Daniel R. Summers, P.E.
Presented at the AIChE Annual Meeting
November 18, 2003
San Francisco, California
Abstract
For many years it has been known that under certain operating conditions, distillations trays will tear themselves apart. These conditions are believed to be associated with the natural frequency of the tray structure. Several authors have "touched" on this subject in the past but no real solution has been proposed. Photographs of recent incidences are presented. A proposed correlation is provided to help identify the potential for vibrational damage and help keep this phenomenon from occurring in the future.