HIGH PERFORMANCE TRI-PACKS

Tower internals are designed to work together in order to reach specific efficiency goals. The design of various tower internals depends on numerous factors such as gas flow rates, liquid flow rates, operating temperatures, contaminates and more. All column internals must be designed to work together in order to ensure the intended performance of the system.

A properly designed system will not only perform as intended, it will also minimize operating cost and required maintenance. While all internals are important in reaching optimum performance, none are more important than tower packing.

Plastic tower packing has evolved from basic designs to complex configurations and high-performance packing. The goal of plastic tower packing has always been to increase a system’s efficiency and cost savings. The most successful plastic tower packing in accomplishing these goals is the Tri-Packs product. The Tri-Pack’s unique design addresses every aspect of a high-performance tower packing. From its spherical shape to its internal design Tri-Packs are ideally suited to optimize efficiency in any application including scrubbing, air stripping, distillation, extraction, biological filtration and more.

Tri-Packs are a spherical tower packing with a carefully designed network of ribs, structs and drip rods which result in the ideal balance between surface area and open area. The spherical shape of Tri-Packs allows each individual piece to roll into the packed bed position without forming void areas within a packed section unlike irregular shaped random packing or random packing with excessive appurtenances. Tri-Packs eliminate the need to consider allowances for settling and due to its spherical shape nesting is virtually impossible. The round shape design offers reliable and predictable loading of your tower saving time and money.

Tripacks are designed to maximize the performance of your system while minimizing the operating cost. In addition to its superior geometric shape, the Tri-Pack offers an active surface area which is critical to efficient mass transfer. The specially designed network of ribs, struts and drip rods has proven to give the Tri-Packs an advantage over other plastic random packing styles in providing excellent wetting qualities and maintaining liquid distribution through the packed bed. Some plastic tower packing styles have more surface area, but more surface area alone is not an indication of performance. Excessive surface area can impede proper gas and liquid contact and will result in higher pressure drop which increases the horsepower requirements and operating cost. Tri-Packs were specifically designed to optimize the surface area to open area ratio which yields excellent mass transfer efficiency and lower operating cost. Superior design means superior performance.

Tri-Packs are available in 1”, 2” and 3.5” sizes and are available in a variety of resins including Polypropylene, Polypropylene with glass, PVC, CPVC, Kynar (PVDF), Tefzel, Teflon, Halar and more.

KemFlo also manufactures a Pall Ring and Saddle style plastic tower packing as well. Each style of plastic random packing that that KemFlo offers has its own benefits and advantages. The Pall Ring is a durable and reliable packing that offers excellent liquid distribution and gas liquid contact. The Kempac Saddle style plastic tower packing features serrated edges which promote high mass transfer rates.

QUALITY CONTROL AND PLASTIC RANDOM PACKING

Kemflo has been manufacturing plastic random packing since the 1980s and had developed a worldwide reputation for quality and efficiency.  Kemflo’s vast experience in injection molding a wide range of thermoplastics sets it apart from other plastic random packing manufacturers. Kemflo produces multiple styles of plastic tower packing including the Tripack, Pall Ring and Plastic Saddle style random packing. Each plastic random packing style is available in three different sizes and a variety of resins.  Some of the resins that Kemflo manufactures their plastic tower packing in include polypropylene, polyethylene, polypropylene with glass fill, polyvinylchloride, CPVC, Kynar, Tefzel, Teflon and Halar. Other resins are available upon request. Working with a vast array of thermoplastic resins, including high performance resins, requires skill, experience and a very high level of quality assurance.  Everything from the design of the mold and tooling to the final product requires strict oversite and quality assurance in order to produce Kempac plastic random packing. Kemflo’s random packing molds are subject to a strict maintenance schedule which ensures a quality product and greatly reduces the chances of a product flaw. 

One of the most common flaws associated with plastic random packing is flashing.  Flashing is excess resin attached to a finished part.  Flashing can be caused by a variety of things including mold damage, improperly supported mold, uneven flow in the cavity of the tool, clamp pressure too low or high, overfilling the mold cavity or resin viscosity too low.  Flashing is a problem for plastic tower packing because it may add excessive surface area to the random packing bed which is designed based on very specific physical properties of the random packing.  Excessive flashing also may create uneven liquid and gas flow and contact in a column resulting in an inefficient or under performing system.

An imperfection on a few individual plastic random packing parts my not seem like a serious thing but high performance random packing such as the Tri-Pack is typically utilized in critical applications that are designed around tight specifications.  KemFlo has an inhouse maintenance crew who is dedicated to ensuring that all molds and tools are in excellent working condition.  Another critical element in ensuring that Kemflo produces the highest quality plastic random packing on the market today is our resin selection.  Utilizing high end resins is critical in producing quality packing and ensuring optimal product life.  KemFlo utilizes only high end resins that are all traceable back to their production batch to make their plastic tower packing.  Many manufactures of plastic random tower packing do not offer products that are traceable all the way back to the raw material or resin.  Kemflo’s quality control program continues to utilize state of the art technology to ensure our customers always receive high quality plastic random packing.  Kemflo manufactures the Tri-Pack in 1”, 2” and 3.5” sizes, the Pall Ring in 1”, 2” and 3.5” and the Saddle Packing Style in 1”, 2” and 3”.

Kemflo Column Internals Product Line

Kemflo is well known for their plastic random packing product line which includes three styles including the Tripacks, Pall Ring and saddle plastic random packing.  Now Kemflo offers a variety of column internals to compliment their plastic tower packing products through a third-party partner in the United States. Kemflo is continuously seeking ways to support our customers and provide high quality products that not only meet but exceed our customer’s expectations.  

Kemflo manufactures three different styles of plastic random media including the Tripacks, Pall Ring and Saddles plastic random packing style.  The Tri-packs is a hollow spherical column packing that is designed with a network of ribs, struts and drop rods.  Unlike irregular shaped plastic random media the Tri-Packs is specifically designed to roll into the packed bed without creating any void areas within the packed bed unlike other plastic random media styles.  The unique design of Tri-Packs offers predictable and reliable performance.  The geometric shape of Tri-Packs provides an excellent active surface area which is critical to mass transfer.  The Tri-Packs plastic random packing is available in 1”, 2” and 3” Sizes.  Kemflo manufactures the Tri-Packs in a variety of resins.  The Pall Ring is another popular plastic random media and offer many advantages over other products.  The Pall Ring has an open wall construction which maintains even liquid distribution.  The Pall Ring plastic random media is available in 1”, 2” and 3.5” sizes and can be made in a variety of resins.  KemFlo also manufactured a Saddle Style plastic random media which consist of serrated edges that promote high mass transfer rates through effective liquid surface renewal.  The Saddle style plastic random packing is available in 1” 2” and 3”. The Saddles style plastic tower packing comes in a variety of resins. 

Other Column internals offered by Kemflo include Mist Eliminators which are available is a variety of styles including wire-mesh and chevron.  The Mist Eliminator is used to remove liquid droplets from a gas stream which contain contaminates or particulate matter.  Mist Eliminators are available in a variety of materials and are custom built to meet the customer’s specific application.  We also offer Liquid Distributors in a variety of materials.  A Liquid Distributor ensures that the liquid is evenly distributed above the plastic random packing bed and is critical to efficiency of the overall system. Another critical component in a column is the Bed Limiter which is located directly above the plastic packing media bed.  The purpose of the Bed Limited is to keep the plastic random packing in place and prevent the upward gas flow from blowing the plastic random packing into the upper areas of the column.  Lastly, Kemflo offers a Packing Support in which the plastic packing media is supported on.  Similar to the Bed Limiter, the Packing Support is a grate with openings small enough as to the plastic random packing from falling through and supports the entire packing bed.

Kemflo AIK Tank Accessory Products

While Kemflo may be best known for their Kempac plastic random packing product line, we are also known for our tank accessory product line also referred to as AIK. In addition to our plastic random packing product line which includes the Tripack, Pall Ring and Plastic Saddle style, we manufacture a variety of tank accessory products under the AIK product name. The AIK product line includes the following products: 

Man-Way Covers: Our new and improved Man-Way Covers and Rims are constructed from High Density Polyethylene which provide excellent impact properties especially in cold weather. The newly designed center air breather provides optimum venting performance and extremely easy to install and remove air breather which is designed with a tether connection that fastens into the rim helping to reduce misplacement. The Man-Way Lids are offered in closed and vented versions depending on the customer’s specifications. We also offer a variety of lid vents.  Private labeling is available on request as well as custom colors and application specific resins to meet our customer’s needs. Man-Way Lids are available in 8” to 22” sizes. 

Screw Caps: Our Screw Caps are constructed of Black High Density Polyethylene and are available in 6”, 7” and 12” sizes. When used with a gasket these screw caps are designed for use in liquid-tight applications. The 6” and 7” caps are also available with a 2” NPT insert as a standard. Although not offered as a standard, private labeling, various color options, specialty resins and different inserts are available upon request. Ask our sales representatives about the options available. 

Vent-O-Caps: KemFlo manufactures the Vent-O-Cap which combines the functions of a screw cap, a pressure relief vent and a vacuum relief vent. Constructed of Black High Density Polyethylene and is available in 6”, 7” and 12” sizes. This product is available with EPDM or Viton vent seals and Hastelloy-C or 316 stainless steel springs. When used with a gasket the Vent-O-Cap is designed for use in liquid tight applications. 

Maximus Caps: The Maximus is a well-engineered vent which provides a cost-effective venting solution for your tank and intermediate bulk container. This product Is molded from a engineered Co-Polypropylene resin which gives the vent excellent chemical and impact resistance. The vent is available with EPDM in Viton gasket materials. The springs are available in 316 stainless steel or Hastelloy-C. The Maximus is available in various configurations to offer different pressure and vacuum relief options for custom venting requirements. They are color coded for easy identification of the gasket and springs used. 

Bulkhead Fittings: Our new and improved Bulkhead Fitting line provides our customers with a sense of security of installing a robust fitting which will stand up to almost any extreme application. The design features of these fittings include the following.  Extended body height to compensate for thick tank wall applications. Heavy duty cross-sectional wall thickness to with stand high torque tightening avoiding thread stripping and damage. Double tapped NPT threads with left hand self tightening nut. Made from high quality resins.  Specialty resins may be available upon request. Standard gasket materials are EPDM and Viton.  

The Kemflo product line continues to expand providing customers with numerous quality product options. Like Kemflo’s plastic random packing product line, their AIK tank accessory product line continues to expand.  While Kemflo’s current plastic random packing product line includes the Tripack, Pall Ring and Plastic Saddles styles of packing, we are looking to expand all product offerings as well.