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Expand your Capacity--Not your Vessel

Capacity Data
Before the introduction of ULTRA-FRAC® trays, appreciable capacity increases in light hydrocarbon services could be achieved only through new column construction. With ULTRA-FRAC® trays, existing columns can be retrofitted, resulting in significant capacity increases without the major capital expenditures and space requirements of building new columns.

The ULTRA-FRAC® tray outperforms all other trays -- not only those in the Koch-Glitsch arsenal, but also all other crossflow and counter flow trays. One-for-one change-outs of existing trays are possible for many services. The ULTRA-FRAC® tray is the next logical step on the stairway to increased capacity in existing vessels.

Why Is The ULTRA-FRAC® Tray Better?

  • Superior Liquid Handling

    • The unique operating principle of ULTRA-FRAC® trays provides phenomenal capacity advantages above all other trays.

  • Superior Vapor Handling

    • ULTRA-FRAC® trays function as deentrainers. Significantly higher vapor rates can be achieved without degrading efficiency. In fact, up to two times the vapor rate at a given liquid rate.

  • Foam Suppression

    • Recent laboratory results demonstrated that, at low to medium liquid rates, the ULTRA-FRAC® tray exhibits foam-suppression abilities.

    In Search of the Holy Grail

    Efficiency Data
    Operating data are critical for validation of the capacity and efficiency of new products. Koch Hydrocarbon Company owns and operates a large Natural-Gas-Liquids plant at Medford, Oklahoma. The 5-ft diameter Depropanizer tower was revamped in 1992 with ULTRA-FRAC® trays. This tower has recently been upgraded to a Test and Demonstration unit with research capabilities.

    The Depropanizer is capable of running in both production and R&D modes. The tower is equipped with new feed and reflux nozzles, DP cells, temperature RTDs and sample collection nozzles for precise matching of simulation results with operating data. Highly accurate Micro Motion mass flow meters on the feed, distillate, bottoms and hot oil streams, allow the heat and material balance closures that are so necessary for accurate tray and packing efficiency calculations. Additionally, these same meters facilitate the precise determination of flood points.

    The empirical O’Connell correlation can be used to predict overall column efficiencies (Eoc) for ULTRA-FRAC® trays. With this Test and Demonstration unit, we can confidently predict ULTRA-FRAC® tray efficiencies.

    ULTRA-FRAC® High Capacity Trays Increase Tower Handling Capacity by More Than 50%
    Case Study

    An 8 x 11.5-foot diameter deethanizer was revamped with ULTRA-FRAC® high capacity trays to debottleneck a fractionation train in an NGL plant and to reduce the butane losses in the overhead ethane/propane (E/P) product. The proposed feed rate increase and processing changes threatened to push the existing trays beyond their hydraulic limit. Installation of ULTRA-FRAC® trays provided the capability to handle the internal liquid and vapor traffic in the column. The butane content of the E/P product was significantly lowered. ULTRA-FRAC® trays also provided additional capacity to further increase the feed rate to the deethanizer. As a result, the deethanizer is no longer the constraint in the fractionation train and the NGL plant has set new production records.


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