Improved Technology
for Distillation and Absorption
Rim plates are
based upon a regular geometric pattern
of active rims with short down comers
sited within a horizontal mother plate.
The principles underlying the technology
have been known and practice proven for
over thirty years. The technology has now
been revived and improved and is unlikely
to be surpassed for it’s particular
combination of advantages which include:
The ability to self correct liquid mal distribution over large
diameters
Very Low HETP
Very low pressure drop
Low liquid hold up
Wide turn down ratio
Ability to handle viscous and sticky
liquids
Good tolerance of material deposition
The key feature of the technology is the
use of the kinetic energy of the gas or
vapour to self distribute the liquid and
to create a scrubbed thin film for mass
transfer at the site of the active rims.
Plates are stacked at
a very low inter plate spacing (typically
30 mm). Each plate has a regular series
of down corner rims offset on a stagger
from the adjacent plates.
Recent improvements in the design of the
rims have had the double effect of improving
the economics of manufacture and improving
the operating characteristics of the device. A trial cartridge has
been provided to a UK coal-fired power station for use on a carbon
capture test rig.
The plates are being
manufactured in the UK and a low cost absorber
unit for small-scale solvent users has
been developed. A fifty-plate test column
of 24 inches diameter is available for
proving particular applications.
The small scale device has been awarded patent no. GB 2422561.
To see a brief video of the distributed flow patterns, including scrubbed surface
and "standing wave", click on the arrow in the box below
Clive Hadfield & Associates Ltd. are rim plate designers.
Sales of rim plates are by a competent manufacturer, who has special tooling.
