Distillation Column

Design and manufacture of a distillation column for an ethanol producer. Vessel was 90 inch diameter and 120 feet in height which was supported by a twenty foot high anchored skirt. Column was constructed of SA240-304 stainless steel. Vessel contained nearly fifty strategically located fittings ranging from 24 inch to 1 inch. Column was provided with 60 precisely located tray support rings with trays being installed on-site by another contractor.

The column was designed for 30 psig internal pressure and full vacuum @ 300 degrees F. maximum design temperature. The column has 11-1/2″ thick x 4″ wide SA240-304 stainless (external) vacuum rings. The column support is a 3/4″ thick skirt along with a double baseplate design. The top 40″ of the skirt was also SA240-304 stainless steel, the remainder was SA516-70.

The column has 5-36″ wide platforms varying in coverage from 180 degrees to 280 degrees around the column, they were provided with caged ladders. All of which were painted safety red in our shop. A cable safety-climb system was provided for each ladder. We provided the system and shipped it loose for customer installation.