenecks to achieve higher capacity. For some pieces of
equipment like pumps, compressors, heat exchangers, etc., revamping is relatively straightforward. For example,
replacing the impeller on a centrifugal pump or installing an additional pump in parallel to achieve higher capacity.
A distillation column, on the other hand, is a major cost component and simply replacing it during a revamp is not
2
acceptable. Existing column performance must be understood and analyzed in a distillation column revamp.
Process simulators are an extremely useful tool to perform revamps with considerable ease. A simulator has an
extensive thermodynamic model database, unit operations library, and pure component databank for modeling the
process.
This article presents a case history of using a process simulator as a tool for revamping an existing distillation column
to establish additional throughput without a major hardware change.
The column was revamped for additional throughput by combining feed precooling and providing a side reboiler. This
concept requires minimal hardware changes for columns excessively loaded at stripping section. The key to a
successful revamp lies in setting the appropriate location and side reboiler duty.
This exercise demonstrates how a process simulator can help analyze column profiles and locate the side reboiler.

Distillation revamp
A revamp should increase column throughput. The new throughput will increase column traffic and, consequently, limit
the reboiler and condenser. There are various revamping options available to overcome these constraints.
A simple and generally used approach is to use structured packing or high efficiency trays to handle additional column
traffic and provide additional surface area to overcome the reboiler and condenser bottlenecks. A more careful analysis
of the existing column may give insight on alternate revamping strategies that will lead to an optimum design.
Hydraulic loads in the stripping and rectification sections may vary substantially. If a column is typically hydraulically
loaded more in the stripping section and less in the rectification section, adding heat at an intermediate tray between
the feed and reboiler can help redistribute the load; column throughput can be enhanced without replacing internals.

Side reboiler
3
Using a side reboiler is useful for columns loaded relatively heavily in the stripping section. The heat load between the
rectification and stripping sections can be balanced by varying the feed temperature. Feed preheating decreases
reboiler duty and increases condenser duty while feed precooling has the opposite effect. Component physical
properties influence the sensitivity of heat load variations with respect to feed temperature.
With a side reboiler:

Feed is precooled.
Condenser heat load decreases.
Vapor-liquid traffic in the rectifying section decreases.
Vapor-liquid traffic in the stripping section increases.
Reboiler heat load increases.

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A side reboiler placed between the feed point and bottom tray reduces the tray load below the point where heat is
added. It will also, to some extent, increase the tray load above the heat addition point.
With top section traffic reduced due to feed precooling and bottom section traffic reduced due to a side reboiler, column
throughput can be increased so that column traffic, condenser heat duty, and reboiler heat duty remain the same.
When using this approach for a distillation revamp, the trick is to specify the side reboiler location and fix the heat
addition rate that will give maximum overall capacity increase. This is a trial-and-error procedure with no simple
formula.

Problem definition
In an LPG recovery scheme, ethane
is removed from the main feed
stream in a de-ethanizer column
followed by a LPG column. LPG is
the overhead product in the LPG
column and the bottoms are mainly
C +. Fig. 1 shows the flow scheme.
5
A column with the feed stream
shown in Table 1 was considered.
The revamp study was performed
on the de-ethanizer column. These
specifications for overhead and
bottom streams were fixed:
Click here to enlarge image

Ethane with 0.5 wt % propane in the overhead.

Bottom stream with 0.5 wt % ethane.

The simulation used single-pass Glitsch valve trays in

the rectifying section and two-pass Glitsch valve trays
in the stripping section.

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The distillation column had 40 theoretical stages

excluding the condenser and reboiler. Feed entered at
Tray 20. This was the optimum feed location.

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The de-ethanizer was swaged below the feed; the top

section was 0.95 m diameter and the bottom section
was 1.7 m diameter, with a tray spacing of 0.5 m in both
sections.
Click here to enlarge image
Column top pressure was 30 kg/sq cm, feed rate was
40,000 kg/hr, and feed temperature was 65C. The simulation used the Peng-Robinson thermodynamic method. After
achieving the required specifications, further studies were performed with this model as the base case.

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Tower simulation
A detailed analysis of the base case revealed that
the column was heavily loaded in stripping section
(Fig. 2). This was due to various factors.

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Latent heat in the reboiler vapor is substantially lower

than the overhead. Liquid molecular weight
increases in the stripping section up to the bottom
tray, resulting in lower vapor velocity and tray
loading. With higher fluid temperature, however,
liquid density is lower resulting in higher tray loading.
The net overall result is increased tray loading
between the feed and column bottom.

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The column profile for this simulation case is tabulated in Table 2.

Flooding at the feed tray was 51%, and it steadily increased towards
the bottom. The bottom tray flooding was 79.8%, the recommended
maximum for the column.
The top section was not hydraulically loaded (Fig. 2). The mass flow
rate of liquid in the rectifying section was 12,000 to 16,000 kg/hr
whereas the mass flow rate of liquid in stripping section was 60,000
to 75,000 kg/hr.
Click here to enlarge image
A further increase in throughput was not possible due to flooding
limitations. The loading pattern, however, shows that if we could uniformly balance hydraulic load in the stripping
section, it would be possible to revamp the column such that traffic in the stripping section's bottom trays would be
similar to traffic before the revamp. Supplying intermediate heat in the stripping section at a suitable location would
achieve this goal.
Feed precooling or preheating before it enters the column can also alter vapor-liquid traffic. However, feed preheat or
precool will not help in altering the relative load in a section. Feed precooling accompanied with a side reboiler can,
however, substantially increase column throughput.
Feed was precooled to 40C. to lower the condenser duty and
column rectification section loading. Table 3 shows the results.

Click here to enlarge image

Condenser duty
was 22% lower
(Table 4)
compared to the
base case.
There was a
corresponding
increase of
15.5% in the
reboiler duty.

Click here to enlarge image

Fig. 3 shows that stripping section loads increase with flooding,
reaching an unacceptable value of 91.6%. Flooding on the top tray
was 57.5%.
Adding an intermediate heat source below the feed tray will reduce
the traffic below it.
Click here to enlarge image

Intermittent heat addition

The heat duty from a side reboiler must be determined by trial-and-error. A first estimate of the side reboiler duty uses
the net differential duty between the base case and revamp case. Since the revamp case, however, was itself a
function of side reboiler duty and location, it was extremely difficult to arrive at an initial estimate.
We observed that the total duty required for the revamp case was not equal to the base case plus a differential duty. It
was a little less if heat was added at an intermittent location and was sensitive to where the heat was added.
For this case, the side reboiler added 1 million
kcal/hr. A study was performed to evaluate the
reduction in reboiler duty by varying the side reboiler
location. Fig. 4 shows the results. There is no
significant reduction in reboiler duty when the side
reboiler is placed in the rectifying section. So, further
studies varied the side reboiler location in just the
stripping section.
The side reboiler was tried at Tray 25, 30, and 35.
The condenser and reboiler duties, and column
flooding at each stage were studied for each run.
Fig. 5 shows the results.

Click here to enlarge image

Adding heat at an intermediate location decreased

the loading below the heat addition tray and
increased the loading above it. As the heat addition
location was lowered, loading on the trays above the
heat addition point was not as great.
Fig. 5 shows that maximum flooding in the stripping
section reaches 82% when heat was added on Tray
35. This is more than the maximum flooding in the
base case; so this heat addition point was not

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accepted.
When heat was added on Tray 30, maximum
flooding in stripping section was 74.9%, lower than
maximum flooding for the base case.
In the rectifying section, maximum flooding was
59.6%, lower than maximum flooding for the base
case by 25.1%.

Click here to enlarge image

When heat was added at Tray 25, maximum flooding

in the stripping section was 71%. Maximum flooding
was 70% in the rectifying section, 12% lower than
the maximum flooding for the base case.

Adding heat at Tray 25 gave more margin for flooding than Tray 30, when compared to the base case. Tray 25 was
chosen as the optimum head addition point.

Revamp case
After side reboiler duty and location were finalized, column runs were performed to evaluate additional throughput. The
feed rate was gradually increased and column parameters were analyzed.
At a throughput of 47,500 kg/hr, column hydraulic performance and duties were fairly close to the base case. Flooding
in the column was compared to the base case.
Fig. 6 shows column flooding before and after the
revamp.
Since intermediate heat is added on Tray 25, the
maximum flooding point in the bottom section (Tray
24) is 80%. This matches closely with maximum
flooding of 79.8% in bottom section (Tray 39) for the
base case.
Maximum flooding in the revamped top section is
75.3%, well below the maximum flooding of 79.5%
for the base case.

Click here to enlarge image

Condenser duty for the base case was 1.055 million

kcal/hr and the condenser duty after the revamp
remains at 1.06 million kcal/hr (Table 4). Reboiler
duty before and after the revamp was 2.51 and 2.55
million kcal/hr, respectively.

The study revealed that there was no need to

change the existing reboiler and condenser surfaces after the revamp. The column traffic limiting points were also
maintained so that the internals did not have to be changed after the revamp.
Precooling the feed from 65 to 40 C. and adding 1 million kcal/hr of heat using a side reboiler at Tray 25 increased
distillation column throughput by 18% without affecting product specifications.

Role of the simulator

We performed a similar exercise with different combinations of heat duty and heat addition points. We observed that
the overall column throughput increase was less than 18% for all other cases.
4-6
This type of study is practically impossible to perform without the use of a process simulator.
This case study is a classic example that stresses the importance of process simulators for revamping distillation
columns or other complex operations within a process plant.

References

1. Sloley, A., and Fraser, A.C.S., "Consider modeling tools to revamp existing process units," Hydrocarbon
Processing, June 2000, pp. 57-63.
2. Fair, J.R., and Seibert, A.F., "Understand distillation-column debottlenecking options," Chemical Engineering
Progress, June 1996, pp. 42-48.
3. Nye, J.O., Herzog, K., and Cheaney, S., "Use a side reboiler to increase tower capacity," Hydrocarbon
Processing, September 1999, pp 51-56.
4. Kister, H.Z., "Troubleshoot distillation simulations," Chemical Engineering Progress, June 1995, pp. 63-75.
5. Kister, H.Z., "Distillation design," McGraw-Hill, New York, 1992.
6. Dimian, A., "Use process simulation to improve plant operations," Chemical Engineering Progress, September
1994, pp. 58-66.

The authors
Atul Choudhari is a senior process engineer at Kvaerner Powergas India Ltd., Mumbai, India. His
experience of more than 9 years includes flowsheet simulations and process optimization for
petrochemicals, fine chemicals, and hydrocarbon processes. Choudhari also has experience in various
debottlenecking and distillation revamping projects. He received his BS in chemical engineering from
Marathwada University, Aurangabad, India.
Pradnya Gune is a principal process engineer at Kvaerner Powergas India Ltd., Mumbai, India. She has
more than 10 years of process engineering experience in the field of petrochemicals and fine chemicals.
Gune previously worked for Reliance Industries Ltd. She is a graduate engineer from the University of
Mumbai, Department of Chemical Technology.

Click here to
enlarge
image

S. K. Saxena is a senior engineering manager (process), head of process for Kvaerner

Powergas India Ltd., Mumbai, India. He has also worked for Synthetics & Chemicals Ltd.,
Humphrey & Glasgow Ltd., Engineers India Ltd., Bechtel Group Inc., and Petrofac
International Ltd. in various capacities. Saxena has more than 25 years experience in

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process design, troubleshooting, and operations. His experience covers refining,

Click here to petrochemicals, and fine chemicals. He has a masters in chemical engineering (design).
enlarge
image

Click here to
enlarge
image

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