NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

APPLICATIONS OF PACKED BED

BY
E.GIRIDHAR DEV
ROLL-UG116215
CLASS-(II/IV) B.TECH
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
INTRODUCTION
In chemical processing, a packed bed is a hollow tube, pipe, or other vessel that is filled
with a packing material. The packing can be randomly filled with small objects likeRaschig
rings or else it can be a specifically designed structured packing. Packed beds may also
contain catalyst particles or adsorbents such as zeolite pellets, granular activated carbon,
etc.
The purpose of a packed bed is typically to improve contact between two phases in a
chemical or similar process. Packed beds can be used in a chemical reactor, a
distillation process, or a scrubber, but packed beds have also been used to store heat in
chemical plants.

APPLICATIONS:
Packed Column
In industry, a packed column is a type of packed bed used to perform separation
processes, such as absorption, stripping, and distillation. A packed column is a pressure
vessel that has a packed section.
[1]

Columns used in certain types of chromatography consisting of a tube filled with packing
material can also be called packed columns and their structure has similarities to packed
beds.

Column Structure: Random and Stacked packed columns
The column can be filled with random dumped packing (creating a random packed column)
or with structured packing sections, which are arranged or stacked (creating a stacked
packed column). In the column, liquids tend to wet the surface of the packing and the
vapours pass across this wetted surface, where mass transfer takes place. Packing offers
the advantage of a lower pressure drop across the column (when compared to plates or
trays), which is beneficial while operating under vacuum. Differently shaped packing
materials have different surface areas and void space between the packing. Both of these
factors affect packing performance.

Liquid and Vapour Distribution (vapour to liquid ratio)
Another factor in performance, in addition to the packing shape and surface area, is the
liquid and vapor distribution that enters the packed bed. The number of theoretical
stages required to make a given separation is calculated using a specific vapor to liquid
ratio. If the liquid and vapor are not evenly distributed across the superficial tower area as it
enters the packed bed, the liquid to vapor ratio will not be correct and the required
separation will not be achieved.
[1]


Packed bed reactors

Packed bed reactors can be used in chemical reaction. These reactors are tubular and are
filled with solid
catalyst particles,
most often used to
catalyze gas
reactions.
[2]
The
chemical reaction
takes place on the
surface of
the catalyst. The
advantage of using a
packed bed reactor is
the higher conversion
per weight of catalyst
than other catalytic
reactors. The reaction
rate is based on the
amount of the solid catalyst rather than the volume of the reactor.

Column Chromatography
Column chromatography is a separation technique in which the stationary bed is within a
tube. The particles of the solid stationary phase or the support coated with a liquid stationary
phase may fill the whole inside volume of the tube (packed column) or be concentrated on or
along the inside tube wall leaving an open, unrestricted path for the mobile phase in the
middle part of the tube (open tubular column). Differences in rates of movement through the
medium are calculated to different retention times of the sample.
[1]
In expanded bed
adsorption, a fluidized bed is used, rather than a solid phase made by a packed bed. This
allows omission of initial clearing steps such as centrifugation and filtration, for culture broths
or slurries of broken cells
Packed Bed Scrubbers
or Packed Tower, is designed to remove gaseous or vaporous pollutants from an
air stream. The process is accomplished by contacting the contaminated air
stream with scrubbing liquor that absorbs or chemically reacts with the
pollutants. Some vapours can be simply removed by condensation through the
cooling effect of the circulating liquid. The cleaned air is then discharged to the
atmosphere and the contaminated scrubbing liquor is either disposed of in an
approved manner or chemically treated and recycled. In some cases, the
collected contaminants can be recovered and reused in the original or other
processes.