How to address the thermal expansion of distillation towers?
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There is currently an indoor batch distillation column made of 316L material; it passes through two floors, has a diameter of 700 mm and a height of 20 meters, and is directly connected to a horizontal reactor bottom. If the temperature at the top of the column is 190 degrees, should the issue of thermal expansion caused by temperature changes be taken into consideration in actual production? How can this problem be addressed?
It depends on the materials you choose; it’s best to have a large difference in expansion coefficients. You can also add soft materials between the filler and the tower shell, depending on the specific circumstances.
If there is room for expansion at the top of the tower, expansion joints must be installed on the pipes to compensate for this expansion.