Chemical Engineering August 2022 - 25

modifications, raising the pressure
did not improve capacity because
the trays were bottlenecked simultaneously
by downcomer backup
(which was debottlenecked by adding
the downcomer radii) and by entrainment
flood.
The takeaway: When dealing with
a challenging problem, a change
of environment from a four-wall
meeting room to a more pleasant
surrounding may help usher in a
creative solution.
■
Edited by Dorothy Lozowski
About the Tower Doctor
" The Tower Doctor " is the honorary
title bestowed upon the author of this
article in 2002 by Richard Darton,
professor of Engineering in Oxford
University and chair of the European
Distillation Network. " When a tower
is not well, " says Darton, " people call
Henry to diagnose the illness and
find a remedy. He arrives with his
doctor's bag, examines the patienttower,
measures its temperature and
pulse, gets radiography to get an inside
look. Then comes his diagnosis
and cure. Towers treated by Henry
mostly get better very quickly. "
Being son to two medical doctors
who were blessed with phenomenal
diagnosis ability, the author
aspired to live up to this special
honorary title. Like with medical
doctors, some illnesses were a
struggle to diagnose, others were
easier. All were exciting. This column
will reminisce through some of
the more entertaining cases. They
may not have seemed entertaining
at the time, but looking back
at them, they leave unforgettable
memories and raise a smile or two.
One great aspect of being a tower
doctor, one gets to work with and
learn from some of the greatest
engineers and operators that contributed
so much to the chemical
industry. We hope that this column
can pass some of the fun, excitement
and lessons learned to future
troubleshooters and tower doctors.
References
1. Kister, H. Z., Use Quantitative Gamma Scans to Troubleshoot
Maldistribution on Trays, Chem. Eng. Progr., February 2013.
2. Kister, H. Z., Is the Hydraulic Gradient on Sieve and Valve Trays
Negligible? Paper presented at the Topical Conference on
Distillation, the AIChE Meeting, Houston, Texas, April 2012.
Author
Henry Z. Kister is a senior
fellow and the director of
fractionation technology at Fluor
Corp. (3 Polaris Way, Aliso Viejo,
CA; Phone: 949-349-4679;
Email: henry.kister@fluor.com).
He has over 35 years of
experience in design,
troubleshooting, revamping,
field consulting, control and
startup of fractionation processes and equipment.
Kister is the author of three books, the distillation
equipment chapter in Perry's Handbook, and over
130 articles, and has taught the IChemE-sponsored
" Practical Distillation Technology " course more than
530 times in 26 countries. A recipient of several
awards, Kister obtained his B.E. and M.E. degrees
from the University of New South Wales in Australia.
He is a member of the NAE, a Fellow of IChemE and
AIChE, and serves on the FRI Technical Advisory and
Design Practices.
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Chemical Engineering August 2022

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