Fouling due to the deposition of solids on sieve trayswas studied in a 153romdiameter column and a 90 mm diameter simulator.Tests werecarriedout with various gas-liquid-solid systems to determinethe effectof the fouling mechanism on tray performance. For an air-water system containing saturated NaHCO J • fouling from crystallisation occurs due to water evaporation by dry air at the tray holes. For a CO 2-water system containing K,C0 3 and saturated KHC0 3 , the reaction between CO, and K,C0 3 causes the precipitation of KHC0 3 at the gas-liquid interface. For the air-water system containing insoluble solids, flour and Ca(OH)" no fouling was observed for a 48 hour test period. Interesting results on tray performance were also obtained. Test results indicate that (I) trays with larger holes have higher resistance to fouling,(2) fouling does not occur when trays are operated under weeping conditions, (3) fouling rate increases with increasing gas loading, (4) a bed of mesh packing on the sieve tray accelerates the fouling rate. A mathematical model has been developed for predicting the effect of crystallisation fouling on tray pressure drop as a function of time.
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